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PREFACE In this work a conscientious effort has been made to present the history of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley in accurate, complete and chronological form. One hundred and twenty-five years ago this region was a dense wilderness. It lay beyond the frontiers of civilization and was known only to a few adventurous men who visited it occasionally for trading, hunting, or similar purposes, or perhaps traversed it in pursuit of savages. This valley has since become one of the most populous and important sections of the United States, The manner in which such a change was brought about, the people who accomplished it and the conditions amid which they lived and worked, are described in these volumes. Writing local history is always a difficult and usually a thankless task. The historian has few dependable sources of information and encounters the universal tendency of human nature to regard as most important that in which each individual is most deeply interested. Such sources of information as do exist are not infrequently inaccurate or highly colored by imagination. To ascertain the true facts requires - painstaking investigation, which often discloses the frailty of human memory. The author has found his own memory, extending over a period of more than sixty years and usually dependable, proven inaccurate in a number of instances by such investigation. It is to be expected that not everyone who reads this history in the light of recollection or of previous records will be satisfied with its accuracy, or find therein recorded every detail which seems of importance. The period covered and the number and variety of activities described necessarily excluded mere tradition and nonessentials. It has been written for the general public, which the author hopes will find it as complete and accurate as is humanly possible, considering the length of time with which it deals and the fragmentary nature of the documents from which it has been compiled chiefly meager records left by men no longer living. The biographical volumes contain principally sketches of men who are active in the various communities of the Mahoning Valley at this time, but with these will be found complete and accurate data concerning those whose lives and work have formed an important part in the history of the past. Every effort has been made to secure accuracy in these sketches, which contain much valuable information concerning the life and progress of this section. Few local biographical collections have been so complete. The preparation and publication of these volumes was undertaken B iii iv - PREFACE solely in order that memory of the virtues and achievements of those to whom we owe the development of the Mahoning Valley might be rescued from oblivion and serve as an inspiration for those who are now upon the stage or who are yet to come upon it. Consciousness that this task has been accomplished, with such appreciation as it may receive from the public, is the only recompense the author desires or will receive, as all the revenue derived from the sale of the history will be devoted to its publication. It is fitting that special acknowledgment be made of the assistance rendered by Mr. Raymond J. Kaylor and Mr. Albert A. Reilly, who have done much of the work involved in the assembling of the data and its arrangement. Without their energy, enthusiasm and professional skill, no history so complete and accurate would have been possible, especially in view of accidental injuries sustained by the author during the period of its preparation. Acknowledgment is also due to others who rendered valuable assistance by the loan of historical documents or illustrations, making available sources of information that might otherwise have been overlooked. Among these are Mrs. Stanley Caspar, daughter of the late John M. Edwards, who had been for many years a tireless enthusiast in behalf of local history ; Hon. W. T. Gibson, John Tod, Miss Louisa M. Edwards ; L. M. Stanley, editor of the Alliance Review ; William H. Baldwin, Joseph L. Wheeler, superintendent of the Reuben McMillan Library ; the Niles and Warren public libraries, chambers of commerce at Warren, Niles and Youngstown, Hon. B. F. Wirt, the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, and many other persons and organizations. Col. F. M. Ritezel, editor of the Warren Chronicle, loaned numerous illustrations that could not have been otherwise obtained, and Henry A. Butler rendered valuable assistance in a number of ways. Publications from which valuable data was obtained include the Youngstown Vindicator, the Youngstown Telegram, the Warren Chronicle, the Warren Tribune, "Williams' History of Trumbull and Mahoning Counties" (1882), Howe's "History of Ohio," Fischer's "Pennsylvania Germans," "Historical Collections of the Mahoning Valley," histories of the Youngstown Police and Fire Departments, and numerous others. THE AUTHOR INTRODUCTORY Having been honored with a request that I write an introduction for this history, it has been my privilege to look over advance proofs. Without claiming any particular ability as a literary critic, I believe that in these volumes the history of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley has been presented in concise and readable form, with as much detail as is necessary or advisable in such a history. As to accuracy I am in a position to judge only from memory covering a part of the period with which the history deals, and some part in the activities which it describes. The name of the author is, however, sufficient assurance on this point and the reader will, I believe, find that the story has been told in an interesting