The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-08-04
Hiram Cronk Was One Hundred
and Five Years Old.
Slender Of Build In Youth, Yet
Brave, Useful Soldier.
Was a Member of Number of
Societies of Veterans.
From Tuesdays Daily.

From Tuesdays Daily.
Mrs. ID. L. Clements of this city is a
cousin of an extraordinarily aged vet
eran of New York state, Hiram Cronk
of the hamlet of Dunn Brook, the last
surviving pensioner and the last vet
eran of the war of 1912, whose funeral
took place short time ago in New
York city, with all the military pomp
and splendor due to that doughty sol
der, who trod the earth so long after
the mortal forms of his comrades had
crumbled into dust. Mr.. Cronk reached
the remarkable age of hundred and
five
1t was on Saturday, April %, last,
that this wonderful man passed his hun
bred and fifth milestone. That was a
red letter day for Hiram Cronk and his
family for nearly half hundred friends
and relatives gathered at his home to
extend their greetings and congratula
tions. Sons and daughters, ranging in
age from seventy to eighty years were
in that assemblage. Appropriate exer-
cises were carried out in Mr.. Cronk's
room, where the subject of various
splendid addresses on his life and char
acter lay cuddled up in bed, without
understanding why so many people were
in his house He was made an honorary
member of the New Jersey Society of
the War of 1912 and can hardly be said
to have realized it.
Greetings were received from the Gen
eral Society of the War of 1912 through
its president, Gen. Joseph Coldwater of
Philadelphia; from the Society of the
Sons of the American Revolution and
the Order of the Founders and Patriots
of America; and from Admiral Dewey
and many other notables.
Hiram Cronk was born in Frankfort,
Herkimer county, New York, April 20,
1900. Later the family removed from
Herkimer to Oneida county. After liv
ing in the Wright settlement for sew
eral years, the family moved to the out
skirts of Dunn Brook in the town of
Western, where Hiram made his home
ever since.
Residing with and taking care of Mr..
Cronk in his declining years was his
f -.
daughter, Mrs Sarah A. Rowley. For
several years Mrs. Rowley worked hard
to secure pension for her father, and
through the efforts of Congressman
James S. Sherman, the old man was
granted, about five years ago, a pension
of So per month. Later the national
government pension was increased to
S72 per month and another $25 per
month secured from the state.
Since boyhood Mr.. Cronk has been
a great tobacco chewer He used from
five to ten cents worth of the weed
daily He also drank a gallon of wine
every two weeks in the latter years of
his life Besides that, he drank gen
erous quantity of mily every day.
Near the close of the war of 1872,
Hiram enlisted in the United States
army with his father and two broth
ers, serving at Sackett's Harbor sew
eral days. He was so young and so
slight built that he was the butt of
Jokes by the other soldiers, who said
that if need be his father could pick
him up and carry him to places of safe
ty But such an act was not necessary,
for in a skirmish with the British,
Hiram Crcnk behaved in such soldier
" manner as to elecit the remark from
Captain Fuller, who was then in COM
mand: 81 wish / had regiment of
soldiers like Hiram, for then l could go
right up into upper Canada and fight
the British on their own grounds.
In 1925, when Mr. Cronk was twenty
five years DID, he married Mary Thorn
ton of the town of Western and they
lived happily together for sixty years.
She died in 1885. Seven children were
born to them and five are now living
One son lost his life in the civil war
There are fourteen grandchildren and
eight great grand children.
Besides farming, Mr.. Cronk follow
ed the trade of itinerant shoemaker
Mr. Cronk was always possessed of a
jovial disposition and was ever fond OF
telling stories of his younger life.