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EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part of a weekly series on our region's history coordinated by the Trumbull County Historical Society.
President William McKinley was the seventh of nine children born to William McKinley Sr. and Nancy Allison McKinley.
The family was of English and Scots-Irish descent. Of his five sisters, Anna and Helen worked as educators, while Mary and Sarah pursued more traditional family roles. His youngest sister, Abigail, died in infancy.
Both the McKinley and Allison families were involved in the iron industry, leading to several relocations and children born in multiple communities. William McKinley Sr. operated foundries in several Ohio communities, including New Lisbon, Niles, Poland and Canton.
While living in Niles, the McKinley children who were of school age attended a one-room schoolhouse on the present site of the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial. For the McKinley family, education was equally important for both sons and daughters.
This may have been the reason two of the McKinley daughters became educators. When the Civil War broke out on April 12, 1861, William himself was teaching at Kerr School near Poland.
Helen Minerva McKinley was born on March 13, 1838. She taught school in Canton and later in Cleveland. She was never married and died in the home of her sister Sarah in Cleveland on June 9, 1924, at age 86. Helen had the honor of unveiling the 12-foot marble statue at the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial on Oct. 5, 1917, at the dedication ceremony. She is buried at West Lawn Cemetery in Canton.
Anna "Annie" McKinley was born on Sept. 24, 1832.
She was a highly respected educator and principal in the Canton Public Schools for nearly 30 years.
She also taught at the West Tuscarawas Street Grammar School in Canton. The historic Old McKinley High School in Canton was named jointly for her and her brother President William McKinley.
She was never married. She lived most of her life in and died in Canton on July 29, 1890. She is buried at West Lawn Cemetery in Canton.
Interestingly, because Helen and Anna had established themselves in Canton as teachers, they encouraged their brother William to relocate there and explore his opportunities as a young lawyer. He met his future wife Ida in Canton while conducting business at the bank where she worked as a cashier.
Mary McKinley May was born in Lisbon on Sept. 22, 1835. She was married to Daniel May in 1859. They had no children. Mary died at 32 years old on June 20, 1868. She is buried in Poland at Riverside Cemetery.
Sarah McKinley Duncan lived the longest of all the McKinley siblings. She was born on Oct. 1, 1840. She married Andrew Jackson Duncan. They had two daughters and two sons. She died on Nov. 22, 1931, at age 91. She also is buried in Poland Riverside Cemetery.
Abigail Celia McKinley was born in Niles (the only sister born there) on May 1, 1845. Sadly, she only lived about 8 months. Her exact cause of death is not definitively recorded in historical documents, though infant mortality was high during that era. She died on Jan. 26, 1846. She is interred in the Niles Union Cemetery and is buried next to her grandmother, Anne Campbell Allison.
Through their dedication to the values of family, education and hard work, Anna, Helen, Mary and Sarah contributed to the honorable legacy of the McKinley name.