Thursday, January 30, 2014

Grandma's Photo Album - Page 37 - Snyder Double First Cousins in Wilkes County, NC


(Left) Brother and sister in the front yard of their parents' farmhouse in Millers Creek, Wilkes County, NC.  Ralph Lewis Snyder (1932-1993) and Carrie Mae Snyder (1926-2001).  It appears this photo was taken in the late 1940's or early 1950's.  Ralph and Carrie were children of Wiley Thomas Snyder (1892-1988) and Nora Bessie McNeil Snyder (1900-1992).

(Center)  Mozelle (living) enjoying a nice day.

The three people above are double first cousins of the three children in the next photo. 

(Right) My grandmother's sister Demie and her three kids.  At left is Mattie Lodemia McNeil Snyder (1908-1997), with her son Paul (living) at the back.  At the right is Clara Louise Snyder Church (1930-1998) and in front is Martha (living).  This photo was taken in front of my grandparents' farmhouse on Pleasant Home Church Road in Millers Creek.

These are double first cousins because Wiley Thomas Snyder's brother (Donald Vance Snyder, 1903-1986) married Nora Bessie McNeil's sister, Mattie Lodemia McNeil.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Grandma's Photo Album - Page 36 - Snyders and Broyhills in Wilkes County, NC


This page has photos of family and friends in the early 1950s.  All of the people pictured were born and lived in Wilkes County at least until the mid-1950's, so I think these photos were taken there.

(Top left)  My grandparents, Wiley Thomas Snyder (1892-1988) and Nora Bessie McNeil (1900-1992).

(Top right) Bette (living)

(Bottom left) Bette (living), Eula Mae Vannoy Sharpe (1920-1993) who was my grandmother's niece, Mozelle (living)

(Bottom right) The Louis Broyhill family on a picnic.  Left to right:  Myrtle (living), Mary Louise (living), Wanda Barnett Broyhill (1920-2010) and Louis Elmer Broyhill (1918-1999).

Friday, January 17, 2014

Grandma wrote about her Grandfather - Nora McNeil Snyder on Rev. Richard Franklin Jarvis, Wilkes County, NC


[The following transcription by Barbara Disher McGeachy on 3 June 2011 is for a note in handwriting recognizable as my grandmother=s, Nora Bessie McNeil Snyder. I found this undated, unsigned note in the papers of her daughter (my mother), Carrie Snyder Disher. By comparing the handwriting to known letters signed by Nora, I confirmed that this note was written by Nora.  She lived from 1900 to 1992, so this note could have been written in a wide range of years.  This transcription has some corrections for grammar and spelling. This note is about Nora’s maternal grandparents, Rev. Richard Franklin Jarvis (1845-1943) and his wife, Martha Ann Pardue (1845-1934).]
 
 

 
Mr. & Mrs. R. F. Jarvis Home as I remember it as a child.
 
[There is a drawing of a house plan showing a porch as wide as the house. The center front door opens into a hall, with a room on each side of the hall, labeled “Front room” and “Bed Room.”  At the end of the hall is another porch, the width of the hall, with a well on one side and a kitchen on the other side.]
 
Grandmother’s Spice Cake:  Grandmother made a rich, spicy dough with sugar, butter, and eggs.  I don't remember how much of each but three or four nice layers which were tender, crumbly, and brown.  She put it together with whipped cream with plenty of cinnamon for flavor.  She put beautiful red apple jelly for decoration which was real firm.  It was a real treat to eat Grandmother's cake. 

She was real neat and clean always.  She always mentioned visiting as "going abroad". 

She took a bath and was very careful to bathe her feet and put on neat polished shoes. 

She was a fine Christian woman that always kept reminding us that all people should live pure clean lives and a woman's pure character was a great treasure to be desired above all things. 
 
[Upside down] 
Grandfather would ride or walk a long way to preach at his churches while he could get about.  Mother [Clara Eva Hettie Ellen Jarvis McNeil] used to walk 15 or 16 miles with him to his churches in Caldwell County and visit her brother and family.  He [Rev. R. F. Jarvis] retired several years before he died.  He was unable to walk for 12 or 14 years.  He was near 100 when he passed away. 

Grandmother was born on April 2, 1845.  Grandfather Nov. 17, 1845.  They had 9 children:
Lademie
Willie
Charlie
Eva
Lillie
Jim
Buman
Henry
Mack

Lillie and Charlie died with diphtheria when they were 5 and 9 years old.  Both died the same week.
 
 
 
 
Grandfather was a fine Christian man and also a good minister, always helping others & attended his church regular.  He performed lots of marriages & funerals.  They were respected and loved by all who knew them.  They would sit around in their living room each writing letters to their children when they were in their seventies and eighties.  Grandmother always wore her hair parted in center front & it was real black and wavy.  She fastened it in a ball real pretty.  She and Grandfather had nice heavy hair.  He parted his on the side and combed it back.  It was so heavy & soft & white in his last years.  He always wore a long beard or "whiskers" we called them.  He went into Lee's Army as a very young man.  He was wounded in his right shoulder, was sent home on a 3 month furlough, & was married while at home to Martha Ann Pardew, oldest daughter of Thomas Mickens Pardew & Prudence Paget Pardew. 

He went back in the service and was captured and was held a prisoner of war on an island across Chesapeake Bay. He said you just could discern his home land on a real clear day from the island.  He was there a year after the surrender. 

