Page 44 - United Brethren Preachers
P. 44
Volume 9 Preachers of U.B. and EUB Virginia Conferences December 26, 2024
CROFT: J. E. Croft was a member of another Conference in 1911, as he was given an advisory seat at the
1911 Annual Conference [Funkhouser 1921, p. 303]. However, he served Charlottesville Circuit, 1910-12.
CROGAN: Thomas Douglass Crogan (b. Aug. 23, 1942; d. July 4, 2009, Boonsboro, Md.) was licensed to
preach in Va. Conf. in 1962 and appointed to Bayard Charge, 1962-67. [Glovier 1965, p. 291; see also 179,
187, 259] He was the son of Howard G. and Mary L. (Patterson) Crogan Boyce. Pastor Crogan served the
Bayard EUB Church Charge in Bayard, Laureldale, and Claysville, W.Va., from 1960 to 1967. He then was the
Founder and Executive Director of the Mt. Top Youth for Christ in Garrett County, Md., from 1967 until 1974.
From 1976 through 1989, he served the Union Church in Markleysburg, Pa., and until 1997 he was the Pastor
of the Congress Hill Church of God in Franklin, Pa. From 2005 until 2009, Pastor Crogan served at the First
Baptist Church of Sharpsburg, Md., now known as the United Christian Fellowship. He was survived by his
wife of 44 years, Karen Elizabeth (Durr) Crogan; three daughters and sons-in-law, Cheryl S. and Ronald A.
Woleslagle of Bristow, VA, Lynnette A. and Phillip D. Snipes of Fisherville, Va., and Sonya J. and Paul M.
Smerdell of Lake Wales, Fla.; and two brothers and sisters-in-law, Walter M. and Georgia Crogan, Senior
Chief, Operations Specialist, (Ret.) of Virginia Beach, Va., and Howard G. and Janice Crogan of Adamstown,
Md. He was also survived by four grandchildren: Caleb and Eli Snipes, Sarah Smerdell, and G. Luke Triplett.
Services were held at Germantown (Md.) Baptist Church with Pastor Mike Yoho officiating, and he was interred
in the Germantown Baptist Church Cemetery. [Glovier 1965, pp. 179, 187, 259, 291]
CRONISE: B. F. Cronise (b. ca. 1829) came to the Conference in 1879 from the Methodist Episcopal
Church and was ordained in 1879. He worked locally (not an itinerant), attended Conference in 1880, 1181,
and 1883; and he transferred to the Maryland Conference when it was created in 1887. In 1879 he reported
as a local preacher that he had preached about 50 sermons, visited and prayed with 100 families and 50 sick
persons, baptized 33 children, and addressed 15 Sunday schools. He died Aug. 1896. [Funkhouser 1921,
pp. 127, 134, 277-279. 281-282, 284, 287-288; Glovier 1965, p. 89; Lycoming 2103]
CROWELL: Charles Henry Crowell, son of John and Hester J. Crowell, was
born in Clearfield County, Pa., May 14, 1850. His parents later moved to
Augusta County, Va., where he received his education. Educated in an
academy at Churchville, he was converted in 1868, licensed to preach in 1874,
joined Conference and licensed there in 1878, and was ordained in 1882. He
has been an itinerant 46 years, serving Rockbridge, 1875-78; Page Valley,
1878-79; Augusta, 1879-81; Myersville, 1881-84; Boonsboro, 1885-86;
Edinburg, 1886-87; North River, 1887-91; Frederick, 1891-94; Harrisonburg,
1894-95; Augusta, 1895-1905; Roanoke First, 1905-08; Berkeley Springs
Station, 1908-09; Lacey Springs, 1909-12; Berkeley Springs Circuit, 1912-19;
and Great Cacapon, 1919-22. Rev. Crowell “was 4 years Presiding Elder of Winchester District.” He assisted
in building he second church house at Friendship about 1890, costing $1,000; building a re-located a church in
Roanoke in 1907, costing $15,732. In 1921 he was living in Great Cacapon, W.Va. He was called to his
reward in his 80th year (1930), having rendered faithful service to the Lord and the Church for more than 50
years. While serving as pastor of our church in Harrisonburg, he was inspired to organize the Young People’s
Christian Union, the first in Va. Conf. He was the first president of Va. Conf. Branch a number of years, and
an honorary president at the time of his death. He was evangelistic in spirit and led many to Christ during the
years of his active ministry. He died in 1930 at age 80 and was buried at Staunton, Va. His memoir is
provided in Section II.A (below). The picture on the left is from [Glovier 1965, p. 69], taken in 1886; the one
on the right is from [U.B. Yearbook 1903, p. 48]. [Funkhouser 1921, pp. 127, 134, 161-162, 195, 200, 272-
291, 310] and [Glovier 1965, p. 121; see also pp. 77, 89, 95, 107, 121, 162, 194, 216, 232, 252, 307, 318]
CRUM: Christian Crum (1763-1820) was a founding member of the 1800 Conference, ordained in 1819,
and one of the great circuit riders of the UBIC. He was born in 1763 near Frederick, Md., and lived near the
Hott place, Pleasant Valley, Va.. He died in July 30, 1820, and is interred at Mt. Hebron Cemetery in
Winchester, Va. With his twin brother, Henry (see below), they became itinerants and settled in Virginia.
