Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-22
TO HONOR HIRAM CRONK
THE LAST SURVIVOR OF THE WAR
OF 1912.
New York Board Of Aldermen Decides
That Appropriate Action Shall
Be Taken.

The board of aldermen OF the city of New
York paid a unique tribute to Hiram Silas
Cronk Of Ava, Oneida county. n. Y. when
the president of the board was recently d.
rected to take the necessary steps to honor
the body of Mr.. Cronk when he dies. This
action was taken because Mr. Cronk is the
last living survivor of the war of 1872, and
is 104 years of age. 1t is the first time in
the history of the city of New York that ar
rangements have been made during their
lifetime for public funeral for any of It's
distinguished citizens, and the introduction
of a resolution for this purpose at a meet
ing of the board of aldermen Occasioned
some little amusement. The resolution was
introduced by Alderman Wirth of Brook
lyn.
The resolution declared that as all of Mr.
Cronks life had been spent in the state of
New York, and in view of his honorable
part In many battles of the war of 1872, 1t
would be fitting that the chief city of the
empire state lead in honoring him by a
soldiers burial and that his remains lie in
state in the city hall.
Mr.. Wirth said that he anticipated some
little criticism, but explained his action
with the statement that Mr.. Cronk is an
aged man and is in feeble health The
governor of the state Mr. Wirth said. has
taken cogniZance of the fact of Mr.. Cronk S
distinction as the sole survivor of the sec
ond war of the United States, and has no.
tlIeu the aQJutant general OF tDe STATE "
send a proper detail of the National Guard
to attend his funeral when he shall die
The board of aldermen of New York, Mr.
Wirth is quoted as having stated, are busy
men, and when Mr.. Cronk dies they may
not hear of it, and his remains would be
consigned to the earth without that honor
to which he seems justly entitled
Mr.. Wirths associates on the board did
not take the same view of the matter, how
ever, and. on the motion of Alderman Nc
Call, the board substituted the following:
THAT in the event of the death of Mr.
Cronk the president of the board of alder
men take cognizance Of the fact and ap-
point committee to provide for a public
funeral
Other Honors Proposed.
The Secretary of War has designated a
company of infantry to act as a guard and
will sign the order on the day Of the old
mans death. The state will also provide
a military escort, Maj. Gen. Roe, command
er of the National Guard. having the mat
ter in charge. The plan brought up yester-
day in the board of aldermen was merely
IT. line with preparations already made on
a larger scale.
In addition to the preparations by the
city, State and national authorities. the
council of administration of the Society
of the War of 1872 has taken up the mat
ter and will cooperate with the other au-
thorities.
The Old veteran.
The man for whose funeral so much
preparation has been made is living quietly
on farm near Ava, in Oneida county,
n. Y. In his annual report for the last
fiscal year Mr.. Eugene f. Ware, commits
sioner of pensions, made the following ref
erence to Mr.. Cronk:
ION a small farm in Ava. n Y. cleared
by himself more than Seventy-fiVe years
ago. Hiram Silas Cronk. the last pensioner
of the war of 1872. is now living, attended
by his daughter, Mrs. Sarah Crowley. her
self quite an aged lady. Mr.. Cronk was
born April 20. 1890; but one would not be-
lieve that more than a century had rolled
past him to see him sitting quietly in his
home talking to his daughter. singing
hymns and Offering occasional prayer
for his own soul and all mankind.
Mr. Cronk enlisted at Western. n. Y, on
August i, 1911, when he was just little
more than fourteen years old, and on the
same day his father, James Cronk, and two
brothers, Casper and John, also enlisted,
serving under Capt. Edmund Fuller in the
defense of Sacketts Harbor. AT the close
of the war the father and three sons Were
honoraby discharged November 10. ISL"
Last Survivor of the Revolution.
1t is considered singular coincidence
that the last survivor Of the war of the rev.
olution was also a citizen of the state of
New York. This soldier, Daniel +. Bake
man, died in 1869 at the age of 100 years
Mr.. Brakeman was a native of Schoharie
county, n. V, and died at Freedom, Cat
taraugus county, n. Y. While there are no
survivors of the revolution and only one of
the war of 112, Mr.. Cronk. on the rolls of
the pension bureau, there are three surviv-
ing pensioners of the revolution living and
drawing pensions from the government.
These pensioners are Esther s. Damon,
widow of Noah Damon, who was a soldier
in the continental army during the revolu
ton; Sarah c. Hurlbutt, daughter of Elijah
Weeks and Rhoda Augusta Thomson
daughter of Thaddeus Thompson. both SOL
diers in the revolution. In the files of the
pension bureau the following record of
these three pensioners is found:
Revolutionary Pensioners
Esther S. Damon, Plymouth Union, VT,
age, 30; pensioned as widow of Noah Da-
mon, who served as private in the Massa-
chusetts troops as follows: Six days, from
April 49, 1775, in Captain fuckers COM
pany; twenty-five days, from April II, 1777,
in Capt Seth Summers company, Col. Ben
jamin Gills regiment; two months five days,
from May 10, 1777, in Capt. Moses Frenchs
company. Col. Jonathan Titcomb's regi-
ment two months twenty-five days, from
December 10, 1777, in Capt. Thomas Whites
company, Col. Edward Proctors regiment;
two months twenty-five days, from April
y, lIIS, III Sapt. benjamin l4dpndHl COM
pany, Col. Jonathan Reeds regiment; one
month seven days, from July 26, ITS in
Capt Nathaniel Clapp's company, Col Ben
jamin Howe's regiment; nine days, from
February ;, 1779 in Capt. Abner Cranes
company, colonel not stated; one month one
day, from August II, 1873, in Capt Joseph
Richards company, Col Gil's regiment,
and eight months, from May IL, $780, in
Capt. Caleb Champney's company.
Sarah c. Hurlbutt, Little Marsh. Pa;
age Sc; pensioned by special act. as daugh-
ter of Elijah Weeks, who served two and
one-half years. from fall of 17I6, as private
in Capt Josiah Smiths company, Col.
Thomas Marshalls regiment of Massa-
chusettS troops.
''Rhoda Augusta Thompson, Woodbury.,
Conn: age SO; pensioned by special act.
as daughter of Thaddeus Thompson, who
served six years from May 20, 1777,
private in Capt. Jonathan Browns COM
pany. Col. John Lambs regiment of New
York troops"