Andrews, Chauncey Humason

Published Biographies

From J. Fletcher Brennan, ed., A Biographical Cyclopaedia and Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Men (Cincinnati: J. C. Yorston & Company, 1879), pp. 384-385:

ANDREWS, CHAUNCEY H., coal operator and iron manufacturer, son of Norman Andrews, who was born in Hartford county, Connecticut, in 1799. In 1818, he removed to Trumbull county, Ohio, where he engaged in farming and subsequently entered into the mercantile business. In 1842, he removed to Youngstown and opened a hotel, the Mansion House, which won a wide and excellent reputation. In 1850 he retired from business, and in his advancing age he became noted for the youthful vigor of his spirits, and the zest with which he took part in field sports. He was a man of strict integrity, who did everything well that he undertook, and who, during a long life, retained the friendship and esteem of a very wide circle. He was married twice, first to Miss Julia Hummason, by whom he had three sons and three daughters, and secondly, to Mrs. Lucy Cotton, by whom he had one son and one daughter. One of the suns, Lawrence G. Andrews, was educated as a physician, but afterward took charge of the furnaces at Hazelton, and managed the business of Andrews Brothers, at that place; he also was in charge and managed the Niles Iron Company, at Niles. Wallace C. Andrews resided at Willoughby, was a member of the firm of Andrews, Hitchcock & Co., of Cleveland, and was interested in other firms. Chauncey H., the subject of this sketch, was born at Vienna, Trumbull county, Ohio, December 2nd, 1823. He received a common school education, and afterward engaged in various employments. The development of the coal mines of Mahoning county attracted his attention, and ten years after his removal to Youngstown, Ohio, he, in 1852, commenced hunting for coal. For several years he prosecuted the search without success, spending several thousand dollars, and exhausting his own means and all that he was able to procure from others. Success at length, however, rewarded his efforts, and he entered upon an active and successful career as a mine owner and operator. In 1857, he opened the Thornhill bank, which in nine years produced half a million tons of coal. In 1858, he established the firm of Andrews & Hitchcock, and in 1863 they opened the Burnet bank, one of the largest mines in the Mahoning valley, and were the first to ship coal over the Hubbard Branch Railroad. In the same year they opened the Hubbard Coal Company mines, which produced furnace coal. In 1864, in connection with his brother, W. C. Andrews, he opened the Oak Hill and Coal Run mines, on the Mitcheltree farms, in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, which developed into large enterprises. In connection with these he made a contract with James Wood & Sons, that resulted in the establishment of four furnaces and rolling mills at Wheatland, and the calling into existence of a thriving town at that place. Those mines were sold, in 1868, to James Wood & Sons. In 1865, in company with others, he purchased a larger interest in the Westermann Iron Company, at Sharon, Pennsylvania, the property including a rolling mill, two furnaces and a coal ban, and being one of the largest iron works in all respects, owning its own railroad and equipment, as well as its own coal fields. In connection with these works was the Brookfield Coal Company, in which also he was interested. About the year 1869, in connection with his two brothers, he purchased the Stout mines, near Youngstown, and afterward built what are called the Hazelton furnaces, at which time he organized the firm of Andrews Brothers, which firm still continues to manufacture iron and mine coal. About the same time, in connection with Mr. William J. Hitchcock, he built the Hubbard furnace, in Hubbard township, which was one of the first sixty feet furnaces built in the Mahoning valley. In 1868, also