Biography of H.B. McIntire, Town Namesake 

Hugh Barclay McIntire was born in 1837, a few miles from present day McIntyre. He graduated from Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, in 1864 and for a time was a teacher in two local academies. When he was 29 years old, he became a merchant which he remained until his death in 1916. His country store, which was located in Jacksonsville, Young Township, was at first modest; however, over the years his business expanded and according to his obituary, "...it has ranked as one of the largest general mercantile establishments outside of the larger towns." In addition to his mercantile interests, McIntire also became a coal speculator, controlling and leasing thousands of acres of land in Young Township. No doubt he would have come into contact with representatives of the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Company or one of its subsidiaries. The obituary also indicates that the town of McIntire was "...named in honor of the deceased." One can only speculate why the town was named after him. McIntire would have been about 73 years old when this honor was bestowed upon him. It is unclear why there is a discrepancy between the spelling of his last name, McIntire, and the spelling of the town's name, McIntyre.

Photo: courtesy Indiana County Historical Society, Indiana, Pennsylvania, 
Hugh Barclay McIntire Obituary, McIntire Family Folder.

J.A. Caldwell, History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, 1745-1800
(Newark, Ohio: J.A. Caldwell, 1880), 411.