Snyder Family papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
James Madison University
Second Floor Room 203, MSC 1704
Carrier Library
James Madison University
880 Madison Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Tiffany Cole
Phone: (540) 568-3444
Phone: (540) 568-3612
Fax: (540) 568-3405
Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk. (library-special@jmu.edu).

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Snyder Family Papers, ca. 1850-1901, SC 0204, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
0.3 cubic feet 3 boxes
Creator:
Whetzel, Charlie, 1940-2021 and Snyder family
Abstract:
The Snyder Family Papers, ca. 1850-1901, comprise two account books and photographs documenting the John Snyder family of Augusta County, Virginia.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Snyder Family Papers, ca. 1850-1901, SC 0204, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The Snyder Family Papers, ca. 1805-1901, comprise two account books and photographs documenting the John Snyder (variously spelled Snider) family of Augusta County. Snyder was a blacksmith operating out of Parnassus in Augusta County, Virginia. Surnames recorded in the ledgers include Showalter, Moyer, Miller, Shumate, and Huffman.

The 46 photographs in the collection include albumen prints, collodion prints, gelatin developing-out paper, and tintypes. All of the photos are black and white or sepia in color, and most are accompanied by a matte frame or a decorative paper sleeve. The photographs are housed individually and are arranged in the original order they were found in upon removal from the photo album. There are presumably images of John Snyder and two of his children in this collection. Notations by said photograph refer to him as "Uncle John." There is also an obituary for John A. Marshall, whose children are included in the images and are referred to as cousins. From the little amount of information available, it is possible that the album was owned by a sister of John Snyder who married into the Marshall family, or perhaps a child of said sister.

Biographical / historical:

The ledgers provide very little concrete information about John Snyder except for that he was a blacksmith most likely living in the Augusta County area during the 1850s and 1860s. The 1860 census lists a J. Snyder living in Augusta County who is married to S. Snyder, with two children: W. H. and J. A. Snyder. The 1860 census, along with the 1899 Augusta County Business Directory, also lists J. Snyder as a blacksmith. Additionally, a genealogy site documenting the Sheets family of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Iowa references a John Snyder who was born in 1824 and died after 1900 in Augusta County. This John Snyder was married to his cousin, Sarah Sheetz, in March 1849, and together they had four children: William H. Snyder (b. 1849), Joseph A. Snyder (b. 1851), Martin Snyder (b. 1861), and Lewis J. Snyder (b. 1863). The genealogy site also mentions that John worked as a blacksmith as well as a farmer. All of this information is consistent with the business directory, census records, and dates of the ledgers.

The Snyder family photo album originally included a sheet of paper that records the date of death of a John Snyder on February 7, 1901, a date that correlates with the information above. This document is retained in the collection. A few of the photographs inside of the album contain captions such as "Uncle John," "Lewis Snyder," and "Cousin Martin Snyder," indicating that the album may have been owned by a sibling or cousin of John or Sarah Snyder.

Acquisition information:
The ledgers and photo album were purchased September 17, 2011 at the Mt. Solon, Virginia estate sale of Charles Weekley. Weekley's real estate and personal property were sold by auctioneer Charley Whetzel.
Processing information:

In order to streamline the process of applying collection numbers, Special Collections staff completed a large-scale renumbering campaign in 2017-2019. The Snyder Ledger Collection was previously cataloged as SC 5026. The Snyder Family Photograph Collection was previously cataloged as P 0004

As part of renumbering, the two Snyder collections were combined in an attempt to reestablish original order. Both collections were acquired from the same estate sale and have shared provenance, but during initial processing in 2011 the materials were inexplicably separated by format (photographs and ledgers) and arranged into two collections. The photographs were originally housed in a photo album, but were removed and placed in individual paper envelopes. The photographs were assigned unique identifiers and filed according to their original order in the photo album. Three newspaper clippings containing Snyder family obituaries were affixed to the inside covers of the photo album. The clippings were photocopied and originals discarded. The biographical note was not significantly updated during reprocessing.

Arrangement:

The ledgers are housed in a custom box and arranged chronologically. During initial processing in 2011, the photographs were each assigned a unique identification number based on their original collection number P0004 and according to their original order in the now discarded photo album. They are arranged accordingly. Three photographs are housed in a separate folder due to their larger size.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard