I Stumbled Upon Thomas Edison in the 1850 U.S. Census!

As I was helping a colleague research Alexander McClure, a merchant in Milan, Ohio, in 1850, I ran into Thomas Alva Edison in the U.S. Census for 1850! He is listed in the family of Samuel Edison, at age 3, and his name was listed as Alva. Somewhere along the way, there is a star beside the name of Alva, and the note at the bottom of the census page indicates that Alva is also known as Thomas Alva Edison! I am sure I am not the first person to run into our well known inventor on the census, but I was delighted when I found him there, on my way to looking for someone else! There is a statue honoring Thomas Alva Edison and his mother Nancy in Milan, Ohio. Nancy was age 40 at the time of the 1850 U.S. Census.

It is so fun see history come to life in genealogical research!