During 1879 and 1880, the Seney Syndicate linked together several short railroads in Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, and Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 to form the Lake Erie and Western Railroad

Lake Erie and Western Railroad

The Lake Erie and Western Railroad was a railroad that operated in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.-The beginning:The Seney Syndicate linked several short railroads in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to form the Lake Erie and Western Railroad in 1879 and 1880...

.

The Seney Syndicate was headed by George I. Seney, a New York banker. Eastern members of the Syndicate included the successful speculators John T. Martin, Edward H. R. Lyman, Alexander M. White, and Walston H. Brown.

The westerns members appear to have been dominated by Calvin S. Brice

Calvin S. Brice

Calvin Stewart Brice was a Democratic politician from Ohio. Born in Denmark, Morrow County, Ohio, Brice dropped out of Miami University in 1861 to join the Union Army. After a short stint in the army he returned to Miami and earned his undergraduate degree in 1863...

, a 35-year old Lima, Ohio

Lima, Ohio

Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....

 attorney who had been instrumental in the formation of the Lake Erie and Western Railroad

Lake Erie and Western Railroad

The Lake Erie and Western Railroad was a railroad that operated in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.-The beginning:The Seney Syndicate linked several short railroads in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to form the Lake Erie and Western Railroad in 1879 and 1880...

. Also from Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 were members Charles Foster, then Governor of Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

; Dan P. Eells of Cleveland; and General Samuel R. Thomas of Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

.

The members of the Syndicate from Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 included Columbus R. Cummings and William B. Howard, both men with experience with the construction and the management of railroad properties.

In addition to controlling the Lake Erie and Western Railroad

Lake Erie and Western Railroad

The Lake Erie and Western Railroad was a railroad that operated in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.-The beginning:The Seney Syndicate linked several short railroads in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to form the Lake Erie and Western Railroad in 1879 and 1880...

, the Seney Syndicate controlled the 2500-mile East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad

East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad

The East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad was a rail transport system that operated in the southeastern United States during the late 19th century...

, the Peoria, Decatur and Evansville Railway and the Ohio Central Railroad. The Ohio Central extended from Toledo, Ohio

Toledo, Ohio

Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...

 to the Hocking Valley coal fields and it crossed the Lake Erie and Western at Fostoria, Ohio

Fostoria, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,931 people, 5,565 households, and 3,628 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,917.6 people per square mile . There were 6,024 housing units at an average density of 829.2 per square mile...

.