[Three letters were added in August 2012.]

These documents, which cover the years 1893-1905, consist of letters from John V. Miller (1873-1940) to his parents Lewis and Mary Valinda Miller and to his sister Mina Miller Edison. Some of the letters concern visits to Edison's laboratory and home in West Orange; news about the Edison children, including the birth of Theodore in 1898; holiday celebrations; and gifts from Mina Edison. Also included are letters from 1898 referring to John's service in the Spanish-American War and the death of his younger brother, Theodore, who was fatally wounded during the Battle of San Juan Hill. In addition, there is correspondence from 1902 pertaining to mining expeditions on Edison's behalf in Sudbury, Ontario. A letter from 1905 mentions Edison's plans to visit Canada in search of cobalt. An undated letter, problably from 1911 or 1912, contains references to the health problems of Mary V. Miller and Edison's uncle, Simeon O. Edison.

Seven additional letters from John V. Miller to his mother have not been selected. The first letter, dated April 27, was written in 1893 during John's last semester at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire. The remaining unselected letters, which cover the period December 1893-June 1894, were written during John's first year at Yale University. The letters contain numerous references to Theodore Miller, who attended Yale along with John, as well as occasional references to Mina Edison and Lewis Miller.

Courtesy of the Edison-Ford Winter Estates.