A Civil War veteran, an Ohioan, and an inventor, John McTammany fought a long and hard battle to secure the rights to his most important creation - the player piano. While recovering from a serious injury sustained in the war in Tennessee, McTammany discovered the mechanics of the player piano, an instrument popular in the late nineteenth century that appeared to play itself. The Scottish immigrant took his battle for the patent all the way, fighting for years for the right to claim his creative dues. He was ultimately successful and is known today in Canton, Ohio and the world over as the original inventor of the player piano.

John McTammany

This walk through West Lawn, a historic cemetery in Northwest Canton, Ohio, includes stops at the final resting places of presidents, millionaires, inventors, soldiers, and local leaders. 

William McKinley, born in Niles, Ohio in 1843, eventually found his way to a law office in Canton, Ohio where his political career began. After attending Allegheny College and enlisting in the Union Army during the Civil War, McKinley met and married Ida Saxton. Opening a law office in Canton just a few blocks from his wife's home, a young McKinley was poised for a bright future. At the age of 34 he was elected to Congress where he remained for a decade and a half when the Governorship of Ohio called to him. By 1896, he had earned the Republican nomination for President and was elected by the largest margin in more than twenty years. Early in his second term, however, he was gunned down while standing in line at the Buffalo Pan-American Exposition. He was only 58 years old.This beautiful crypt was constructed eight years before the President would find himself inside its doors. It stands solemnly today as a reminder of days gone by and holds still the grief of so many who mourned the loss of their President.

William McKinley, 25th President of the United States, was was assassinated on September 14, 1901 by Leon Czolgosz in Buffalo, NY. This tomb, first constructed in 1893 with funds donated by Mrs. Frank Werts, was built to house the recently deceased in the winter months when the ground was frozen and unable to be broken for burials. President McKinley was placed here until plans for a memorial could be completed.

Werts Receiving Vault

Cornelius Aultman's life ended in a much different state than it began. Aultman's mother remarried after being widowed shortly after his birth. Her subsequent marriage saw his family grow from only two children to eventually eleven. He came from a farming community in East Canton but relocated to the northern part of the county in what is now Greentown. By age 57, he was Canton's first millionaire, a friend and advisor to U.S. Presidents, a philanthropist, an investor, and one of the Canton's most important and beloved citizens. His home gorgeous mansion was located at 933 Market Avenue North, where he died just after 1 a.m. on December 26, 1884 after complaining of a pain in his side and a headache. The people of Canton mourned Mr. Aultman immediately and for years following his passing, but taking solace in the construction of the first community hospital in Canton that bore his name in 1892. His list of achievements is more impressive than many current world leaders, CEOs, or influencers. Mr. Aultman's personal Bible sits in the cornerstone of Aultman Hospital as a tribute to the man who put Canton on the map.

Cornelius Aultman, Canton's first millionaire, lies here since December 29, 1884. Once said to have "extraordinary physical gifts" and incredible athletic ability, Aultman made his fortune producing and selling farm machinery and equipment in an era when the agricultural business was at its peak. A close friend to President William McKinley, he spoke kindly of Aultman at his funeral, saying:<blockquote>"Cornelius Aultman was a self-made man, famous by actual and useful achievements..."[1]</blockquote>

Cornelius Aultman

George Harter, son-in-law of Cornelius Aultman, lies in the Aultman family plot along with his father-in-law and wife. Harter and his brother Michael created the George D. Harter and Brother Bank in Canton in 1866, at a time when banking in Canton needed to find stability. Historian E.T. Heald credits the Harter family with doing just that. The bank advertised its services in The Ohio Repository (the publication known now as The Canton Repository) and offered 5 and 6% interest on deposits, while also offering to buy various valuables, such as gold and silver. The Harter name still remains at the top of the building that once housed downtown's Key Bank on Market Avenue north.

George Harter

George Belden, prominent Canton, Ohio democrat and judge, lies here since 1868. Gone at the age of 59, Judge Belden was a beloved citizen of Canton, as evidenced in his obituary, published August 19, 1868, which read:<blockquote>"Long will the memory of Judge Belden be cherished by the citizens of Canton, for, as Judge, lawyer, and citizen, for over thirty years, he had filled the measure of a noble fame. Peace to his ashes."[1]</blockquote>

George W. Belden

George Belden Frease lies in the Belden, Frease, Kuhn plot in the cemetery. Born in 1861 in Canton, Frease attended college at Cincinnati Law School, and went on to become a printer/reporter at the Canton Repository in 1880. Within only six short years at The Repository, Frease, approximately aged 25, purchased the publication with partner John C. Dueber from William McKinley's in-laws, the Saxton family. Frease became close with President McKinley, so much so that he acted as the President's adviser and campaign newspaper publisher.

George Frease

Born in August in 1849, William Hoover followed in his father's footsteps as a young adult and helped out in their tanning business. In 1908, he bought the patent for an electrically operated, suction-powered sweeper from James Spangler, a relative by marriage. Having the rights to manufacture the new invention led Hoover to create the Hoover Company that same year in North Canton, Ohio. In just a little more than a decade, the popular new household appliance was in such great demand that Hoover found himself opening factories worldwide, beginning in England in 1919. With such a wildly successful business blooming in the small community, North Canton looked toward "Boss" to help fund community development and even to lead the town as their first Mayor. The Reverend E.P. Wise eulogized Hoover at his funeral in 1932 by saying:<blockquote>"The sum total of his aim in life was to lead men Godward. Over his desk was a card which said in large letters 'God First' and that was the secret of his life. He lived a life so transparent that the light of God and heaven shone through him ..."[1]</blockquote>

"Boss" Hoover rests here since 1932 when he left behind his lucrative Hoover vacuum company to explore the great beyond. You will notice the Hoover name as you move around Stark County, but never more than when you are in North Canton, where the Hoover Company building stands newly renovated just opposite the town square. William Henry Hoover was so influential in North Canton, in fact, that the local high school bears his name.

William "Boss" Hoover

Along with his father Henry Timken, H.H. founded the first Timken Company in 1899 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Timken roller bearing revolutionized the way wagons were driven in the earlier twentieth century. It was not long before the family success necessitated a much larger area for manufacturing, which led them to the southwest area of Canton, Ohio. The Timken Roller Bearing Company was relocated to the southwest end of Canton, Ohio in 1901 where it became the anchor of the manufacturing economy in northeast Ohio. The invention of the automobile and its need for roller bearings and axles took the Timken Company from national to international fame nearly overnight. By 1917, the Timken Company was expanding to steel manufacturing, which it still does today. Now global and found in more than seven different nations across several continents, the Timken Company remains one of Canton's largest employers.H.H. Timken, a popular philanthropist in Canton in the early 1900's, was the victim of an extortion attempt in 1920 that was covered in an article published in 2020 in the Canton Repository. Andrew Nagajczyk demanded $30,000 from Mr. Timken, which he thought he picked up on October 9, 1920 at the corner of Stark Avenue and 20th Street SW. What he actually picked up was a set of handcuffs and a trip to jail when he was arrested by police officers waiting at the site.

H.H. Timken, son of Henry Timken, founder of the internationally lauded Timken Company, lies here since 1940. After years of battling asthma, the 72-year-old Timken passed away of pneumonia. Having lived in Canton for about 40 years, Timken's mark on Stark County can be seen just about everywhere you turn. Just south of this grave you will find several Timken Company locations and a high school that bears the Timken family name.

West Lawn Cemetery

John McTammany

Introduction

Images

Sources