in connection with W. C. Andrews and W. J. Hitchcock, he opened the Stewart mine, under the name of the Stewart Coal Company. This mine, which proved productive, was afterward leased to the Mahoning Coal Company. This mine, which proved productive, was afterward leased to the Mahoning Coal Company. In 1869, in company with W. C. Andrews and the Erie Railroad Company, he completed the Niles and New Lisbon Railroad, thirty-five miles (twelve miles of which had been partially built) from Niles to New Lisbon, through fine coal fields; twenty-two miles of the road were built in ninety days. The construction of the line was wholly superintended by him, and brought to a successful conclusion. This was the first railroad built in that part of the country strictly for cash. On the completion of the road it was sold to James McHenry & Co., of London, by whom it was leased to the Atlantic and Great Western Railway Company. In 1870, after the construction of the railroad, he (in company with his brother, W. C. Andrews,) opened up four mines of bituminous coal in Columbiana county, established the Ohio Coal and Mining Company, and the New Lisbon Coal Company, which furnished a fine quality of bituminous coal, and they likewise opened the Pennel mine, at Austintown, Mahoning county, on the Niles and New Lisbon Railroad. In 1871, in connection with his brother, he opened up two mines, the Andrews Coal Company and the Holliday Coal Company, in Vienna, Trumbull county. In 1872, the firm of Andrews Brothers bought the Harris & Blackford rolling mill, at Niles, doubled its capacity, and founded the Niles Iron Company. In the same year he and Mr. Hitchcock built a furnace at Hubbard, making the second at that place, both having provided successful. In 1872, the firm of Andrews & Brothers opened the Osborne mine, in Hazelton. This mine not only supplies the furnaces of the proprietors, but makes large shipments to the Cleveland market. In 1871, he helped to project and carry through the Mahoning Coal Road, in which he owned a larger interest; this connected with the Franklin Branch (Lake Shore) Railroad, at Andover, thus giving the Mahoning valley an outlet to all points East and West over the Lake Shore Railroad and its connection, and also a connection with the harbor at Ashtabula. During the same years, with his brother W. C. and William J. Hitchcock, he opened the Foster mine and formed the Foster Coal Company. This is a deep mine, which promises to be productive, and produces a coal of a peculiarly fine quality, which is shipped to all points, as far east as New York and Boston, where it has been successfully introduced to take the place of the English cannel coal. All these works were, in October, 1878, in successful operation. In 1876, Mr. Andrews was one of the organizers of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, and which is now (1878) nearly completed. Besides the mining enterprises enumerated, he was interested in a number of small mines, and was the senior partner of all the firms mentioned except the Westermann Iron Company. He took an active interest in all the local enterprises of Youngstown, having a greater or less pecuniary connection with them. He was interested in the management of the Savings Bank, obtained the charter and first subscriptions to the Second National Bank of Youngstown, and took part in securing the removal of the county seat from Canfield to Youngstown. A republican in politics, from conviction, he is not an active politician. In addition to his other business, he superintends several farms, rearing fine horses and short-horn cattle. His busy life shows him to be a man of remarkable industry, an indefatigable worker. In 1878 he was truly a representative man of the Mahoning valley, having so largely aided in developing its mining resources; yet withal he is modest and unassuming. He married, in 1857, Miss Louisa Baldwin, and has two daughters, Edith H. and Julia L. Andrews.

