BIOGRAPHY: Ulysses S. CROYLE, Cambria County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by David Monahan. USGENWEB ARCHIVES (tm) NOTICE All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information are included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cambria/ ____________________________________________________________ From Wiley, Samuel T., ed. Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Union Publishing Co., 1896, p. 164-5 ____________________________________________________________ Ulysses S. CROYLE ULYSSES S. CROYLE, of near South Fork, is a worthy descendant of the old and well-known Croyle family of Cambria county. He is a son of Joseph and Barbara (Moyer) Croyle, and was born on the old homestead in the western part of Croyle township, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, December 3, 1865. Of sturdy and honorable ancestry, the Croyle family of the United States has well sustained in every section of the Union where its members are settled, its old world reputation for industry, strength and integrity. The founder of the family in this country settled near Hagerstown, Maryland, and from there nine of his descendants, and all brothers, served as soldiers in the Continental armies during the Revolutionary War. They were all men of great strength and fine physique, and Thomas, the youngest and smallest, yet over six feet in height, removed to Bedford county, which he afterwards left to settle in Summerhill township, this county, where he built a grist mill in 1824, and had his nearest neighbor at Ebensburg. He owned the tract of land on which the village of Summerhill is located, and the township of Croyle was named in honor of him. He was a consistent member of the Evangelical church, and to his marriage was born four children: Samuel, Frederick, Mrs. Mary S. Stineman, and Mrs. Elizabeth Patterson. Frederick Croyle, the next to the eldest child, was a native of Summerhill, and a life-long farmer of Croyle township, and where he owned and cultivated a large tract of land. He was an extensive and leading farmer for his day, and, like his father before him, held membership in the Lutheran church, while in politics he supported the Whig party. He was twice married. His first wife, whose maiden name was Knepper, bore him four children: Joseph; Samuel, a farmer of Kansas and now dead; May, wife of Henry Ketner, of Kansas; and Susan, now deceased, who was the wife of Peter Varner, and resided in Ohio. For his second wife he married Rebecca Stineman, by whom he had one child, Philip S., a resident of South Fork. Joseph Croyle, the eldest son by the first marriage, was born in Summerhill, August 3, 1824. He owned a fine and well-improved farm of two hundred and forty acres in the western part of Croyle township, was an active and prominent business man, and for many years had been a stockholder and director of the South Fork Coal and Iron company. He was a member and deacon of the Lutheran church, a whig and republican in politics, and had served for several years as a member of his township school board. His life was one of activity and usefulness, and its earthly labors closed on March 30, 1894, when he died on his farm. Joseph Croyle married Barbara Moyer, who was a daughter of Philip Moyer, and is living on the farm. To Joseph and Barbara Croyle were born four sons and five daughters: Wendall and Frederick, of south Fork; Elizabeth, wife of Edward Hull of Summerhill; Annie, at home; Henry, a blacksmith at Summerhill, Amanda, now deceased; Ellen, who married William Reighard, a farmer of Croyle township; Ulysses S.; and Alice, at home. Ulysses S. Croyle was reared on his father's farm, received his education in the South Fork public schools, an since has been engaged successfully in the congenial and healthful pursuits of an agriculturist. He owns a good farm, and is also manager of his father's farm, which he has kept up to the high standard of its old-time fertility and productiveness. He takes a keen interest in whatever pertains to the farm and its improvement, while its every labor is both a duty and a pleasure to him. He has made farming the business of his life, and moreover has made it a profitable and pleasant vocation. Although his career has not been noticeable for any new departures in farming, he has kept pace with the latest inventions and improvements that are made available in aiding the farmer. Mr. Croyle in political matters affiliates with the Republicans, and while not found prominent among party leaders or workers upon every trivial occasion, yet is not indifferent to office when his township's interests are concerned. He has served for several years as a member of the township school board, and takes an intelligent interest in education. Born and reared in the faith of the Evangelical Lutheran church, in which his ancestors have lived and died for nearly two centuries, he has been a member of Summerhill Lutheran church for twelve years. In addition to his church he takes a deep interest in beneficial associations, and since 1887 has held membership in South Fork Castle, No. 101, Knights of Pythias, of which he is a past chancellor. On April 11, 1889, Mr. Croyle was united in marriage with Marinda Miller, whose father, Alexander Miller, is a resident of Johnstown. Mr. And Mrs. Croyle have four children: Miller H., Frank A., Arthur S., and Harry F.