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John KreusiEdison needed a go-to-guy and John Kreusi was just the guy. Kreusi could make from a variety of materials available to him in the experimental laboratory at Menlo Park just about anything Edison could dream up. Talk about the first research and development laboratory. So there was Edison making sketches on the dinner napkins of the day, and John Kreusi cutting drilling, and machining all sorts of raw material to roughly approximate what the boss had asked for.The first phonograph was built from an Edison sketch by Kreusi, who was paid $18 for his efforts -- but who was so sure that the whole idea was a misconception that he bet Edison $2 that it wouldn't work. And when Edison switched to playback, turned the crank and those words came out, Kreusi was stunned. It is reported that Edison made him cough up the $2, but, some time later, confessed that he had been just as stunned as Kreusi was. He hadn't thought it would work, either.Kreusi was an immigrant from Switzerland who was trained as a machinist. He went on to be the director of the laboratory, supervising fifty workers.His office was on the first floor of the laboratory where he could escape some of the noise of the machine shop, which was near-by. His desk and bench can still be seen supposedly as he left it.According to the 1880 USA Census for the 1st District Raritan Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, he was born in Switzerland as were his parents. In 1880 he was 37 years old.He lived with his wife Emily age 27 in 1880 who was born in Ohio and parents born in Switzerland.Their housekeeper was Jennie Knox age 27 who was born in Ohio, parents born in Germany.The Kreusi family includes three children, all born in New Jersey:Augustus age 4 in 1880, Paul age 2 in 1880, and Emily 7 months old in 1880. |
Prepared 2006- Updated 2008 David U. Larson dularson@bellsouth.net
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