On January 1, 1875, Mabel Hartzell was born in Saginaw, Michigan. She was eight years old when her family moved to Alliance, Ohio. Shortly after the move her mother died. Hartzell was adopted by Matthew and Mary Earley. They let Hartzell keep her own name. The Earleys lived in an Italianate house at 840 North Park Avenue at the corner of North Park and Vine Street. The house was built in 1867 from bricks which were made locally.
Hartzell graduated from Alliance High School in 1895. For a few years she taught grade school in Bolton and Alliance, Ohio. Hartzell enrolled in Mount Union College where she became a member of the Gamma chapter of Alpha Xi Delta. She attended the 1903 Alpha Xi convention. There she became its Grand Historian. She also served as Business Manager of The Alpha Xi Delta Journal (later known as The Quill of Alpha Xi Delta.)
Hartzell graduated from Mount Union in 1905 and according to a report, she “accepted a very good position as teacher of Latin in Alliance High School.”
In the summer of 1917, she and fellow Gamma chapter initiate Mary Kay studied at the University of Washington in Seattle. They appreciated “the courtesies extended to them by the Nu girls.” In 1924, Hartzell earned a Master’s from the Ohio State University.
Hartzell was a loyal member of the Alliance Alumnae organization. In July of 1920, the Alliance Alumnae held their annual picnic lunch on the lawn of Hartzell’s home. Fifty-four Alpha Xis were present.
She taught at Alliance High School for 30 years and her subjects included Latin, physics, and social science. Hartzell served two stints on the Alliance Board of Education: 1912 through 1924 and 1951 through 1954.
Hartzell was also very active in Alliance community affairs. She was a founding member of the Alliance Chapter of the American Red Cross and served as its Director for 33 years. She also helped found the Mount Union College Women’s Club and the Alliance Woman’s Club, both of which she served as President. Additionally, she was President of the Alliance Sorosis Club and the Alliance Quota Club. Hartzell was a Director of the YWCA, Alliance Community Chest, and City Savings & Building Company. She was a Life Honorary Member of the Stark County Historical Society.
Hartzell died on December 2, 1954. In her will, she gave the Alliance Historical Society her home for use as a museum. The home had only had one family as its occupants. It is filled with Victorian era items belonging to the Earley family, supplemented by the donation of other appropriate antiques. When touring the home, visitors are transported to a bygone era.
