Mina Miller Edison

Mina Miller Edison. Fort Myers’ First Lady. Mina Miller Edison, born July 6, 1865, had the distinction of being the daughter, wife, and mother of inventors. Her father, Lewis Miller, invented agricultural equipment like the Buckeye Reaper and its success allowed an upper-class lifestyle. An excellent student, Mina graduated with distinction from Akron High School in 1883 and celebrated by traveling through Europe. She attended Miss Abby H. Johnson's Home and Day School for Young. Ladies in Boston, where she excelled in musical studies. While there, Mina met widower Thomas Edison through their mutual friends, Ezra and Lillian Gilliland. , , Thomas and Mina were married on February 24, 1886, traveling to the property Edison had recently purchased in Fort Myers for their honeymoon. At twenty years old, Mina was swiftly transformed from a college woman to a celebrity. She wrote to her mother from her Florida honeymoon, "People stare at us so." , , As the wife of a world-famous inventor, Mina managed a large estate in New Jersey, a vacation home in Florida, multiple domestic staff, ran charities, and raised six children (3 stepchildren and 3 of her own). , , Mina Edison had an active role in the social and civic affairs of West Orange, New Jersey; Chautauqua, New York (where her father co-founded the Chautauqua Institution); and Fort Myers, Florida. She was an ardent supporter and spokeswoman for the Chautauqua Association (serving as president of the Bird and Tree Club), the American Red Cross, the West Orange Community League, the National Audubon Society, the Methodist Church, the John Burroughs Association, the Daughters of the American Revolution (serving for a year as its national chaplain), the School Garden Association of America, and was the co-founder and first president of the Fort Myers Roundtable. , , Mina deeded her winter home to the city of Fort Myers in February of 1947 for the sum of one dollar, to serve as a tribute to her late husband. She passed away shortly afterwards, on August 24, 1947, at the age of 82, and was remembered fondly by those who knew her best for her kindness, generosity, and service to the community. , , [Inserts:] , Marjory Stoneman Douglas, author of, "The Everglades, River of Grass," said of Mrs. Edison, "Her work for Fort Myers ought most certainly to be recognized as one of the most outstanding civic achievements...not just in the muterial improvements of a city, but in the building up of a most amazing and creative community spirit." , (caption) , A young Mina Miller , , “In February of 1930, Mina Edison said: "As head of the house, a woman occupies a most important and enviable position... 'Home-executive is the title I like to apply to homemakers. The term 'housewife' does not apply to the capable woman who conducts her home just as efficiently as the man who carries on his work." , (caption) , Below: Mina (center) poses with her children circa 1905: Charles (left), Madeleine (right), and Theodore (back, left).