Place:Canton, Stark, Ohio, United States

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source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.

The City of Canton is the largest incorporated area in the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the Canton-Massillon metropolitan area, which includes all of Stark and Carroll counties, had a population of 404,422.

Founded in 1805 on the West and Middle Branches of the Nimishillen Creek, Canton became a manufacturing center because of its numerous railroad lines. After the decline of heavy manufacturing, the city's industry diversified into service economy, including retailing, education, finance, and healthcare.

According to the 2010 census, Canton's population declined 9.7%, down to 73,007 residents. Despite this decline, the 2010 figure actually had moved Canton up from 9th to 8th place among Ohio cities, as nearby Youngstown in neighboring Mahoning County, once considerably more populous than Canton, had suffered a larger decline.^[1]

Canton is home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the McKinley National Memorial, the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, the First Ladies National Historic Site, and is the terminus of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Canton was founded in 1805. Cantonrep.com quotes Kim Kenney, the curator of the William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, whose information came from E.T. Heald's series, The Stark County Story, as saying that Canton was incorporated as a village in 1822, and then as a city in 1838.

, the surveyor who divided the land of the town, named it after Canton (a traditional name for Guangzhou), China. The name was a memorial to a trader named John O'Donnell, whom Wells admired. O'Donnell had named his Maryland plantation after the Chinese city, as he had been the first person to transport goods from there to Baltimore.

Canton was the adopted home of President William McKinley. Born in Niles, McKinley first practiced law in Canton around 1867, and was prosecuting attorney of Stark County from 1869 to 1871. The city was his home during his successful campaign for Ohio governor, the site of his front-porch presidential campaign of 1896 and the campaign of 1900. Canton is now the site of the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum and the McKinley National Memorial, dedicated in 1907.

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