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.
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](https://blog.genealogybank.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/tulsa-world-newspaper-0125-1914-henry-ford-thomas-edison.png "tulsa-world-newspaper-0125-1914-henry-ford-thomas-edison")
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, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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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