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THE CRON COLLECTION
INTRODUCTION
The Cron Collection was accessioned into the Flesh Public Library Archives on November 11, 1988.
The collection fills two Hollinger boxes and twelve file folders.
The collection covers the years 1888-1927.
There are no restrictions on the use of this collection and the literary copyright has been deeded to the public.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
The Cron Collection is divided into four Series: Funeral Registry, Financial, Merchandise Inventory, and Miscellaneous.
SERIES I –FUNERAL REGISTRY: lists numerous funerals from 1905 to 1919. It gives the name of the deceased, cause of death, date of death and funeral and location of the funeral.
SERIES II –FINANCIAL: covers computing cost to retail price of furniture, a daily business journal, and sales and purchases. There is also a cash payment journal used during the Cron-Zemer Association.
SERIES III: –MERCHANDISE INVENTORY: covers a listing of furniture, caskets, and accessories floor by floor.
SERIES IV: – MISCELLANEOUS: contains a studio photo of Lucius C. Cron and a picture of Jackson Cron and his three sons. A telephone book cover showing a Cron advertisement and a January 1, 1902 statement completes this category.
HISTORY
Lucius C. Cron was born in Piqua, Ohio on September 16, 1836, and learned the furniture business at an early age. After service in the Civil War, he established a furniture business in 1868. In 1869, W. L. Cron was admitted. They did business under the name L.C. Cron and W.L. Cron Co. with Lucius Cron –president, and Edward Whitlock –secretary.
Lucius married Margaret Ginn on September 29, 1859, and they had five children. Their son, Jackson, was born on June 18, 1869. Jackson entered the furniture and undertaking business in partnership with F.E. Campbell. This association lasted two years. He then formed an association with his father –under the name of J.C. Cron and Co., a retail furniture company for two years. They then bought the W. L. Cron and Sons Retail Furniture Store and S. I. Zemer became a member of the company. This was eventually dissolved and Jackson formed a partnership with W. Walker naming the business the Cron-Walker Company.
In 1919 Walker retired from the company, taking with him the furniture business and Cron remained in the undertaking line. In August 1919, Jackson Cron moved the parlors to the northwest corner of Ash and Wayne Streets. (400 North Wayne)
Jackson Cron married Stella Denman and they had four children: a daughter –Irene, who died at six years of age; and three sons –Kenneth, John, and Robert. 1936 saw the business organized as a partnership between Jackson and his three sons, serving the community as J.C. Cron and Sons until 1960, and then as J.C. Cron and Sons, Inc.
On August 17, 1949 the firm purchased the Wade Shilling and Son Funeral Home of Troy, Ohio. In 1956 another generation, Jackson Charles Cron (Kenneth’s son) joined the business. The business moved to 608 West High Street on February 21, 1958, when Kenneth, John, and Jackson Charles managed the Piqua Funeral Home and Robert managed the Troy home.
The business was sold to Howard S. Cheney in 1974.
CONTAINER LISTING
SERIES I –FUNERAL REGISTRY
Box 1
File
1 Funeral Registry: August-November, 1905; December, 1908-April 1909
2 Funeral Registry: June 11, 1917-September 26, 1917
3 Funeral Registry: September 28, 1917-April 4, 1919
SERIES II –FINANCIAL
File
4 Daily Journal: August 7, 1888-January 12, 1889
5 Cost of furniture journal: 1888-1894
6 Cash payment journal (Cron and Zemer Co.): 1902-1905
Box 2
File
1 Sales and Purchases: 1889-1890
SERIES III – MERCHANDISE INVENTORY
File
2 Inventory: 1894-1899
3 Inventory and Accounts: August 1, 1919
4 Inventory: 1919-1927
SERIES IV-MISCELLANEOUS
File
5 Cron family pictures
6 Miscellaneous