From The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography; Being the History of the United States…. (New York: James T. White & Company, 1910), Volume 14, pp. 191-192:

ANDREWS, Chauncey H., manufacturer, was born in Vienna, Trumbull co., O., Dec. 2, 1823, son of Norman and Julia (Humason) Andrews. His father, a native of Hartford county, Conn., removed to Trumbull county, O., in 1818, where he engaged in farming, and subsequently in mercantile pursuits. The development of the coal mines of Mahoning valley attracted the attention of Chauncey H. Andrews, and ten years after his removal to Youngstown he commenced exploring for coal. In 1857 he opened the Thornbill bank, which in nine years produced half a million tons of coal, and in 1858 he formed a partnership with William J. Hitchcock under the name of Andrews & Hitchcock. Ten years later they opened the Burnet bank, one of the largest mines in the Mahoning valley, and also the Hubbard Coal Co.’s mines. In 1864, with his brother, Wallace C. Andrews, he opened the Oak Hill and Coal Run mines, in Mercer county, Pa., which developed into large enterprises. His coal mines naturally led to an interest in iron furnaces and rolling mills. He established such a plant at Wheatland, which was the means of developing a thriving town at that place; he built the Hubbard and Hazelton furnaces and he also organized the Niles Iron Co., which was subsequently removed to Hazelton. In 1879 he established the Imperial Coal Co., which owned 3,000 acres of coal land, and mined over 1,000 tons per day. This was one of the largest and finest coal fields in western Pennsylvania, the company owning its own railroad and equipments. In 1869, in conjunction with his brother and the Erie Railroad Co., he completed the Niles & New Lisbon railroad, thirty-five miles long, through fine coal fields, which was sold to James McHenry & Co., of London, and by them leased to the Atlantic and Great Western Railway Co. In 1871 he helped to project and carry through the Mahoning coal railroad, in which he owned a large interest, and in 1876 he was one of the promoters and organizers of the Pittsburg & Lake Erie railroad. He was also a director and stockholder of the Hocking Valley railroad. He was president of the William A. Wood Mower and Reaper Manufacturing Co., which he helped to establish at Youngstown, O. in 1880, and of the Malleable Iron Works, and was vice-president of the Second National Bank of Youngstown. Mr. Andrews was married July 1, 1857, to Louisa, daughter of Garry Baldwin, and had two daughters: Edith H., wife of John A. Logan, Jr., and Julia L., wife of Leslie C. Bruce. He died, Jan 25, 1893.

From Henry Hall, ed., America’s Successful Men of Affairs: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Biography (New York: The New York Tribune, 1895), Volume 2, pp. 30-31:

CHAUNCEY HUMASON ANDREWS, a pioneer in coal mining in Ohio, was born in Vienna, Trumbull county, O., Dec. 2, 1823, and died in Youngstown, Dec. 25, 1893. The son of Norman Andrews, a farmer and proprietor of the Mansion House in Youngstown, the subject of this memoir began life in country schools, and on the farm.

When coal was discovered in Ohio, his brother Wallace, now of New York city, and he began prospecting for coal mines and operating them. At first, success was moderate; but in 1857, the Thorn Hill mine was opened and proved a profitable venture, the bed yielding a million tons of coal before it was exhausted. In 1858, with William J. Hitchcock, he joined in founding Andrews & Hitchcock, to operate in coal; and the firm are yet in existence, having been incorporated in 1892 as The Andrews & Hitchcock Co., capital, $400,000. In 1868, they developed the Burnett coal bank, one of the largest in the Mahoning Valley. In 1864, with his brother Wallace, Mr. Andrews opened the Oak Hill and Coal Run mines in Mercer county, Pa., and later, with various associates, held an interest in the Brookfield, Stout, and Stewart mines, The Ohio Coal & Mining Co., in Columbiana county; The New Lisbon Coal Co., The Andrews Coal Co., The Holliday Coal Co., The Imperial Coal Co., and other concerns of that Class. Through a coal depot in Cleveland, Mr. Andrews shipped enormous quantities of coal to the Lake regions.

Mr. Andrews was certainly a remarkable man, his energy, determination, versatility and power of continued labor being far beyond that ordinarily seen. As he gained capital, he aided in development many industries in his region, among them The Westerman Iron Co.’s rolling mill and two furnaces in Sharon, Pa.; a furnace and rolling mill at Wheatland; The Andrews Bro’s Co.’s rolling mill and furnace in Youngstown, this concern having a capital stock of $500,000; the Harris & Blackford rolling mill in Niles, O.; The Niles Iron Co., and other furnaces and factories. Railroads finally attracted his interest, and in 1869, he completed The Niles & New Lisbon Railroad, thirty-five miles in length, of which twelve miles had already been built. In 1871, he aided to construct The Mahoning Coal Railroad, and was connected with The Montour and The Hazelton & Leetonia railroads. Of The Pittsburgh, Cleveland & Toledo Railroad, he was one of the organizers and he built part of the line himself. He was one of the incorporators of The Pittsburgh, Youngstown & Chicago Railroad, and a director in The Hocking Valley Railroad, president of The Commercial National Bank, vice president of The Second National Bank, and a larger owner in the The Mahoning National Bank.

