Snyder Community
Hale County, Texas
Mennonite Colony Families
John R. (1831-1920) and Elizabeth (Bally) (1841-1928) Snyder
John R. and Elizabeth Bally Snyder were Peter B. Snyder's parents. Before moving to Texas, they had lived in Jackson County, Minnesota, near their sons Peter and Henry. John was a deacon in the Mennonite church at Alpha.
Most family stories say John and Elizabeth arrived in Hale County in 1907 along with Peter and Ida and their children, although one family source says they came to the Snyder Community only after Peter had completed his house in 1909. The photo above was probably taken in their room of Peter's home about 1915. Alta Hartzler Conrad remembers the couple had a first floor bedroom where Elizabeth cared for her husband in his final years.1
1900 Federal
census - Wisconsin Township, Jackson County, Minnesota
John R. - aged 68, married 38 years, born Oct. 1831 in
Pennsylvania, both parents born in Pennsylvania, farmer
Elizabeth - aged 58, mother of 7 children, 7 children living,
born Aug. 1841 in Ohio, both parents born in Germany
Hamilton, Charles - 27-year-old son-in-law, married 1 year, born Oct. 1872
in Illinois, mother born in U.S.A., state not known
--, Minnie - 27-year-old daughter, mother of 1 child, 1 child
living, born Nov. 1872 in Illinois, father born in Pennsylvania, mother born in
Ohio
Bally, Daniel - 40-year-old brother-in-law, single, born Mar. [?] 1850 in
Illinois, both parents born in Ohio [According to James
A. Snyder, Daniel and
Elizabeth Bally Snyder's parents were Yost and Elizabeth (Bohr) Bally, who were
both born in Germany.] farmer
1910
Federal census - Justice Precinct 1, Hale County, Texas [listed as a separate
household in the same dwelling as Peter and Ida Snyder]
John - aged 79, married 48 years, born in Pennsylvania, both
parents born in Pennsylvania, occupation: "own [illegible]"
Elizabeth - aged 68, mother of 7 children, 6 children living,
born in Ohio, both parents born in Germany
1920 Federal Census -
Justice Precinct 1, Hale County, Texas [listed as one household are the
following members of Peter's extended family]
Snyder, Peter B. - aged 55, born in Illinois, father born in
Pennsylvania, mother born in Ohio
Ida - aged 54, born in Illinois, both parents born in
Virginia
[illegible] - 28-year-old daughter [Susie], born in Illinois
Joe R - 26-year-old son, born in Illinois
Mark G. - 22-year-old son, born in Minnesota
Vernon S. - 20-year-old son, born in Minnesota
Grace F. - 12-year-old daughter, born in Texas
John R. - 88-year-old father, born in Pennsylvania, both
parents born in Pennsylvania
Elizabeth - 78-year-old mother, born in Ohio, father born in
Germany, mother born in Germany
Kreider, Maud M. - 33-year-old widowed daughter, born in
Illinois
Kreider, Ruth K. - 8-year-old granddaughter, born in Texas,
father born in Ohio, mother born in Illinois [Ruth married Stanley Yoder, son of
Jonas D. and Ida Yoder.]
John R. Snyder died at home in the Snyder Community on September 10, 1920, at the age of 88.
He is
buried in Plainview Cemetery, in the Jonas Kreider family plot. According to
Jimmy Hill, secretary/manager of the Plainview Cemetery Association, John's and Milo
Kreider's graves are the only two spaces used out of eight spaces purchased by
Jonas in 1911.2
The following obituary for John R. appeared in The Plainview News, Tuesday, September 14, 1920 (page 1), with the title "John R. Snyder Dies."
"John R. Snyder died at the home of his son, P. B. Snyder, seven miles
south of Plainview, Friday, of old age. The funeral was held at the Snyder home
this morning at 10 o'clock, the service being conducted by Rev. J. C. Charles
from Hesston, Kans. Interment followed at Plainview cemetery.
"The deceased was born Oct. 26, 1831, in Pennsylvania,
where his young manhood was spent. He married there in February 1862, later
moving to Illinois and then to Minnesota. In the early days of Pennsylvania he
hauled his farm products in wagons across the Appalachian mountains to New York
City and on the return was menaced often by robbers who sought to steal the goods
and money her received from his products.
"He and his wife came here about twelve years ago and
have since been making their home with their son.
"He leaves a widow and three daughters and three sons,
the daughters living in Oregon, Kansas and Alberta, Canada, and the sons in
Minnesota and Indiana and here. One daughter is deceased.
"He was a devoted member of the Mennonite church."
In 1921, Peter B. and Ida Snyder moved their family and Peter's widowed mother, Elizabeth, to Hesston, Kansas, where several of their children had attended classes at Hesston Academy. In 1925, the scattered children brought their families to Hesston for a family reunion. In this photo, Elizabeth is surrounded by 15 great-grandchildren. My father, Floyd Snyder, is at the far left, in overalls. Elizabeth died in 1928 at age 86 and was buried in Pennsylvania Church Cemetery (now known as Whitestone Cemetery), near Hesston.
John R.'s obituary - Gospel Herald - Volume XIII, Number 27 - September 30, 1920 - Page 527
Elizabeth's obituary - Gospel Herald - Volume XX, Number 47 - February 23, 1928 - pp 1023 or 1024
Footnotes
1. Interview with Alta (Hartzler) Conrad, (Danville, Ohio) by Bonnie Snyder Smith, September 28, 2005.
2. Interview with Jimmy Hill (Plainview, Texas), by Bonnie Snyder Smith, Nov. 4, 2003.
copyright © 2005,
2006, 2007, 2008 Bonnie Snyder Smith
