Leaving the Farm
The next year, however, was a turning point for Ford. His mother passed away from complications related to childbirth, just a few months before Ford’s 13th birthday. Ford was devastated. As the eldest of six children, Ford was very close to his mother. As Ford got older, his father expected him to take over the family’s farm.
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Ford tried to work on the farm for a few years, but he soon grew to despise the work. The inventor later wrote, “I never had any particular love for the farm. It was the mother on the farm I loved.” In 1879, Ford was finally presented with an opportunity to leave the farm. The 16-year-old left home to work as an apprentice machinist with James F. Flower & Bros. in Detroit, where he earned $2.50 a week.