Mrs. Andrews, whom he married July 1, 1857, was formerly Louisa Baldwin, daughter of ‘Squire Baldwin of Boardman. She survived her husband, with two daughters, Edith, wife of John A. Logan, jr., of Youngstown, and Julia, wife of Leslie E. Bruce, of New York city.

From Ohio Mining Journal 23 (1894), pages 135-139:

Chauncey H. Andrews was born in Vienna, Trumbull County, December 2, 1823. In 1842 he removed to Youngstown and died December 25, 1893.

Until three years ago Mr. Andrews enjoyed robust health and was able to attend to his large business interests that would have broken down many a younger man. At that time his health began to fail and he took a trip to Europe. When he returned, while he was much benefited by the voyage, he realized that his active business life was over and that he must seek quiet and rest.

During the past year while his health had been steadily failing he was able to ride nearly every day when the weather was pleasant and enjoyed the pleasure of meeting his many friends who had known him a lifetime. Always accustomed to an outdoor life he enjoyed these outings which were continued to within a few days of his death.

Mr. Andrews was in the truest sense a self-made man. He was the architect of his career and he made it a success. Reared in the school of rigid economy the lessons he then learned were never forgotten, and when as a result of his tireless energy, wealth came it made no change in him. He was the same modest, unassuming, unostentatious citizen.

The development of the coal mines of the Mahoning Valley attracted the attention of Chauncey H. Andrews, and ten years after his removal to Youngstown, Ohio, he commenced exploring for coal. For several years he prosecuted the search without success. Success at length, however, rewarded his efforts, and he entered upon an active and successful career as a mine owner and operator. In 1857 he opened the Thornhill bank, which in nine years produced half a million tons of coal. In 1858 he established the firm of Andrews & Hitchcock, and in 1868 they opened the Burnet bank, one of the largest mines in the Mahoning Valley, and were the first to ship coal over the Hubbard Branch Railroad. In the same year they opened the Hubbard Coal Company’s mines.

In 1864, in connection with his brother, W. C. Andrews, he opened the Oak Hill and Coal Run mines on the Mitchelltree farms, in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, which developed into large enterprises. In connection with his brother, he opened up two mines, the Andrews Coal Company and the Holliday Coal Company, at Vienna, Trumbull County, Ohio. In 1872 the firm of Andrews Brothers bought the Harris & Blackford rolling mill at Niles, doubled its capacity, and founded the Niles Iron Company’s works, which were afterwards removed to Haselton. The same year he and Mr. Hitchcock built a furnace at Hubbard, making the second at that place, both of which have proved successful. In 1872 the firm of Andrews Brothers opened the Osborn mines at Haselton. This mine not only supplies the furnaces of the proprietors with coal, but makes large shipments to the Cleveland market.

In 1865, in company with others, he purchased an interest in the Westerman Iron Company, at Sharon, Pennsylvania, the property including a rolling mill, two furnaces, the Brookfield coal bank, and being one of the largest iron works in all respects, owning its own railroad and equipment as well as its own coal fields.

About the year 1868, in connection with his two brothers, he purchased the Stout mines near Youngstown, and afterward built what was called the Hazelton furnaces, at which time he organized the firm of Andrews Brothers, which firm still continues to manufacture iron and mine coal. About the same time, in connection with Mr. Wm. J. Hitchcock, he built the Hubbard furnace, in Hubbard township, which was one of the first 60 feet furnaces built in the Mahoning Valley.

In 1868, also in connection with W. C. Andrews and W. J. Hitchcock, he opened the Stewart mine, under the name of the Stewart Coal Company. This mine proved productive, and was afterward leased to the Mahoning Coal Company.

