Thomas Edison Through His Cousin’s Eyes
- Dillion Liskai
- 7 days ago
- 6 min read
The Thomas A. Edison Birthplace has hosted many people over its more than 180 years, including many members of the Edison family. Ever since 1894, when Thomas’ sister, Marion, purchased the humble brick home, it has been in the Edison family. The last person to ever live in the Edison Birthplace was Thomas’s cousin, Marietta Wadsworth. She lived in the home from 1914 to 1944, and some of her belongings, including her trunk and china, are still in the Birthplace today. I could tell you her story, but sometimes, it's best to step aside and let the actual author speak for themselves. In late 1938, she told her story to Eugene C. Reed, and the following is a brief excerpt from Marietta Wadsworth’s account, told through her own lens.
“My mother’s name was Nancy Balcom Wadsworth. She was Thomas Alva Edison's first cousin. Mr. Edison’s mother, Nancy Elliott, and my grandmother, Betsey Elliott, were sisters. My mother was thirteen years older than Mr. Edison and lived in Milan next door to Samuel Edison’s home. When Samuel Edison’s family lived in Milan, Mrs. Stephen Lockwood was a neighbor and intimate friend. I asked Mrs. Lockwood whether Mrs. Samuel Edison was an exceptionally brilliant woman, and she replied that she could not speak too highly of her and that she encouraged Thomas in every way. She was of medium height, stout, had large brown eyes, very brown hair, and a relatively easy-going, mild disposition.
“Samuel Edison was about six feet, three inches tall, straight in stature, very homely. My mother told me that Uncle Sam thought that Thomas’s head was too large. At this remark, his mother placed her hand on Thomas’s and said, ‘This large head means everything.’ Thomas was a natural student and had his mother’s help and encouragement at all times.
“When Mr. Edison was born, and for some time thereafter, Milan was the second-largest grain port in the world. Canal boats came up the canal to Milan and were loaded with grain from the interior, and then were taken down through the canal and the Huron River to Lake Erie. Captain Alva Bradley, who owned several of the canal boats, boarded at Samuel Edison’s home before Thomas was born. Before Thomas’ birth, Mr. Samuel Edison said that if the child were a boy, he would name him after an uncle, Thomas, but he did not know what middle name to give him. Whereupon Captain Bradley said, ‘Why not name him Alva after me?’ That they decided to do.
“One day, Thomas went down to the warehouses in Milan on the canal and was nearly smothered in one of the grain bins when he was discovered and pulled out. Another day, Thomas and one of his chums wanted a bonfire. They took hay and straw and put it on the floor of one of the barns in town and set it on fire. They were too young to realize that the hay and straw would not burn without catching the barn itself, and before they knew it, the barn was afire and beyond control. When Thomas’ father found this out, he took him up to the square where everybody could see him, turned him over his knee, and spanked him good and hard. He meant that as a lesson to other little boys. For a time thereafter, young Thomas ‘uprising’ was much more comfortable than his ‘downsitting’.
“Before my mother was married, she spent her summers with the Samuel Edisons at Port Huron, after they had moved from Milan. While there, she had an opportunity to observe Thomas’s taste in dress, which was notoriously poor. One time, his mother gave him money to buy a suit, and he came home wearing a bright yellow suit they called butternut. His mother was shocked, but he thought it was beautiful and would not exchange it. His mother let him keep it.
“The first memory I have of Thomas was when he visited my father and mother when we lived in Cleveland. At that time, I was about fifteen years of age. With him at the time was the first Mrs. Edison, his daughter Marion, and his eldest sister, Mrs. Marion Edison Page and her husband, Mr. Homer Page. Mr. Page’s brother, Tom Page, was also present. My father, Thomas, and Homer Page were all very deaf, and it was laughable to hear each one shout to the other, then, having realized the situation, laugh heartily about it.
“In 1923, Mr. Edison visited his birthplace in company with Mrs. Edison, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Firestone, their two sons, and Mr. Henry Ford. On the occasion of his visit, there was to be a reception for him in Milan's public park, but he arrived late, and we were getting anxious about going.
“As I stepped into the hall of the Edison home, I heard voices upstairs, and I went up the stairs and stood in the doorway and looked into the north room, and then I saw Mr. Edison sitting in a bit of a chair looking out the window over the hills. Mr. Ford and Mr. Firestone were with him, listening as he recounted the experiences and escapades of his childhood. He was living again in the memory of those early days. When the Edison family moved to Port Huron, Thomas was seven years old. For several years thereafter, he returned to Milan each year to visit his sister and other relatives.
“As we were about to go down the stairs, I said to Thomas, ‘Look out, take hold of the railing. You may fall, it is so dark on these stairs.’ He took hold of the wall and said, ‘Where is the Button?' and I replied, ‘Oh, there is no electricity in this home.’ He then said, ‘What, no electricity in my house? Get it right away.’ You will believe that I did as he said. I got in touch with an electrician and went to Cleveland to pick out the necessary electrical fixtures.
“On the night of the Light’s Golden Jubilee Celebration at Dearborn, at which there was also a banquet held in the Methodist Church in Milan, there were 300 at the table. Thomas’ grandniece, Mrs. Marion Ristine Wheeler, and I were guests of honor at the table and represented the Edison family. After the banquet at the church, we all adjourned to the town hall to hear Thomas speak over the radio. His talk at Dearborn that night was broadcast and was very short. As he spoke, someone in the audience near me said, ‘Oh, his voice shows age.’ I turned to the person and said, ‘Oh no, he is so overcome. He is greatly affected. There are tears in his voice.’ I heard later that, as he spoke, tears were in his eyes as he thanked the people for the honor bestowed upon him. Particularly, all were impressed by the modesty of his talk and the praise he gave to those who had assisted him during the years.”
Sources Used and Encouraged for Further Reading
Wadsworth, Marietta. 1938. NOTES AND ANECDOTES CONCERNING THE LIFE OF THOMAS ALVA EDISON AS TOLD TO EUGENE C. REED ON NOVEMBER 30th AND DECEMBER 1, 1938 BY MISS MARIETTA WADSWORTH, Interview. Compiled by Eugene C. Reed. Milan, Ohio.
Dillon Liskai, a native of Clyde, Ohio, is a Bowling Green State University junior. He is pursuing a degree in Adolescent to Young Adult (AYA) Integrated Social Studies Education, specializing in History.
Dillon has been a Thomas A. Edison Birthplace Museum tour guide for three years. When not at school or the museum, he enjoys cheering on the Bowling Green Falcons, spending time with friends and family, and exploring local history.
Have a question for Dillon? Reach out via email at dliskai@tomedison.org!
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