Christian seemed to be the more abundant in ministerial labors and was much beloved by Bishop Otterbein,
who, toward the close of his life, made him a present of his Bible and hymn-book. Christian died in 1823 [sic].
Note [Lycoming 2013]: The birth and death information comes from the 1968 Miller-Raker history (p. 373)—
but it disagrees with other sources. [Funkhouser 1921, p. 134] gives his death as 1823,38 and most other
sources give his birth year as 1748 in Carbon County, Pa.—this is necessary to agree with his daughter
Susanna being born in 1776 and marrying William Ambrose, for his Revolutionary War service, etc. Christian
is the twin brother of Henry Crum. Christian and Henry are reported to have been chaplains under George
Washington in the Revolutionary War. From [Drury 1913, p. 237]:
Christian and Henry Crum, twin brothers, were brought up not far from Frederick City, Md. Their parents belonged to
38 But [Funkhouser 1921, p. 233] announces his death at the Conference of April 1821.
Biographical Sketches 32
CROFT: J. E. Croft was a member of another Conference in 1911, as he was given an advisory seat at the
1911 Annual Conference [Funkhouser 1921, p. 303]. However, he served Charlottesville Circuit, 1910-12.
CROGAN: Thomas Douglass Crogan (b. Aug. 23, 1942; d. July 4, 2009, Boonsboro, Md.) was licensed to
preach in Va. Conf. in 1962 and appointed to Bayard Charge, 1962-67. [Glovier 1965, p. 291; see also 179,
187, 259] He was the son of Howard G. and Mary L. (Patterson) Crogan Boyce. Pastor Crogan served the
Bayard EUB Church Charge in Bayard, Laureldale, and Claysville, W.Va., from 1960 to 1967. He then was the
Founder and Executive Director of the Mt. Top Youth for Christ in Garrett County, Md., from 1967 until 1974.
From 1976 through 1989, he served the Union Church in Markleysburg, Pa., and until 1997 he was the Pastor
of the Congress Hill Church of God in Franklin, Pa. From 2005 until 2009, Pastor Crogan served at the First
Baptist Church of Sharpsburg, Md., now known as the United Christian Fellowship. He was survived by his
wife of 44 years, Karen Elizabeth (Durr) Crogan; three daughters and sons-in-law, Cheryl S. and Ronald A.
Woleslagle of Bristow, VA, Lynnette A. and Phillip D. Snipes of Fisherville, Va., and Sonya J. and Paul M.
Smerdell of Lake Wales, Fla.; and two brothers and sisters-in-law, Walter M. and Georgia Crogan, Senior
Chief, Operations Specialist, (Ret.) of Virginia Beach, Va., and Howard G. and Janice Crogan of Adamstown,
Md. He was also survived by four grandchildren: Caleb and Eli Snipes, Sarah Smerdell, and G. Luke Triplett.
