In Lawrence County ... an influential bunch

Lawrence County women donated their talents to making the area better for the sick, orphaned, immigrants and others.
NEW CASTLE -- Lawrence County's history contains a diverse mix of women who influenced not only their neighbors but, often, people far outside the area, a local museum official said.
A goal of the Lawrence County Historical Society is to present an "inclusive history" of the area's past, said Museum Director Robert Presnar. And part of that history was crafted by women.
"It's part of our collective heritage," Presnar said. "When we spotlight these people, we're spotlighting people who made a difference in many lives and, sometimes, lives further than our county's borders."
Presnar highlights some of the Lawrence County women who have made a difference. Information is compiled from a list created by former museum Director Bev Zona.
UCaroline Cunningham Wallace (1865-1945) was the daughter of local industrialist R.W. Cunningham and wife of Dr. Robert Wallace. When her father died, there was much dissension over his Cunningham Lane estate, as he had been married twice with children from both marriages. Caroline Cunningham Wallace administered the estate when women were rare in such roles. She collected and distributed income from family holdings and supervised the design and construction of a new building on Croton Avenue. She eventually donated much of the Cunningham property to New Castle. It is now Cunningham Park.
UMargaret Loretta Henry (1876-1940) was born in Amherst, Ohio, and was orphaned as a young girl. She lived six years in an orphanage. In 1895, she and another woman started a children's home in Cleveland. Henry left eight years later after being sent by the Society of the Holy Family in 1903 to start a children's home in New Castle. The home was first on Lincoln Avenue and later on Friendship Street on the R.W. Cunningham homestead. When the Society of the Holy Family fell upon hard times, Henry stood outside mills during shift changes, asking for donations to keep the home running. When the home went up for a sheriff's sale in 1922, Henry went to David Pyle, then-superintendent of the Tin Mill, and the two established a board of directors to keep the home afloat until such a home became unnecessary in 1952. The board still exists and awards scholarships to needy children.
UCarrie Jeffrey Roberts (1886 - ?) was the first principal of the Croton School, beginning there in the first decade of the 1900s. She had begun her teaching career at the old Oak Street School and also taught at Aiken School. She retired as principal of Union Township Elementary School.
UDr. Elizabeth McLaughry, (birth and death dates unavailable) one of the first doctors in Lawrence County, carried her satchel on a horse-and-buggy throughout New Castle and the county from 1895 to 1911. She attended Westminster College, which her family had helped establish, and taught in Braddock, Pa. She then became ill and tutored at a lumber camp as she recuperated, prompting her to want to become a medical missionary. She was one of 57 female graduates from the Women's Medical College in Philadelphia in 1894. Her plans to do missionary work in India were derailed by poor health and she returned to New Castle. She tended for free to women who could not afford medical care and slowly became accepted as a female physician by the community. She eventually became the county's first psychiatrist and founded the Overlook Clinic in New Wilmington for patients with nervous disorders.
ULouise TenBrook Treadwell Tracy, (1896-1983) wife of actor Spencer Tracy, founded the John Tracy School for the Deaf in California in 1942 after a son was born with a hearing impairment. She was the daughter of A.W. Treadwell and granddaughter of George Treadwell, founder of the New Castle News. She graduated from New Castle High School in 1914 before leaving to become an actress.
UChristine Butler (birth and death dates unavailable) came to New Castle from Kansas at age 3. In 1919, she helped start the Neighborhood House, a center to help new immigrants learn English and local culture. She taught citizenship classes and was instrumental in bridging gaps between genders and cultures. In later years, Christine Butler was helped by her sister Jean Butler (1874-1966). The sisters were to receive $70 monthly for their services but at times went months between pay days. Donations to keep the house afloat came from individuals and churches and sometimes from Christine Butler herself.
UMary (nee Altieri) Conti (c.1879-1960) came to the United States from Italy in the 1880s at age 11. During the Black Hand trials of 1907, she was asked by Atty. Robert Aiken to interpret for one of his Italian clients. During the trial another interpreter made an erroneous interpretation and Altieri contested it. She was then made the official court interpreter by Judge William Wallace and served under 10 judges, working in the Lawrence County Courthouse for 60 years. Until her appointment, it was customary to appoint only men to interpret during serious criminal matters.