way. It is a record in which every native of the Mahoning Valley may well take pride. The transformation of the forest into a fertile and prosperous farming community, and later into one of the busiest and most progressive industrial areas in the world, was accomplished by strong and virtuous men and women, who came here in search of independence and the opportunity to make a home. Without such pioneers this task would have been impossible. It is well for us to pause occasionally to recall these forefathers of ours, honor their memory and emulate their virtues. But it is of the author rather than of his book that I prefer to speak in the limited space allotted, the more so because in looking over its pages I have found nothing to indicate the part played by him in the story he has told except occasional mention of his name in connection with numerous enterprises and a few personal reminiscences. There is nothing to tell what manner of man Mr. Butler is, what he has done in the development of this locality, or of the services he has rendered to the community through a long and busy life. Without some record of his activities a history of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley would be incomplete. Joseph Green Butler, Jr., was born at Temperance Furnace, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, December 21, 184o. His parents were Joseph Green Butler and Temperance (Orwig) Butler. His childhood was spent about this little furnace, and his boyhood at Niles, where, at the age of thirteen, he, entered the service of James Ward & Company as a clerk in their general store. He was later a bookkeeper in this store, and still later office manager at the iron mill. From 1863 until 1866 he was agent for Hale & Ayer in charge of their interests at Youngstown, and in the latter year became associated with David Tod, William Ward and William Richards in the erection of a blast furnace at Girard. It will thus be seen that Mr. Butler was a successful ironmaster before many of vi - INTRODUCTORY those now prominent in that industry were born. In 1878 he formed an active connection with the Brier Hill Iron & Coal Company, a famous old concern which preceded the Brier Hill Steel Company. Mr. Butler has been continuously associated with these interests until the present time and he is still vice president of the Brier Hill Steel Company. He has been connected with the Tod family in these enterprises for three generations, and among his present business associates are sons and grandsons of men with whom he began his career. During the past fifty years Mr. Butler has had a prominent part in almost every enterprise of note in the Mahoning Valley. He helped to organize the first steel company in Youngstown, as well as many other local industrial corporations. He has been president of the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers' Association, the Bessemer Pig Iron Association, the American Pig Iron Association, the Youngstown Chamber of Commerce and similar organizations, in all of which he rendered important service. For years he has been a director of the American Iron & Steel Institute, the Cleveland & Mahoning Valley Railroad, the Erie Railroad, and scores of other institutions which have had a part in the development of this region. In spite of these activities Mr. Butler has always found time to take an interest in movements of a public character, whether they were for the benefit of his community or for that of the country at large. He has been on terms of personal friendship with a number of presidents of the United States, statesmen of national reputation, and even notables in foreign lands. He has taken an active part in every presidential campaign since and including the election of Lincoln. Among iron and steel manufacturers in this country there are none whom he cannot call his friends. Throughout his life he has never been too busy to do what he thought should be done, and he has never started anything that he did not finish. Of special note among monuments to his energy and persistence are the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial at Niles and the splendid art gallery which he has erected .for Youngstown. Not the least interesting of Mr. Butler's versatile work, if we consider the limited opportunities of his school days and the intensely practical field in which his business success was achieved, are his literary efforts and his fine collection of pictures and books. For many years he has been almost the only conservator of local history, and he has been conspicuous in his desire to provide for the people opportunities for enjoyment of art and music. His generosity and desire to help others are better known to his friends than to the general public, although these qualities have won for him wide recognition as a genuine philanthropist. Probably the finest fruit of Mr. Butler's life is a multitude of appreciative and affectionate friends. Many men, through ability, industry and persistent effort, acquire wealth and reputation. It is only a few who are able to attain to these things in large degree and at the same time inspire universal esteem. When a man can accomplish all of these and, reaching a ripe old age, still preserve an indomitable spirit INTRODUCTORY - vii of youth, as Mr. Butler has done, he has encompassed about all that is really worth while in life. In this work, one of the many tasks which Mr. Butler has undertaken without desire or expectation of pecuniary reward, he has recorded the activities of many men who deserve honor and gratitude from the generations for whose welfare their labors paved the way. Among them there are few whose lives are more worthy of honor or emulation than his own. J. A. CAMPBELL,