Buried among the rolling hills at Oak Hill Cemetery are stories of everyday people who lived here long ago, and helped build
the cornerstones of Youngstown.
 
Steffon Wydell Jones and other historians of the cemetery shared stories about some of those people, two brothers, who helped forge a foundation of steel here in our valley. 
 
Charles Cartwright who came here from England in 1849 and served in the Mexican War and his brother started the Cartwright and McCurdy Rolling Mills. 
 
"in 1875 him and his brother, who is buried in section seven, they were in the Cartwright and McCurdy Rolling mills, then after that it became ... part of Carnegie Steel," Jones said. 
 
 German, English, Welsh and other immigrants were attracted to Youngstown because there was plenty of work so the city grew.
 
"There was factory work, coal mining work, and steel mills. That's why they came here to Youngstown. It was a livelihood," Jones added. 
 
 
Some of the folks who joined the walking tour braved the rain to hear about important history to our valley. 
 
Today the focus of the walking tour was on veterans. 
 
The folks buried here and in our past leave a legacy for others to learn from.  
 
"If you don't have history, how do you have a future? If you don't have a past, and a history, you don't know how to move on to your future," Char Cervone said.