Anthony J. Marolda
Writings
Writings
Our house in Annisquam was originally owned by the Isaac Adams family. It was built by his son-in-law, Edwin Mellen of Cambridge, MA. in about 1895, I became interested in the history of the house, and the people who lived in it. It turned out to be a facinating story.
As a result, I wrote a dual biography of Dr. Isaac Adams, Jr. and his father, Isaac, Sr. ("The Inventor and the Inventor's Son: The two Isaac Adams"). The Senior Adams, furthest photo to the right, was the inventor, in the 1830's, of the first powered printing press for fine books. His son, Dr. Isaac Adams, Jr., invented the nickel plating process in the 1860's. Both men were world famous in the nineteenth century for thier inventions.
Isaac Jr. also invented essentially the same design for an electric light bulb as did Thomas Edison. But, he did it fourteen years earlier. The story is recounted in a Gloucester Times article on the next page.
Edwin Mellen, Adams Jr.'s son-in-law, was an amateur photographer and took numerous photos of our house, the family and the Village, His decendents, who I met while doing my research, preserved the photos, and many are shown in the book. One not appearing is above, Dr. Isaac Adams Jr. in his later years. Another is Dr. Adams standing in his Annisquam house doorway.
The book is available from Amazon in hardcover, soft cover and Kindle versions. The hardcover is shown above.