As a child Thomas Alva Edison grew up in Milan, Ohio as his hometown. He was born on February 11, 1847 to a middle-class family near the port of Milan. From when he was in his youth ages he was known to be a extremely curious boy. Edison was a very hyperactive kid who found school difficult to pay attention in. He was nicknamed 'Al' as he was a teenager. Since the age of just 11 years he began showing an appetite for the world and its knowledge. His mother, Nancy Elliot Edison, was a school teacher whom was believed to place a major influence on Edison's early years. As for his father, Samuel Edison Jr., had ,any jobs from tailoring to keeping a tavern. Since Thomas had a struggle focusing in she pulled him out and taught him from her home. As smart as Thomas was known for he received extremely little education growing up and left school in 1859 so he could perform labor on the railroads between Detroit and Michigan. As Edison began to grow older he made a system for self-learning that assisted him for the rest of his life. Edison's job at the railway caused him to go deaf when a worker tried to grab him by the ears to haul him on the train. At just 16 he became a telegrapher and traveled throughout the south and the Midwest. This journey soon led Thomas to discovering the electric light.