The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-09-14
The Life Story
f Gf Dead President

traced from 1547. The direct ancestor
II the president was Of mixed Scotch
and Irish blood. and came to America
| about l143, settling in York county,
/ Pennsylvania, where the eat-grand-
I -ather of the president, David McKin-
I .ey, was born in 1855. David partici-
/ gdted in several battles of the TeVolu-
ton After the war he lived in West
| moreland ard Chester counties. Penn
sytVania. removing to Ohio in 1914 He
! died at the age of 50. His son, James.
settled in Columbiana county. Ohio, in
/ lSJ9. William Mckinney. ST., father of
/ tue president. was born in Pennsyl-
| Vania in 1907. He was identified with
| the iron manufacturing industry all his
ite experimenting the erection and
| operation Of furnaces and gaining a
air competency. He was a devOut
Methodist, stauncn Wing and Repub-
lean and an ardent advocate Of a pro-
tective tariff He lived to see his son a
national character as chairman of the
ways and means committee in congress.
out died during Williams first term as
I governor of Ohio, in 1892.
1 The presidents grandmother the
! wife of James Mckinley. was Mary
l Rose, the descendant of a Puritan fam
lily - Mich fed from England 70 Holland
and thence came to the American col
, CnieS before the revolution. Her father
was an officer in the continental army.
His mother, whose death was one of
he sad events Of his first term in the
| White House, was Nancy Campbell Al
lison, the daughter of an English and
Scotch-German alliance. She was the
mother OF nine children, William being
J he seventh.
/ William, junior, was born in Niles,
Irumbull county, O. The long low
tWO-stoIy building where he first saw
ne light served the double purpose Of
4 country store and dwelling. 1t was
| torn down in 1895 and the hard woods
! IN the basebOards and mantels were
made into canes which were sold as
souvenirs.
His Early Life.
The future president received his first
/ education in the Niles public school
but when he was wears old removed
with his family to Poland. Mahoning
county, where he was at once admitted
TO the Union seminary and pursued his
studies until the age of L. He excelled
| IN the study of mathematics. languages
and in debate.
In 1850 he was sent to Allegheny col
/ lege, Meadville, Pa, where he was
easily admitted to the junior class. and
would have been graduated in the fol-
lowing year but for the failure of his
NJ Attn Intense application to mis-
studies had so weakened his system
that he was obliged to return home
for rest and regeneration but even
then he did not escape severe illness.
As soon as he was able he sought a
change by engaging as a teacher in the
public schools and for a term or two
ne taught in the Kerr district near
Poland. He was fond of athletic sports
and was a good hOrSeman. At the age
of 16 he became a member of the Meth
Odist Episcopal church. and was noted
tor Ills diligent study OF the Bible and
his interest IN the discussions that took
place in the Bible class
His Enlistment.
When the civil war broke out he was
a ola -
in the Sparrow tavern, a war meeting
was held at which a stirring appeal
was made for volunteers. Presently"
says one writer, "a space was cleared
IN frCnt Of the speaker One by one
some of the choicest young men of
Poland stepped forward. Among them.
slight gray-eyed. boyish figure too
much impressed with the seriousness
or the situation to put himself in evil
dence, went up with the rest"
| He went with the other recruits To
| Columbus, and there enlisted in COM
/ pany Il Of the Twenty-third Ohio in
/ Iantry, which was destined to become
| one Of Il 4 most famous in the annals
of the volunteer army.
/ Young Mckinley served till the close
1 OF the war and the experience resulted
in great benefit TO his health. He said
of his time as a private:
/ Il always look back with pleasure
! upon the fourteen months l ed in
I the ranks. They taught me a great
/ deal. l was but a schOoIbOy when 1
I went into the army and that first year
/ was formative period in my life. dur
/ ing which / learned much of men and
I facts. 1 have always been glad that I
, entered the service as a private and
I served those months in that capacity"
/ He participated in all the early en-
/ gagements in West Virginia and was
! promoted to cOmmissary sergeant. thus
4 passing over the office of corporal He
] never liked the title of Little Cor
/ poral' or his alleged resemblance to
( Napoleon Bonaparte
Two Gallant Exploits.
The following anecdote from one Of
! his biographies illustrates his thought
| fulness and courage: AT Antietam his
/ regiment bravely held its position in
| the hottest Of the fight. 1t was engaged
from dawn until nearly night without
breakfast or dinner. food or refresh
ment of any sort save that brought
I them by one of the youngest of the
comrades Sergeant Mckinley was in
charge OF the cOmmiSsary department
OF his brigade and necessarily his duty
! was with the supplies about two miles
| IRON where his famiShed and exhaust
ed comrades were fighting to hOl0 their
| advanced position and for their lives
| and probably for the fate of the army.
As is the case in all not fights. there
| were some stragglers VINO found their
way back to the supplies. and these
Mckinley saw he could utilize to get
together provisions and coffee and
carry them TO the froat. This was at
the time when the fortunes of the
battle were swaying TO and fro and it
was doubtful whether Antietam would
De a victory or a defeat. 1t was nearly
dark. When suddenly there vas heard
tremendous cheering along the front
OF the Twenty third Ohio. General
Scammon sent an aide to ascertain the
cause OF the Union cheering and he
Salioped on to find that the cheers We're
Tor Mckinley and his coffee He had
hlled two wagons and in the midst of
the desperate fight. with Shells and
bullets dying in all directions, had bur
ried the cans of coffee and other sup
plies to his disDirited comrades. who
took fresh courage after the refresh
| ment- The mules of one wagon became
disabled under the terrific FIRE. out this
plucky boy Of 10 pushed on and got the
other wagon to the regiment"
BY order Of the governor Mckinley
was given commission as first lieu
tenant after this exploit.
| In the battle of Kernstown near Win
chester on July p. 1864. Lieutenant Ne
/ kinney won additional hOnors Crook 5
army was attacked by the whole of
Eariys, the national forces being 8 ,OOO
strong and the Confederate 100000
Hayes had charge of the first brigade
or, no ~ fr..rYl.a r-fss,f