In 1869, in company with W. C. Andrews and the Erie Railway Company, he completed the Niles and New Lisbon Railroad—35 miles—(12 miles of which had been partially built), from Niles to New Lisbon, through fine coal fields; 22 miles of the road were built in 90 days. The construction of the line was wholly superintended by him, and brought to a successful conclusion. This was the first railroad built in this part of the country strictly for cash. On the completion of this road, it was sold to James McHenry & Co., of London, by whom it was leased to the Atlantic & Great Western Railway Company.

In 1870, after the construction of the railroad, he, in company with his brother, W. C. Andrews, opened up four mines of bituminous coal in Columbiana County, established the Ohio Coal & Mining Company, and the New Lisbon Coal Company, which furnished a fine quantity of bituminous coal, and they likewise opened the Pennell mines, at Austintown, Mahoning County, on the Niles and New Lisbon Railroad.

In 1876 Mr. Andrews was one of the promoters and organizers of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad. He always took an active interest in all the local enterprises of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, having a greater or less financial interest in them all. He was president of the Wm. Anson Wood Mower & Reaper Manufacturing Company, which he assisted to establish in 1880, at Youngstown. He was one of the principal stockholders in the Malleable Iron Works, established in Youngstown in 1881. He was chiefly instrumental in organizing the Commercial National bank of Youngstown, in 1880, of which he was president and stockholder. He was also vice-president of the Second National bank of Youngstown. The bank was one of the first established after the resumption act.

He was interested in the management of the Savings bank, which has since merged into the Mahoning National bank, he being one of the directors. Since the building of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad, he, in connection with Wm. McCreery, W. C. Andrews and few others, built the Montour Railroad, connecting with the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad at Montour Junction. In 1879 he established the Imperial Coal Company, which owns 3,000 acres of coal land and mines from 1,000 to 1,500 tons of coal per day. This is one of the largest and finest coal fields in Western Pennsylvania, the company owning their own railroad and equipments.

He in connection with Andrews Brothers and Andrews & Hitchcock, opened in Mahoning County, Ohio, and in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, three very extensive lime-stone quarries which furnish a large amount of freight to the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie and the Lawrence branch railroads.

In 1880 he associated himself with W.C. Andrews and Wm. McCreery and obtained the charter for the Pittsburgh, Youngstown & Chicago Railroad. They were afterward joined by W. J. Hitchcock, W. J. McKinnie and a few others. They formed a company of which C. H. Andrews was elected president. IN 1882 he obtained a charter for the Pittsburgh, Cleveland & Toledo Railway Company, of which he was also president, which road is now completed from New Castle Junction to Akron, Ohio.

He was one of the Hocking Valley syndicate, and a director and stockholder in the Hocking Valley Railroad. His busy life shows him to have been a man of remarkable industry and an indefatigable worker. He was largely instrumental in making Youngstown the county seat of Mahoning County. In politics he was a republican, though not an active politician.

Brusque of manner, even repellant at times, to those who did not know him, under it all there beat a heart as tender as a child and overflowing with kindness for his fellow man, who had been beaten and buffeted by the waves of adversity and aided him in reaching the still waters and a haven of safety.

He disliked ostentation and while he took pleasure in aiding the destitute and unfortunate, furnishing employment to men who preferred work to accepting charity, he was very much averse to having his name paraded in public. He gave largely to charity and none deserving were ever turned away empty handed. At one time he said to an employe there are a number of poor families in this city who are poor and have not the means to buy coal. I want a list of them. In a few days the list was furnished. Looking them over he said: “Send a half car load of coal to each family, but if you let them know that I sent it or give any information where it came from, I’ll discharge you at once.”

The action was typical to the man willing to assist those in distress, he was averse to any publicity in the matter. He was a warm friend and an open enemy.

In the demise of Mr. Andrews, the poor realize that in his death a faithful friend has been called from this life to that of the life beyond.

Mr. Andrews' mansion was located at 750 Wick Avenue on Youngstown's north side. Ursuline High School now occupies the space where the home once stood.