Henry Ford for Kids: His Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities
A L HR SON ATH IH B IE STEN AND SESS Henry Ford's birthplace in rural at the time Dearborn Michigan From the Collections of the Henry Ford P 0
FARM BOY MECHANIC enry Ford was born to William and Mary Ford on July 30 1863 in Dearborn Michigan a rural farm town eight miles west of Detroit The oldest of six children Henry claimed to the day he died that the monotony of farming was his inspiration for creating all things mechanical I have followed many a weary mile behind a plow and I know all the drudgery of it Ford wrote What a waste when in the same time a tractor could do six times as much work Henry’s father William fled Ireland at the age of 21 during the great potato famine of 1847 William's parents two brothers and four sisters made the dangerous Atlantic voyage to the United States along with him Though William was called a boy in the Irish tradition because his father was still alive he was very much a man Described as of medium height with a muscular strength gray eyes and a serious demeanor William arrived in America already a skilled carpen ter He would put his talents to good use as a
Ford Bird Hotels HENRY FORD’s LOVE OF BIRDS stayed with him all his life As he gained wealth Ford found him self in a position to indulge his interest in feath ery creatures At his home called Fair Lane Henry Ford set up a sanctuary for birds unlike anything in North America It became the envy of every ornithologist one who studies birds the world over With close to 1 500 acres devoted to provid ing a home to 200 bird species Ford hired an entire ground crew to take care of them The nature lover had 200 multistory bird hotels placed throughout his estate One such hotel was said to have 500 rooms In addition to the hotels there were dozens of birdbaths Feed ing stations were everywhere Henry and Clara liked nothing better than to sit on their sunporch at the rear of their house and with binoculars in hand watch the birds Once the ground crew put white netting over two cherry trees near the house They wanted to protect the fruit for use in cooking and preserving When Henry Ford went to work in the morning he noticed a couple of robins entangled in the webbing He tore the netting off Later he scolded the men who had put it
