Edwin H. Ford, founder of The Ford Meter Box Company, Inc., was born in

Wabash, Indiana Wabash is a city in Noble Township, Wabash County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 10,666 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Wabash County. Wabash is notable as claiming to be the first electrically lighted cit ...

, on January 12, 1861, to Dr. James and America Ford. Edwin was the youngest of six children. Shortly after Edwin's birth, his father, Dr. Ford, enlisted as an Army surgeon for the Union Army. Edwin was ten years younger than his next sibling and grew up almost as an only child. He had a natural aptitude for math and science and taught himself how to draft. In 1881, at the age of 20, Edwin moved to

Blackford County, Indiana Blackford County is located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Indiana. The county is named for Judge Isaac Blackford, who was the first speaker of the Indiana General Assembly and a long-time chief justice of the Indiana Supreme ...

to farm acreage owned by his father. Shortly after moving to Blackford County, Edwin was elected Justice of the Peace in 1883. Edwin married Elizabeth Neff in 1891 in Wabash, and they moved to

Hartford City, Indiana Hartford City is a city in the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Blackford County, Indiana, Blackford County. Located in the northeast East Central Indiana, central portion of the state, the small farming community underwent a dramatic ...

. Together, they had five sons: Holton (1893), Wilbur (1895), John (1897), Richard (1900), and Frederick (1904). In the 1890s, the availability of cheap fuel brought an influx of French and Belgian glass workers to the area. Edwin invested in a glass factory, but lost his investments during the

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It deeply affected every sector of the economy, and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignment of 1896 and the pres ...

. Unemployed, he accepted an offer to be Hartford City's first Water Superintendent in 1895. Running water was a novelty in rural Indiana, and Edwin soon faced water shortages. He felt the best way to encourage water conservation was through metering. However, he needed an easy way to access the water meters. So, he designed the first water meter pit and applied for a patent. He received the patent for his invention on September 19, 1899. He began installing meter pits in his community, and news of his success spread to neighboring towns. Edwin found himself filling orders from his basement workshop, and his wife managed the bookkeeping. In 1911, Edwin lost his job due to political changes, and his youngest son, Frederick, died from an illness. At the wake of his son's funeral, his friends encouraged him to move back to Wabash and make meter pits full-time. Edwin moved his family to Wabash and incorporated his fledgling business, The Ford Meter Box Company, Inc. Under Edwin's direction, the company saw growth and expanded product offerings. Edwin died September 3, 1933. His legacy continues through his family-owned manufacturing company.

References

People from Wabash, Indiana People from Blackford County, Indiana {{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Edwin 1861 births 1933 deaths