Collection is open for research.
Permission to publish material from the J. A. Snavely Letter must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: J. A. Snavely Letter, Ms2013-040, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The collection was purchased by Special Collections in July 2013.
This collection has been digitized and is available online.
The processing, arrangement, and description of the J. A. Snavely Letter was completed in August 2013.
Joseph Alwise Snavely was born on February 1, 1876 in Wythe County, Virginia. He married Zylphia Clute on February 2, 1905 and had 4 children. Snavely died at the age of 63 in 1940 in Colorado.
The collection includes a letter written by J. A. Snavley, its envelope, and an advertisement postcard/mailer for Scientific American publications. The letter describes attempts to gain a patent for acetylene gas light and other inventions, such as a $5.00 reading lamp. The letter is dated March 2, 1899 and is addressed to an Ephraim Tarter.