Grandmother had a hard time while he was gone.  She plowed and worked to make a living.  He had a picture of his painted on a glass.  I have looked at it many times but am not sure how it was made.  He was a fine looking young soldier.  She secreted the picture in her clothes and carried it until he returned.  It was about 4 by 6 inches.  There were so many robbers plundering home, nothing was safe.  Her father raised fine horses, and was in the field plowing, and two men came and unhitched a fine black four year old horse and carried it away with them, and of course, he wasn't allowed to say anything.

Grandmas's Photo Album - Page 35 - McNeils and snyders in Wilkes County, NC


(Left) Edward McNeil (1916-1963), my grandmother's youngest sibling.  Ed appears to be about 5 years old.  This photo was probably taken in Wilkes County, N.C., since that is where Ed was born and lived his whole life (except when he served in the U.S. Army).  I love photos of people in their everyday clothes.  Ed is ready for a hot day!

(Center) An uncle and niece, born only four years apart, playing.  Ed was the youngest child of George Thomas McNeil and his wife, Clara Eva Hettie Ellen Jarvis.  Eula Mae Vannoy (1920-1993) was their oldest grandchild, the daughter of their oldest child, Ila Margaret McNeil and her husband Isaac Ransom Vannoy.  Ila (1898-1983) is in the photo too, at the back right.  This photo was probably taken in Wilkes County, N.C., since that is where everyone in this photo lived.  I just love the overalls that Ed is wearing!  Eula Mae is clutching her doll, which is almost as big as she is!  Both children sport the typical bowl haircut.  So cute! 

(Right) My grandfather holding his older son:  Wiley Thomas Snyder (1892-1988) and James Neil Snyder (1922-1993).  This photo could have been taken in either Winston-Salem or in Wilkes County.  Tom was born and raised in Wilkes County and moved to Winston-Salem about 1912.  In 1925, he and his wife bought their farm on Pleasant Home Church Road in Millers Creek, and moved back to Wilkes County to stay.  I believe this photo may have been taken the same day as the photos on page 34.

Grandmas's Photo Album - Page 34 - Tom Snyder Family in Wilkes County, NC


(Left) James Neil Snyder (1922-1993) as a toddler.  He has a typical bowl hair cut!

(Center) My grandfather, Wiley Thomas Snyder (1892-1988), wearing a nice suit.

(Right) My grandmother, Nora Bessie McNeil Snyder (1900-1992) with her son James Neil Snyder in the wicker carriage that was used for all of her children.

All three photos appear to have been taken at the same time.  Based on Jimmy's age (he was born in August 1922, and he appears to be about 2 years old), I'd guess the year to be 1924.  The weather appears to be fairly warm.  Everyone looks sad and my grandmother is clearly not pregnant, so this might have been taken soon after the 5 June 1924 death of their third child, Herman Thomas Snyder.  He only lived one day.1  His obituary was published in the Winston-Salem Journal:2

DEATH OF AN INFANT
 
Friends of Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Snyder will regret to learn of the death of their infant son, Herman T. Snyder, which occurred at the home, 833 Devonshire street at 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon.  The child is survived by his parents and one brother.
 
The funeral will be held at two o'clock this afternoon and the service will be in charge of Rev. V. M. Swaim.  Interment will take place in the Waughtown cemetery.
 

1 Forsyth, North Carolina, death certificate no. 227 (1924), Herman Thomas Snyder; digital image, ancestry.com, "North Carolina Death Certificates, 1909-1975," Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 03 Jul 2011).
 
2 "DEATH OF AN INFANT," Winston-Salem Journal, 5 Jun 1924, p. FIVE, col. 5.
 

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Grandma's Photo Album - Page 33 - Tom Snyder family of Wilkes County, NC


This page has photos of Tom and Nora Snyder and four of their children.

(Top left) School photo of Mozelle (living)

(Top center) School photo of Ralph Lewis Snyder (1932-1996), son of Tom and Nora Snyder.

(Top right)  James Neil Snyder (1922-1993), son of Tom and Nora Snyder, with his wife Kay (living), at Harris Bridge, near Boone, N.C.

(Bottom left) School photo of Bette (living)

(Bottom center)  My grandparents, Tom and Nora Snyder.  Tom was Wiley Thomas Snyder (1892-1988).  His wife was Nora Bessie McNeil Snyder (1900-1992).  This photo was taken in their front yard, at their homeplace on Pleasant Home Church Road, Millers Creek, Wilkes County, N.C.

(Bottom right) Another school photo of Bette (living)

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Grandma's Photo Album - Page 32 - Snyders of Wilkes and McLeans of Gloucester


This page relates to James Neil Snyder (1922-1993), my uncle.

He was born in Forsyth County, N.C., and raised in Wilkes County, N.C.
When he was 17, he joined the Coast Guard.  He served from 18 Sep 1939 to 11 Oct 1946.
In Gloucester, Mass., he met Kay McLean, and they were married 31 Dec 1943 in Gloucester.

After the war, Uncle Jimmy worked on tug boats in New York City.  When he was off, he lived with Kay in Gloucester.
He and Kay traveled to North Carolina to visit relatives about once a year.
Jim and Kay had no children.

(Top left) Jim with his brother-in-law, Maurice McLean and his son, and Jim's mother-in-law, Flora (or Florence) Gillis McLean (about 1891 to 1951).

(Top right) Flora McLean and another of her sons, Stanley

(Bottom left) Kay

(Bottom right)  Jim on a visit to Wilkes County, N.C.  Left to right:  Jim, his parents, and his brother Ralph.  His parents were Wiley Thomas Snyder (1892-1988) and Nora Bessie McNeil Snyder (1900-1992).  Ralph Lewis Snyder (1932-1996).