OBIT: David CRONIN, 1931, Confluence, Somerset County, PA

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Meyersdale Library.
Transcribed and proofread by: Richard Boyer.

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DAVID CRONIN

Somerset County's Oldest News Reporter Has Written His Last Line

"Thirty" For Venerable and Versatile Journalist

Turkeyfoot Representative of Meyersdale Republican for Nineteen Years Has Been 
Gathered to His Fathers - Was Faithful and Trustworthy Employee and Leaves Many 
Friends - Laid to Rest by Fellow Craftsmen.

  "Thirty" in newspaper parlance, means "signing off", "no more", "all in", 
"finis", "the end".
  So "thirty" comes to the life work of every newspaperman, as well as to his 
daily task.
  For more than nineteen years David Cronin was a reporter for the Meyersdale 
Republican, and for many years before that he served other papers in that 
capacity and even edited papers of his own.
  His was a long, busy and useful life; most of it spent in newspaper work, but 
"thirty" came to him at last.  His last line of copy has been written and set in 
type and gone forth to the readers of The Republican.
  The moving finger that has written has moved on and will never write another 
line for this nor any other newspaper.  For the hand that wrote many, many 
columns for the press, has been stilled by death.
  The venerable scribe who was manager of the Confluence Bureau of the 
Meyersdale Republican and chief writer of the Turkeyfoot news for this paper, 
passed away at 11 o'clock, Saturday night, May 2nd, after an illness of about 
one month's duration, during only the last two days of which he was confined to 
his bed.  Indeed he wrote some news for the paper each week until within a week 
or two of his death.  For the last few years his son, Cyrenius, had been 
assisting him with his work, owing to his gradually weakening condition on 
account of old age, and during the last month has done most of the reporting of 
the events in the Turkeyfoot region.
  
Native of Canada

  David Cronin was born at Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada, Feb. 8, 1850, and 
reached the age of 81 years, 2 months and 24 days.
  He had been a resident of Confluence since 1895, when he came there for 
employment in the Beggs & Cobb tannery which had just been constructed.  He had 
previous to that time been employed by Beggs & Cobb in Woburn, Mass., and had 
also been employed in the Boston leather district in the tanning business.
  Although a tanner by trade, Mr. Cronin had natural talent for writing and was 
a newspaperman by instinct.  He was the editor and publisher of a paper at 
Holland, Michigan, before he came to Pennsylvania to work at the tanning trade.
  In 1901 he quit the tannery in Confluence and moved to Frostburg, Md., where 
for about two years he was editor of the Frostburg Forum.   He returned to 
Confluence late in 1903 and after a short period of reemployment in the tannery, 
returned to newspaper work again, this time as business manager and reporter for 
the Meyersdale Commercial then owned and published by the late Luther A. Smith.  
He remained with the Commercial until Mr. Smith's death about the end of the 
year 1910.
  Immediately following the death of Editor Smith, Mr. Cronin joined the staff 
of the Turkeyfoot News, a small weekly paper published at Confluence by Beggs 
Bros., and continued with that paper until it was merged with the Meyersdale 
Republican in January 1912.
  When the Turkeyfoot News was taken over by the Meyersdale Republican, Mr. 
Cronin was retained as manager of the Turkeyfoot News section of the combined 
papers, a position which he filled faithfully and efficiently during the 
remainder of his years.

Wielded Facile Pen

   Although deprived of early educational advantages Mr. Cronin wielded a facile 
pen and was a newspaperman of no mean ability.  He had a keen sense of humor and 
was a past master in the use of whimsical sarcasm with which he often covered 
with confusion those who sought to take issue with him on controversial 
subjects.  He was inherently honest and of kindly disposition, and took far 
greater pleasure in writing about the good deeds of his compatriots  than in 
exposing their weaknesses and lapses from virtue.
  He was patriotic and public-spirited and had very definite ideas about the 
right and wrong of public questions and usually had the sagacity to line up on 
the right side.
  "Davey" Cronin commanded the respect and confidence of most right-thinking 
people and had many friends among the substantial citizens of Somerset County.  
Although he never had permanent residence in Meyersdale, he was well known and 
highly respected here.
  During his stay in Michigan he was for a number of years the president of the 
Curriers Association and was prominent in Odd Fellows circles, and was 
affiliated with and served in official capacities in a number of labor 
organizations.  He became a naturalized citizen of the United States on Oct. 4, 
1876, in the Circuit Court of the United States at Boston, Mass.
  He was a school director in Confluence Borough for two terms.
  
Mourned by Family

  On February 20, 1897, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Lenhart, who survives 
him.  He leaves three sons, John J. Cronin, who is affiliated in an official 
capacity with the Protected Home Circle in the Pittsburgh District, and resides 
at Millvale; D. Leo Cronin, who is employed by the U.S. Government in 
Washington, D.C., and Cyrenius Cronin, at home.  Two daughters preceded him to 
the grave, Louise, who died in infancy, 1903, and Mary Ellen, who died in 1918, 
after she entered high school.  Mary Ellen was an exceptionally bright girl and 
was the apple of her father's eye.  Her untimely death was a severe blow to her 
aged father, who never quite recovered from it. During his last hours, while 
delirious, he talked to his daughter and assured her he would soon be with her.
  Mr. Cronin adhered to the tenents of the Roman Catholic Church, the religion 
of his Irish ancestors.  Funeral services were conducted in his late home at 2 
o'clock Wednesday afternoon by Very Rev. J. J. Brady of Meyersdale who paid a 
warm tribute to the sterling character of Mr. Cronin.  The funeral was largely 
attended. There were many beautiful floral tributes.  The pall-bearers were 
Publisher W. S. Livengood, P. L. Livengood, W. A. Shoemaker, W. P. Dively and H. 
C. Staub, all members of the Meyersdale Republican staff, and Charles Beggs, of 
Beggs Bros., printers, Confluence.  Interment was made in the Ursina Cemetery, 
under direction of C. B. Humbert, the Confluence undertaker.  
  Mrs. Mary McKenzie, Miss Emma Weber and Miss Lizzie Darrah, Meyersdale friends 
of Mr. Cronin, accompanied Father Brady to Confluence to attend the funeral.  
The married sons of Mr. Cronin, John and Leo, and their wives, attended the 
obsequies.

Meyersdale Republican, May 7, 1931