John McIntire was the founder of the city of Zanesville, Ohio

Zanesville, Ohio

Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...

.

McIntire was born in Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...

. He married Sarah Zane, the daughter of Colonel Ebenezer Zane

Ebenezer Zane

Ebenezer Zane was an American pioneer, road builder and land speculator. Born in what is now Moorefield, West Virginia , Zane established the settlement known as Fort Henry in Wheeling, Virginia on the Ohio River...

, in December 1789. McIntire founded Zanesville in 1797 on land deeded by Colonel Zane.

One family history claims that in 1802 while exiled from France, Louis Philippe, who later became King of France, stayed with the McIntires and was very impressed by them. United States Ambassador to France

United States Ambassador to France

This article is about the United States Ambassador to France. There has been a United States Ambassador to France since the American Revolution. The United States sent its first envoys to France in 1776, towards the end of the four-centuries-old Bourbon dynasty...

 Lewis Cass

Lewis Cass

Lewis Cass was an American military officer and politician. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory, an American ambassador, a U.S. Senator representing Michigan, and co-founder as well as first Masonic Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan...

, under pseudonym "An American", wrote France: its King, Court and Government in 1840. He had this to say of the King's tour through the Northwest:

Parents

Nothing certain is known of McIntire's background prior to his arrival in Muskingum County, Ohio

Muskingum County, Ohio

Muskingum County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 86,074. Its county seat is Zanesville...

. A family history written by Isaac McIntire in 1902 claims that his parents were John McIntire of Scotland, Ireland, and Charlotte Hedge, an English woman. Currently this claim has not been proven.

Politics

In 1802, Zanesville was still located in Washington County, and McIntire was elected as one of four Washington County

Washington County, Ohio

Washington County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 61,778. Its county seat is Marietta. The county, the oldest in the state, is named for George Washington. Washington County is included in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, West Virginia-Ohio...

 delegates, along with Ephraim Cutler

Ephraim Cutler

thumb|right|350px|alt=old dudeEphraim Cutler was an early Northwest Territory and Ohio political leader and jurist.-Early life:...

, Benjamin Ives Gilman and Rufus Putnam

Rufus Putnam

Rufus Putnam was a colonial military officer during the French and Indian War, and a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...

, to the first Constitutional Convention

Ohio Constitutional Convention (1802)

The Enabling Act of 1802 was passed on April 30, 1802 by the Seventh Congress of the United States. This act authorized the residents of the eastern portion of the Northwest Territory to form the state of Ohio and join the U.S. on an equal footing with the other states...

of Ohio which met November 1-29, 1802.

Epitaph

A description of the life John McIntire appears on his gravestone. The epitaph is as follows:

"Sacred to the memory of John McIntire, who departed this life July 29, 1815 aged 56 years. He was born at Alexandria, VA, laid out the town of Zanesville in 1800, of which he was the patron and father. He was a member of the convention which formed the constitution of Ohio. A kind husband, an obliging neighbor, punctual in his engagements, of liberal mind and benevolent disposition, his death was sincerely lamented."

Namesake

Mr. McIntire's memory lives on in the town he founded. Places around Zanesville named for him include: John McIntire Library, John McIntire Elementary School, and McIntire Avenue.

External links