Legendary Lives: Car Manufacturer Henry Ford

Introduction: Gena Philibert-Ortega is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.” In this blog article, Gena searches old newspapers to discover more about the life and accomplishments of automobile magnate Henry Ford.

For many Americans who are familiar with the Ford Motor Company, the name Henry Ford (1863-1947) is synonymous with his innovations. While his implementation of the assembly line (a more streamlined process in factory work), and introduction of the affordable Model T automobile, are well-known – he also implemented ideas that better served his employees.

Portrait of Henry Ford, c. 1919
Illustration: portrait of Henry Ford, c. 1919. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Admiration for Thomas Edison

For the interested researcher, perusing newspaper articles about Henry Ford printed during his lifetime does not disappoint. Just searching for news articles about him published in 1914, the year he introduced his employee profit-sharing plan, nearly 1,700 articles can be found in GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives – including quite a few that mention his association with inventor Thomas Edison. One such article includes a quote from Henry Ford proclaiming that Thomas Edison is the “greatest man of the times.”

Thomas A. Edison [Is] the Greatest of Men, Says Henry Ford, Head of the Automobile Kingdom, Tulsa World newspaper article 25 January 1914
Tulsa World (Tulsa, Oklahoma), 25 January 1914, section 2, page 1
Profit-Sharing Plan for Ford Employees

In 1914 he raised the daily salary of workers to $5 via a profit-sharing plan that increased 90% of his employees’ pay from the previous level of $2.34 per day. Ford not only increased wages, he shortened the work day to eight hours.

Henry Ford Gives $10,000,000 to His 26,000 Employees, Jackson Citizen Patriot newspaper article 5 January 1914
Jackson Citizen Patriot (Jackson, Michigan), 5 January 1914, page 1

Henry Ford, Birdwatcher?

Birdwatching? Well, everyone has a hobby and not surprisingly, Ford was mentioned numerous times in the newspaper for his hobby (he was an avid birdwatcher) and the bird preserve he established near Detroit, Michigan.

article about Henry Ford's bird preserve in Michigan, Duluth News-Tribune newspaper article 7 July 1912
Duluth News-Tribune (Duluth, Minnesota), 7 July 1912, page 7

The story of how his bird preserve came to be is recounted in the following 1914 newspaper article. Ford had invited Jefferson Butler, Secretary of the Michigan Audubon Society, to his Michigan farm and asked how he could make the lives of birds happier. According to the article:

“Ford wanted to share profits with the birds who were saving the crops of the farmers from destruction [by eating insects] and making it possible for mankind to get something to eat.”

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That meeting led to Ford creating a bird preserve where he provided shelters, food and even “tepid water” via electric heaters for the birds.

article about Henry Ford and his love of birdwatching, Macon Telegraph newspaper article 24 May 1914
Macon Telegraph (Macon, Georgia), 24 May 1914, page 5

Hi! My Name Is Henry Ford

Not all of the newspaper articles about Henry Ford are related to his accomplishments, hobbies, or even automobiles. Just as today, our ancestors enjoyed reading celebrity stories. Everyone loves a story where two people share a common name but are not related, especially when one of those people is famous. In the following newspaper article from 1914, the meeting of two Henry Fords from Michigan – one the industrialist millionaire and the other an editor of the Galesburg Argus newspaper – is documented.

Michigan's Two Henry Fords Meet at Popular Florida Winter Resort, Kalamazoo Gazette newspaper article 15 March 1914
Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Michigan), 15 March 1914, page 2

And as all good genealogy researchers know, same name doesn’t mean same family. The last sentence of this old news article clarifies that these two Fords are not related.

Henry Ford’s Death

Toward Henry’s later years, his son Edsel was at the helm of the Ford Motor Company – but after Edsel’s death in 1943, Henry returned to running the company. The elder Ford, suffering from ill health, finally relinquished control of the company to his namesake grandson in September 1945. Less than two years later, Henry Ford died on 7 April 1947. His obituary, like that of any well-known figure, named his accomplishments – but also listed his perceived failings including an unsuccessful attempt to stop World War I.

obituary for Henry Ford, Trenton Evening Times newspaper article 8 April 1947
Trenton Evening Times (Trenton, New Jersey), 8 April 1947, page 1

Henry Ford’s Genealogy

The Ford family tree is online.

Newspapers = Stories

As these historical articles have shown, newspapers are a great way to find not only someone’s vital statistics, but the stories of their life as well. Dig into GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives and find your ancestors’ stories. Start your 30-day trial now!

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