These two letters from telegraph operator John Lonergan to Edison biographer William A. Simonds were written in 1932. They describe Edison’s activities as a Western Union employee in Nashville in late 1865. The second, handwritten letter contains additional details and clarifications to the earlier typewritten account. Included are references to Edison's diet and to the administration of "Rochele Salt" (potassium sodium tartrate), a commonly used laxative.

Courtesy of the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village Research Center.