The William McKinley memorial scrap book. A more detailed history of who made it and received it.

I had written quite a bit a few years ago, on the scrapbook dealing with the McKinley assassination. I had written that I wondered who had done it and made it. After a lot of study I have found out and thought it would be interesting to share that information.President William McKinley (1843-1901) Assassinated in Buffalo, New York. Died Sept 14th.
Congressman William Whiting of Massachusetts. (1841-1911) A good friend of McKinley's
The Memorial scrapbook presented to Whiting by Rev. Charles E. Locke. Locke (1858-1940) was the minister who presided over the funeral service for President McKinley in Buffalo, New York.

This is important as Charles's father, the Rev William Henry Locke, was McKinley's pastor in Ohio. Therefore the Rev. Charles Locke was very familiar and knew McKinley and Whiting very well.

The book is filled with every newspaper story on the assassination from the time of the shooting through the funerals. It is an amazing archive of information.

The album is huge. It must have resided at Whiting's home which is pictured below.

One can guess where this great and very large book has been. I would guess it would have been presented around 1902. I found it in 1977. So it has been with me for well over 30 years. It is one of the most unique books I have ever seen.

I have often wondered if there were more books like this presented to other friends of McKinley? As for Locke, he of course was famous for not only being the minister at McKinley's funeral but also as an author. He was afterwards the minister at the Hanson Place Methodist Church in Brooklyn, New York.

In time I will put more of the information in this book on line.