Page:American Boy's Life of William McKinley.djvu/181

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OF WILLIAM McKINLEY
149

lished in Canton, and which was founded by John Saxton in 1815.

The wedding of William McKinley and Miss Ida Saxton occurred on January 25, 1871. At that time the Presbyterians of Canton were hard at work on a new church, built largely by money furnished by Miss Saxton's grandmother. The building was hurried along as much as possible, and the wedding was the first to be celebrated in the quaint old edifice.

Having been married, the couple made a tour east, including a visit to Washington, and then settled down in a pretty cottage surrounded by fine shade trees, a place that was to be their home for many years to come, although it has been altered and improved several times. This house in Canton has now become famous, for there McKinley was notified of his nomination for Congress, for governor, and twice for the Presidential chair.

But those were still the days of small things, and although his wife was rich, McKinley determined to continue carving out his own fortune. He was a devoted husband, and although a busy man, spent