[We congratulate Dick on his success in sorting and identifying the various Benjamin Sneeds. We also thank him for sharing his findings with us. Dick gets credit for everything herein except the typos which are entirely mine. LSS] Search for the Identity of Benjamin Sneed (1721 - 1819) by Richard "Dick" Baldauf February 2002 Like many of his peers, Benjamin Sneed's origins are wrapped in uncertainty. The destruction of local Virginia records by fire and war have made it difficult to piece together the many facts relating to his long life. Descendants of the early Twentieth Century, however, have passed along their versions of his origins and his life, and we shall begin by reviewing some of those recordings. Thereafter we can move on to see what the facts can tell us. From his obituary in the Kentucky Reporter, Lexington, dated April 14, 1819, we know that Benjamin Sneed was born in 1721 (presumably in Virginia) and died in the Danville, KY area in 1819. The same source tells us that he was the first instructor of Thomas Jefferson. That relationship, if true, is Ben Sneed's claim to eternal recognition. According to data from Miss Frances Trader of Sedalia, MO, Benjamin Sneed was the son of a William Sneed living in Hanover County in 1740. This William was the son of another William born ca.1630. This second William was the son of the immigrant, Samuel Snead/Sneyd, reportedly descended from William Sneyd of Keel through his second son, Richard Sneyd, Sheriff of Derbyshire, England, who died in 1694. And an illustrious lineage goes back to royalty. It is to be presumed that much of this history was provided by a genealogist named Jennie T. Grayson of Richmond, VA on behalf of Frank M. Sneed of Chicago in 1929. Unfortunately, by the time Frances Trader was able to track down Mrs. Grayson, she learned that the genealogist had gone blind and that her records were scattered about the house, making them unavailable for review. According to Mrs. Grayson, William Snead (b. ca.1630), son of Samuel and Alice Snead, returned to England to be educated, married there, and died there. Mrs. William E. Hatcher, however, in her book _The Sneads of Fluvanna_, suggests that a headright claimed in 1664 for William Snead by John Ashton of Westmoreland County may indicate that William had returned to Virginia. Mrs. Grayson goes on to say that the two younger sons of William b. ca.1630 came to the plantation of their mother, Alice Snead, in Virginia. The names of those said to be brothers of Benjamin b. 1721 vary from one account to another, and even from one generation to another. The following names are taken from the data of Frances Trader: Benjamin Sneed b. 1721 Alexander Sneed b. 1736 see will of 1818 Zacharia Sneed b. 1737 Sneeds of Diamond Springs, KY Charles Sneed b. 1738 Louisville, KY Sneeds William Sneed b. 1734 Hanover Co., Louisa Co. Sneeds Robert Sneed b. 1740 12 children. [See Virkus 1937, pp. 461, 486; 1925, p. 834] For the family of Benjamin Sneed, we have more definitive information: [Wives, Children - Illinois DAR Directory #406052 by Ann Harris, 321 Park Place, Lincoln IL; Billie Sneed Webb, Vol. 1, pg. 18-19 (copy of DAR records included).] Benjamin Sneed b. abt 1735, Albemarle Co., VA m. (1) Jemimah [Harris] m. (2) Mary Ann "Peggy" Perry Children by Jemimah: John Sneed b. 2 Feb. 1755, Albemarle Co., VA, d. 21 Dec. 1855 Boyle Co., KY m. 10 JUL 1784 Sarah Johnson, b. 27 Jul 1755, d. 12 May 1813. Frances Sneed md. 23 Mar. 1781 David Garth. dau Fanny md. Wm Mitchell. Susannah Sneed md. George Faris Peggy Sneed md. Richard Johnson Children by Mary Ann: William Sneed md. Lucy Stevens Lydia There is also a 1785 indenture showing a Benjamin Sneed of Albemarle County with a wife Jemimah. It begins as follows: This Indenture made the twentyforth of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty five between Elizabeth Harris, Benjamin Sneed & Jemimah his wife of the County of Albemarle of the one part and John Harris of the other part witnesseth that the said Elizabeth Harris, Benjamin Sneed and Jemimah his wife for and in consideration of the sum of five hundred pounds to them in hand paid the accepted (?) interest they do (?) hereby acknowledge hath granted bargained and Sold & by these presents do bargain and sell unto the Said John Harris his heirs and assigns forever one certain tract or parcel of land lying & being in the