The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-11

Incidents In His Life
Sunday morning while the church
bells were s~umrnoning the people of
our city to rhe services. Mr. Michael
Croniy. one OF wilmington's Oldest and
most highly respected citizens passed
away After many months OF feeble
ness, he died at 1850 n m. In the
SEND ear Of his age.
Mr.. Cronly was born in New York.
April "a. 1896. and was the son Of Mr..
Michael Cronly. His parents died
when the subject Of this sketch was a
child and he was left to the care OF two
uncles. Mr.. Edward Cronly. Of New
York city. and Mr.. John A Taylor. Of
Wilmington. When six years OF age
he came TO Wilmington and made his
home entirely with Mr.. Taylor, who
was the father OF our esteemed towns
man. Colonel John d. Taylor. Nr.
Taylor treated Mr.. Cronly as an own
son, and sent him to the best schools
Wilmington afforded. The principal
part Of his education was received at
h hands of Mr.. Jesse Muloch. who
ranked as a scholar and teacher OF
marked ability. After he quit school
he was employed as a clerk by the late
Mr.. Robert G. Rankin. who was in the
real estate and auction business.
In 1S47 Mr.. Cronly formed a part
nership with Messrs. John Walker and
Eli w. Hall, a brother Of the late
Colonel e. D.. Hall, and did an auction
and commission business with them
under the firm name Of Cronly. Walk
er and Hall. June 18th. 1s4s. Mr. Cron-
ly married Miss Margaret McLaurin.
In 1S49. Mr.. Walker went to the gold
fields in California and the copartner-
ship if Cronly, Walker & Hall came to
an end In 1852 he formed a copartner-
ship with Mr.. Alfred Martin and they
did an auction and commission business
under the firm name of Martin & Cron-
ly. Mr.. Wilkes Morriss went with them
as a clerk March 2, 1852, and subse-
quently when Mr.. Cronly continued
the business in his own name Mr..
Morriss clerked for him.
During the war, Mr.. Cronly conduct
ed an immense business in the land
ling of goods brought to Wilmington
by steame running the blockade. He
had a considerable interest in one or
more of these steamers. One of these
blockade sales amounted to 81, 900, 900
in confederate currency but before ii
had greatly deprecated.
In July 1865, Mr.. Cronly and Mr..
Morriss formed he Well known firm of
Cronly & Morriss, to conduct a real
estate and auction business, and the
copartnership existed up to the death
of Mr.. Cronly.
Mr. Cronly was noted for his liber-
ality and public spirit. He did much
good during the war in furnishing sup
plies to the hospital and to the poor
during the yellow fever epidemic of
1862. He was notably well versed in
commercial law, especially in the ma
rine n insurance departments of it.
He was also recognized as an authority
in real estate valuations. He was a
large wner in the first tug ON the
river, the steamer Calhoun. He was
one Of the incorporators of the Will
mington and Manchester railroad
(now the Wilmington, Columbia and
Augusta r~ailroad), of the Bank of New
Hanover, of the Navassa Guano Com
pany, and of the Wilmington, Char
lotte and Rutherford railroad (now
the Carolina Central Railroad), and
! was at one time president of the last
| named road. He was also an incor-
porator of the Acme Manufacturing
Company, the ocation of whose plant
is at Cronly, on the Carolina Central
Railroad, which place is named for
him..
Mr.. Cronly's wife and five sons and
four daughters survive him. His sons
are Messrs. NJ. Cronly, Jr., Joseph NJ.
Cronly, William n. Cronly, Robert ID.
Cronly, and D. T.. Cronly. All are resi-
dents of the city except Mr.. Joseph
M. Cronly who resides in New York,
and who arrived here last evening.
The funeral will take place this
morning at II O'Clock from the family
residence on south Third street, be-
tween Orange and Ann streets.