The McCann brothers were three Irishmen who migrated from Ohio to Wisconsin in the mid-nineteenth century. They played an important role in the early phases of Wisconsin's lumber industry, and in the political and social organization of Chippewa County. The elder Arthur and his brother, Thomas, came to Clinton County, Ohio, in 1811, shortly after it was founded in 1810. They were among the earliest Catholics to locate here. These McCanns built and operated a pottery in Wilmington, Ohio, where they manufactured a dark colored, finely polished ware.