County of Albemarle on Ivy Creek and bounded as followth .. Thus is established the fact that there is a Benjamin Sneed with a wife Jemimah who owned property on Ivy Creek in the County of Albemarle in the state of Virginia. The above DAR applicants have clearly accepted this Benjamin as the father of John, Frances, Susannah, and Peggy by first wife Jemimah. This is a case of mistaken identity, as we shall show hereafter. But it is now time to turn to those facts that we know about the identity of Benjamin Sneed, born 1721. And we shall begin with a reference to his obituaries. There is a brief reference in the Virginia Herald in Fredericksburg, VA published Wednesday, May 12, 1819. It reads: "Died - Mr. Benjamin Sneed, a native of Virginia, died on April 28 near Danville, age 97 years, 6 months and 6 or 7 days. He lived in Albemarle County where he taught the English language for 71 years and was the first instructor of Thomas Jefferson." This was perhaps lifted from the following article from the Kentucky Reporter in Lexington, dated April 14, 1819. It is quoted on pages 129 and 130 in "Early Days in Danville" by Calvin M. Fackler. "He lived in the county of Albemarle as a teacher of the English language seventy-one years and was the first instructor of Thomas Jefferson. About three years ago he removed to this county, and settled in the vicinity of Danville, among a number of his descendants, his mental faculties little if at all impaired, and his bodily activities sufficient to enable him to ascend Clinch mountain on foot. When he arrived he could read the smallest print fluently without spectacles, and until nine months previous to his decease was in the daily habit of walking from three miles to five miles for exercise and recreation - at that time he received an accidental hurt which confined him to his bed, and no doubt hastened the event, which he met with stoical indifference. "The most remarkable circumstance in the life of this old gentleman is that he was not only of slender delicate form, but very unhealthy from his birth until about his 50th year. After which he enjoyed perfect and uninterrupted health to the last; for he went off with a mere debility, swithout pain or struggle. He has left about one hundred and forty or fifty descendants, and seen the fifth generation." Nowhere in this account are we given the place of his birth, but all evidence of his relationships make it almost a certainty that he was born in or near Albemarle County. For information from the Higginbotham vs. Sneed trial, we know that Benjamin Sneed was referred to in March, 1811, as being "late in your bailiwick," which suggests that he left the county in 1819, when his son-in-law, George Faris and his daughter Susannah set out for Missouri. At that time he was 89 years old, and he could hardly have gone alone. This tells us also that Ben, with 71 years of teaching, must have begun his career at age 18 (18 + 71 = 89). But according to his obituary, Benjamin Sneed did not arrive in Boyle County, KY, until about three years before his death. So where was he living? A fortunate reference in his obituary to Clinch Mountain indicates that he stopped off in Russell or Washington County along the Wilderness Trail. We know that there were other Sneed relatives in that area. But why he did not go directly to Danville is hard to understand. We know from a letter from George Faris' son Minor quoted in a Missouri newspaper, that the Farises left Virginia for Kentucky in 1810 and arrived in Missouri in 1811. Presumably they would have passed close to Danville on their way. We also know from a letter from Pat Zimmerman, granddaughter of John Sneed, that Benjamin's son John "came here in 1805, the year your grandmother was born." So with son John in Danville, there would have been a place for Ben to stay. The evidence suggests, however, that Benjamin did stop off in Russell County and possibly bought property there, as is shown in the VA Surveyor Book 2, 1799-1818 for Russell County July 4, 1818. We find two references based on Treasury Warrants showing ". On the North side of Clinch Mountain and the waters of Cedar Creek . corner to Benjamin Sneed ." And again: ". on the north side of Clinch Mountain on the waters of Cedar Creek . corner to Aaron Hendrick's land, corner to Benjamin Sneed's land ." We cannot verify that this was the Benjamin Sneed born