BIOGRAPHY: Rev. Daniel CROFFORD, Cambria County, PA 

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From Wiley, Samuel T., ed. Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria 
County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Union Publishing Co., 1896, p. 76-7
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REV. DANIEL CROFFORD formerly a minister in the Brethren church, but now a 
prominent insurance man of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is a son of David and Eliza 
(Berkey) Crofford, and was born February 24, 1846, near Davidsville, Somerset 
county, Pennsylvania.
     Rev. Crofford's father, David Crofford, was born in Westmoreland county, 
this State June 6, 1818, but was reared and educated in Somerset county. He 
pursued the combined avocations of farming and merchandizing all his life, and 
died at Duncansville on April 30, 1889, having resided there eighteen years 
prior to his demise.
     He wedded Eliza Berkey, a daughter of Daniel Berkey, who was designated as 
"English Daniel Berkey," in order to distinguish him and his family from the 
numerous German families of Somerset county, which bore the same name.
     To Mr. and Mrs. Crofford was born a family of thirteen children, eight of 
whom are still living, three sons and five daughters.
     On December 29, 1869, Rev. Crofford and Miss Delilah Blough were happily 
married. She is a daughter of Rev. Samuel Blough, deceased, a prominent divine 
of Cambria county, this State, and a bishop in the Mennonite church. Rev. & Mrs. 
Crofford are the parents of four children: Charles Wesley, James Calvin, Minnie 
May and Harry Bashor Crofford.
     The Rev. Crofford received his education in the public schools of Indiana 
county, Pennsylvania, and in the Elderton academy of Armstrong county. Having 
acquired a good academic training, he assumed the responsibilities of life on 
his own account as a merchant in Johnstown in 1872. He continued merchandizing 
about seven years, when he engaged with the Cambria Iron company, in whose 
employ he continued in various capacities until 1893. During that year he 
embarked in the insurance business. He does a general insurance business and 
represents many of the reliable old line companies.
     Among some of the more important companies are: The National and Orient, of 
Hartford, Connecticut; Allemannia and German, of Pittsburg, Penns.; Philadelphia 
Underwriters, of Philadelphia; New York Underwriters' Agency, of New York city; 
Prussian National, of Germany; London and Lancashire, of Liverpool, England. In 
addition to his extensive insurance business, he is secretary both of the 
Johnstown and Cambria Building and Loan Associations, the latter of which he 
assisted in organizing.
     Practically, he is a strict republican, but not an aspirant to political 
preferment. Religiously, he is a devout and earnest worker in the Brethren 
church.
     He is a regularly-ordained minister of this church, and for many years 
filled regular appointments, but owing to the arduous duties of a large and 
gradually increasing business, he has been obliged to relinquish his ministerial 
labor.