Services were held at Germantown (Md.) Baptist Church with Pastor Mike Yoho officiating, and he was interred
in the Germantown Baptist Church Cemetery. [Glovier 1965, pp. 179, 187, 259, 291]
CRONISE: B. F. Cronise (b. ca. 1829) came to the Conference in 1879 from the Methodist Episcopal
Church and was ordained in 1879. He worked locally (not an itinerant), attended Conference in 1880, 1181,
and 1883; and he transferred to the Maryland Conference when it was created in 1887. In 1879 he reported
as a local preacher that he had preached about 50 sermons, visited and prayed with 100 families and 50 sick
persons, baptized 33 children, and addressed 15 Sunday schools. He died Aug. 1896. [Funkhouser 1921,
pp. 127, 134, 277-279. 281-282, 284, 287-288; Glovier 1965, p. 89; Lycoming 2103]
CROWELL: Charles Henry Crowell, son of John and Hester J. Crowell, was
born in Clearfield County, Pa., May 14, 1850. His parents later moved to
Augusta County, Va., where he received his education. Educated in an
academy at Churchville, he was converted in 1868, licensed to preach in 1874,
joined Conference and licensed there in 1878, and was ordained in 1882. He
has been an itinerant 46 years, serving Rockbridge, 1875-78; Page Valley,
1878-79; Augusta, 1879-81; Myersville, 1881-84; Boonsboro, 1885-86;
Edinburg, 1886-87; North River, 1887-91; Frederick, 1891-94; Harrisonburg,
1894-95; Augusta, 1895-1905; Roanoke First, 1905-08; Berkeley Springs
Station, 1908-09; Lacey Springs, 1909-12; Berkeley Springs Circuit, 1912-19;
and Great Cacapon, 1919-22. Rev. Crowell “was 4 years Presiding Elder of Winchester District.” He assisted
in building he second church house at Friendship about 1890, costing $1,000; building a re-located a church in
Roanoke in 1907, costing $15,732. In 1921 he was living in Great Cacapon, W.Va. He was called to his
reward in his 80th year (1930), having rendered faithful service to the Lord and the Church for more than 50
years. While serving as pastor of our church in Harrisonburg, he was inspired to organize the Young People’s
Christian Union, the first in Va. Conf. He was the first president of Va. Conf. Branch a number of years, and
an honorary president at the time of his death. He was evangelistic in spirit and led many to Christ during the
years of his active ministry. He died in 1930 at age 80 and was buried at Staunton, Va. His memoir is
provided in Section II.A (below). The picture on the left is from [Glovier 1965, p. 69], taken in 1886; the one
on the right is from [U.B. Yearbook 1903, p. 48]. [Funkhouser 1921, pp. 127, 134, 161-162, 195, 200, 272-
291, 310] and [Glovier 1965, p. 121; see also pp. 77, 89, 95, 107, 121, 162, 194, 216, 232, 252, 307, 318]
CRUM: Christian Crum (1763-1820) was a founding member of the 1800 Conference, ordained in 1819,
and one of the great circuit riders of the UBIC. He was born in 1763 near Frederick, Md., and lived near the
Hott place, Pleasant Valley, Va.. He died in July 30, 1820, and is interred at Mt. Hebron Cemetery in
Winchester, Va. With his twin brother, Henry (see below), they became itinerants and settled in Virginia.
Christian seemed to be the more abundant in ministerial labors and was much beloved by Bishop Otterbein,
who, toward the close of his life, made him a present of his Bible and hymn-book. Christian died in 1823 [sic].
Note [Lycoming 2013]: The birth and death information comes from the 1968 Miller-Raker history (p. 373)—
but it disagrees with other sources. [Funkhouser 1921, p. 134] gives his death as 1823,38 and most other
sources give his birth year as 1748 in Carbon County, Pa.—this is necessary to agree with his daughter
Susanna being born in 1776 and marrying William Ambrose, for his Revolutionary War service, etc. Christian
is the twin brother of Henry Crum. Christian and Henry are reported to have been chaplains under George
Washington in the Revolutionary War. From [Drury 1913, p. 237]:
Christian and Henry Crum, twin brothers, were brought up not far from Frederick City, Md. Their parents belonged to
38 But [Funkhouser 1921, p. 233] announces his death at the Conference of April 1821.
Biographical Sketches 32
