Editing William McKinley (section)

==Early life and family==
[[File:McKinley boy.png|left|thumb|upright|McKinley, aged 15]]
William McKinley Jr. was born in 1843 in [[Niles, Ohio]], the seventh of nine children of [[William McKinley Sr.]] and Nancy (née Allison) McKinley.{{sfnm|Leech||1p=4|Morgan||2p=2}} The McKinleys were of [[English Americans|English]] and [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scots-Irish]] descent and had settled in western Pennsylvania in the 18th century. Their immigrant ancestor was David McKinley, born in [[Dervock]], County Antrim, in present-day [[Northern Ireland]]. William McKinley Sr. was born in Pennsylvania, in [[Pine Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania|Pine Township, Mercer County]].{{sfnm|Leech||1p=4|Morgan||2p=2}}

The family moved to Ohio when the senior McKinley was a boy, settling in [[Lisbon, Ohio|New Lisbon]] (now Lisbon). He met Nancy Allison there, and they married later.{{sfnm|Leech||1p=4|Morgan||2p=2}} The Allison family was of mostly English descent and among Pennsylvania's earliest settlers.{{sfn|Morgan|p=3}} The family trade on both sides was iron making. McKinley senior operated [[Foundry|foundries]] throughout Ohio, in New Lisbon, Niles, [[Poland, Ohio|Poland]], and finally [[Canton, Ohio|Canton]].{{sfnm|Armstrong||1pp=4–6|Morgan||2pp=2–3|Phillips||3p=13}} The McKinley household was, like many from Ohio's [[Connecticut Western Reserve|Western Reserve]], steeped in [[Whig Party (United States)|Whiggish]] and [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]] sentiment, the latter based on the family's staunch [[Methodist Episcopal Church|Methodist]] beliefs.{{sfnm|Phillips||1pp=17–18|Armstrong||2p=8|Morgan||3pp=10–11}}

The younger William also followed in the Methodist tradition, becoming active in [[First Methodist Episcopal Church (Canton, Ohio)|the local Methodist church]] at the age of sixteen.{{sfnm|Phillips||1p=16|Leech||2pp=4–5}} He was a lifelong pious Methodist.{{sfn|Morgan|pp=9–10}}

In 1852, the family moved from Niles to Poland, Ohio, so that their children could attend its better schools. Graduating from [[Poland Seminary]] in 1859, McKinley enrolled the following year at [[Allegheny College]] in [[Meadville, Pennsylvania]]. He was an honorary member of the [[Sigma Alpha Epsilon]] fraternity.<ref>{{Cite book|title=History of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, Volume 2|last=Levere|first=William|publisher=Lakeside Press|year=1911|location=Chicago|pages=204–19}}</ref> He remained at Allegheny for one year, returning home in 1860 after becoming ill and depressed. He also studied at Mount Union College, now the [[University of Mount Union]], in [[Alliance, Ohio]], where he later served as a member of the board of trustees.{{sfnm|Phillips||1p=20|Armstrong||2p=5}} Although his health recovered, family finances declined, and McKinley was unable to return to Allegheny. He began working as a postal clerk and later took a job teaching at a school near Poland, Ohio.{{sfnm|Armstrong||1p=6|Morgan||2pp=11–12}}