Mary litogot ford born

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Ford had this replica built in Greenfield Village in the early 1940s.

Portrait of Mary Litogot Ford, circa 1865

Photographic print

William Ford and Mary Litogot married in 1861 and gave birth to a son, Henry, two years later.

The family arrived in Quebec in 1847 and then onto the United States.

When his father insisted that Henry should be charging for his services, the boy instead resorted to making his repairs in secret, toiling late at night at a workbench in his bedroom.

Westinghouse Portable Steam Engine No. 345, Used by Henry Ford

Steam engine (Engine)

Portable steam engines like this powered grain threshers, sawmills, or corn shellers.

The house stood near the corner of present-day Ford and Greenfield Roads in Dearborn, Michigan. The couple's first child, Henry, was born in 1863 and went on to found Ford Motor Company.

Henry Ford's First Violin, 1880-1900

Violin

Henry Ford loved music-especially the fiddle tunes he enjoyed at the country dances of his youth.

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William died of natural causes on March 8, 1905, in his home

William is interred at Ford Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan. Their marriage was marked by support and a common devotion to their children.

DetailInformation
Marriage DateApril 25, 1861
SpouseWilliam Ford
Number of ChildrenAt least 8 (5 sons and 3 daughters)
Notable ChildHenry Ford

Impact on Henry Ford

Henry Ford was greatly influenced by Mary Litogot Ford.

This painting is one of several childhood scenes that Henry Ford commissioned from his favorite artist, Irving Bacon.

Ford Home

Farmhouse

Henry Ford was born in this farmhouse on July 30, 1863. He followed a favorite teacher, John Chapman, there from the Scotch Settlement School. Mary had a profound effect on her eldest child, who remarked after her death during childbirth in 1876 that their house "was like a watch without a mainspring."

Port Huron Steam Traction Engine Pulling Dump Wagons, circa 1895

Photographic print

Henry Ford kept this photograph in a picture frame where he could see it daily.

Ford grew up in the house and moved out at age 16 to find work in Detroit. Please don't go away!

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mary litogot ford born

Around the time this photograph was taken, Ford married Mary Litogot.

On April 21, 1861, William married Mary Litogot in Wayne County, Michigan, daughter of Belgian immigrants. In a few years he bought 40 of Mr. Litogot's 240 acres"

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Despite her brief life, she shaped the character and ambitions of one of the 20th century’s most significant personalities. Young Ford never took a fee; he was content with the experience he gained. Young Henry cranks the bellows at his forge while a friend experiments with the coffee grinder at left.

Young Henry Ford and John Ford Pulling a Sled with a Boiling Kettle, by Irving Bacon, 1940

Painting (Visual work)

Henry Ford and his younger brother, John, pull a sled holding a kettle of boiling water while their mother, Mary, watches from the doorway.

Mary Ford, a loving mother and matriarch of a family that would pioneer American industry, was married to William Ford.

Early Life and Background

Mary Litogot started small. [1]

Mary Litogot married William Ford. He never forgot the revelation of what could be done by a machine moving over the road under its own power.

Young Henry Ford and Companions in a Workshop, by Irving Bacon, 1938

Painting (Visual work)

Artist Irving Bacon depicted Henry Ford's first workshop in this 1938 painting.

He restored the farmhouse in 1919 and moved it to Greenfield Village in 1944.

Luckily Mag

Mary Litogot Ford, born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1839, was the mother of prominent American automaker Henry Ford. Because of Ford's fondness for his teacher John Chapman, he not only followed Chapman to Miller School but also brought Chapman's house to Greenfield Village.