William Warren Wainwright

BIOGRAPHY: At a young age his parents moved him from Cottage Grove, Indiana to Iowa to settle on a cattle farm. He spent most of his childhood in the saddle herding cattle. He was self-educated and only went to school threw 3rd grade. The family returned east to Eaton, Ohio, and Dec 29,1869 he started work in a brickyard. He moved to Connersville in 1871 at age 17 and began work in the Old Eagles Mills in East Connersville. He worked there until the day before Christmas of that same year. The day after Christmas he started work in a machine shop at Connersville. Because of his unusual mechanical ability he was made foreman and then superintendent. He was married in 1876 to Wilhelmina Baker, just after receiving his promotion to superintendent.

In 1903, with 32 years of machine shop experience he opened Wainwright Engineering. Was regarded as one on of the leading machinists in the state. He was very successful employing at one time 200 people.

He always read the National Geographic magazine and had them made into bound books and left them to the Connersville Public Library.