Santa Clara County
Biographies
JOHN
SNYDER
JOHN SNYDER. In the
death of John Snyder in August, 1901, Santa Clara county lost one of its
largest and most successful ranchers, and most energetic, capable and
public-spirited pioneers. Beginning his life history in Harrison county, Ind.,
February 11, 1828, he was a son of Joseph K. and Sarah (Fleming)
Snyder, natives respectively of Philadelphia, Pa., and France. The family had
settled in the then wilderness of Harrison county in 1821, and in the fall of
1839 gathered together its household possessions and moved with wagons to what
is now Tipton, Cedar county, Iowa, where the parents reared and educated their
family of five daughters and three sons, several of whom are still living. When
John Snyder was twenty-one, in 1849, he joined a small party in which were his
father and brother-in-law, Moses Bunker, in a trip across the plains. The
two wagons comprising their outfit, with ox teams and provisions, traveled
alone until reaching the Missouri river, when they were joined by others, whom,
however, they soon outdistanced, with the exception of one wagon. The party of
three wagons underwent the usual hardship and danger incident to early plains
travel, and arrived in California where Chico has since sprung into existence,
soon after going to Redding Springs, now known as the town of Shasta. Soon
after arriving at their destination the two older men returned to the more
settled community in Iowa. The following April, after a winter in the mines,
Mr. Snyder went to Trinity county to mine, and soon after joining the new
camp became aware of the fact that the supply of provisions was painfully
short, and it became necessary for volunteers to go in search of additions to
their larder. Mr. Snyder happened to be one of those chosen to go to
Humboldt Bay for this purpose, and later he was one of a party to make a trail
to the Salmon river from Trinity county. Locating in Weaverville, en (sic)
expedition was organized by a man named Ross, who discovered the Scott river,
but never received credit for his discovery. Scott, after whom the river was
named, met Mr. Ross and party when they were in pursuit of Pawnee Indians
who had stolen their ponies, and from the party learned of the location of the
river. Turning his course in the direction of the river, Scott appropriated its
discovery, which is but another example of the peculiar methods of procedure
which prevailed in the early days.
At a later period Mr.
Snyder made another trip to Scott river and took out considerable gold on the
Scott bar, but bad weather setting in his party followed the course of the
river to its head, then in the direction of Fort Jones, and to Shasta Butte and
the Oregon trail. Here differences of opinion arose, the party broke up, some
going to Oregon and Mr. Snyder and his friends going to Sacramento. For a
couple of months he lived in the vicinity of San Jose, and after a short
experience in the redwoods worked on farms in the vicinity of Searsville during the winter of 1850-51. Returning to Santa
Clara county the following spring he fell ill with fever and was unable to do
anything until 1852, when, in February, he returned to the redwoods, but lower
down than where he was before. In 1855 he was again in Santa Clara county
operating a farm and threshing machine, and was so successful that he felt
justified in establishing a home of his own, shortly after his marriage with
Martha Kifer, in the fall of 1855.
Mrs. Snyder also came from one of the pioneer families of the coast,
having been born at Mount Sterling, Montgomery county, Ky., in which state her
father, John Kifer, had settled after his
removal from Tennessee. The father was born in Pennsylvania, and in 1847
removed to Jackson county, Mo., where he engaged in farming, and from where he
crossed the plains with his family in 1853. The train in which he traveled
consisted of twenty wagons, and he had one hundred and fifty head of cattle,
and was selected captain of the caravan. Locating near Mountainview,
he bought government land and farmed for the balance of his active life, his
death occurring on his farm at the age of seventy-seven years. His wife,
formerly Lucy Martin, was born in Tennessee, and died at the home of her
daughter, Mrs. Snyder, at an advanced age.
Mr. Snyder continued
to farm near Santa Clara until the fall of 1859, when he bought a farm near Mountainview, and lived there until 1865. In the meantime
he had purchased the farm where his widow still makes her home in 1861, and
which consisted originally of eleven hundred and sixty acres. He was obliged to
buy his land on time, but was singularly fortunate with his crops, his first
year’s yield being sufficient to pay for one-half of his land. His grain crop
of 1862 was the first raised in this section, and had been put in under
protest, for his neighbors thought the ground unsuited to grain. His own
success inspired like efforts in others, and the section became famous for the
quantity and quality of its grain output. He had from four hundred and fifty to
five hundred acres under cultivation and twenty-five acres under orchard, principally
French prunes, and sixteen acres of vineyard in bearing condition. He also
owned eighty acres of the Collins school district under vineyard, and his
former farm of one hundred and sixty acres near Mountainview,
under hay and grain. He also owned three hundred acres in the Salinas valley,
Monterey county, at the time of his death, which was part of a tract of twelve
hundred acres which he purchased with his brother-in-law, Mr. Kifer, in 1866. In the winter of 1880 he purchased with two
partners a half interest in the Mountaineer quartz mine near Nevada City, the
development of which fell upon the shoulders of Mr. Snyder, owing to the
financial inability of his partners. Since Mr. Snyder’s death his widow
has occupied the home ranch of seven hundred acres, all but twenty acres of
which is under grain, and that under various fruits. Mrs. Snyder has
proved an excellent manager, and an ideal mother, rearing a family of two sons
and three daughters, all of whom reflect credit upon her teachings and example.
Her eldest daughter, Sarah Ann, is the wife of W. F. Foss, of
San Jose; Joseph Arthur assists his mother with the ranch;
John Henry is a horticulturist of Cupertino; Martha Bell is the widow
of Dr. W. H. Hammond and resides on a part of the home ranch; and
Letitia is the wife of Edwin F. Kendall.
Mr. Snyder was a Democrat in politics, and fraternally was connected with the
Masons. He was an honorable, highly respected, and faithful member of the
community, increasing its prestige as a grain raising and horticultural center,
and contributing to its standard of manhood by a noble, useful and upright
life.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard 21 April 2015.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages 463-464. The Chapman
Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2015 Marie
Hassard.