in 1721. There was at least one other Benjamin Sneed in the area. But the obituary is clear that our Benjamin lived on Clinch Mountain and might still have owned property there in 1818, after removing to the Danville area. We have recently learned that there is an article in the Kentucky Advocate, a Danville newspaper, stating that Benjamin Sneed arrived in Danville in 1816. This is in accord with Ben's obituary. It also said that John [son of Ben?] lived on the old Quisenberry farm, land now owned by Jim and Nancy Davis. We have not had an opportunity to review the full text of this article, which was found in the Virginia State Library in Richmond. Further support for a possible Quisenberry connection is found in a Frances Trader chart under C1 - Alexander Sneed and Elizabeth Campbell, where the words "built the Quisenberry homestead" are typed. Alexander was the grandson of Ben. Where Benjamin Sneed is buried remains unknown. It seems likely, however, that he was buried in the old Presbyterian churchyard in Danville. "During the first seventy years the old Presbyterian churchyard was the only public place of internment .," writes Calvin Fackler in his history of Danville. That would cover the period from 1774, the date of the town's founding, to 1847, when the new cemetery was laid out. Fackler continues: "When the Presbyterian churches ceded it to the town for the Ephraim McDowell memorial, it was crowded with tombstones. Then there appears to have been a wholesale attempt at dispossession. Most of the families had already moved their dead to the present cemetery, or did so then. So the graves were leveled and many stones carted off, with a shocking disregard for decency." It is reported that Nancy Sneed Hughes Manson has seen the grave but can't remember where she saw it. But unless he is buried in one of the few private cemeteries, this is hard to account for, since there is neither stone nor record of Benjamin Sneed in the Bellevue Cemetery where the second generations of Sneeds are laid. Benjamin Sneed (1721 - 1819): The WIFE As we have stated earlier, the traditional wife of Benjamin Sneed was Polly Perry, and this tradition has gained wide acceptance. Indeed, we know from an 1801 Albemarle Co. deed in hand that Benjamin had a wife named Mary Ann, the diminutive of which is Polly. "This Indenture made this [7th] day of May eighteen hundred and one between _Benjamin Sneed_ and _Mary Ann__ his wife, and _John Sneed_ son of sd. _Benj. and Sarah his wife_ and also _George Faris and Susannah_ his wife daughter of the sd. _Benj. and Mary Ann_ all of the one part ." The 1801 indenture clearly states that Susannah Faris is the daughter of Benjamin Sneed and Mary Ann. This same Susannah is proved to have been born in 1776 by a witness to her marriage certificate. Thus there is no way in which this Benjamin could have been married to Jemimah Harris in 1785, as the DAR record shows. The 1785 date obviously refers to another Benjamin Sneed. Moreover, our Benjamin would have been 54 years old in 1775, and with his poor health an unlikely candidate for the military. There are twelve references to a "Mrs. Sneed" in Jefferson's _Memorandum Books_ over a period from 12 Sept 1792 to 27 Sept 1801. For the 12 Sept 1792 entry, which reads: "Pd Mrs. Sneed 3.2", we have this footnote: "Mary (Polly) Snead, wife of Benjamin Snead, was a midwife." Of interest is the editors use of the diminutive "Polly," which nowhere appears in the Jefferson text. Mrs. Sneed's services, however, went beyond midwifery. She served also as a tutor to the young Thomas Jefferson and possibly as an overseer of Sally Hennings' accounts. Of greatest importance is the discovery of the 1780 will of _John Sorrell_ [died 1783] of Amherst Co., VA, formerly of Albemarle Co. Within the will is this bequest: To my granddaughter, _Mary Ann Sneed,_ and her two oldest children, _ Frances and John Sneed_, ten pounds currency to them and their heirs to be paid three years after my death." Frances and John Sneed are, it happens, the two oldest children of our Benjamin Sneed. And of course, the 1801 indenture shows a Mary Ann as the wife of our Benjamin. But is there any evidence that Benjamin Sneed b. 1721 had any relationship with this John Sorrell? Note the following: "13 February 1750, Deed Bk 1, p. 277: _ Jno Sorrell to Benj. Sneed_ for 5 lbs, 200 acs. Beaver Dam, fork of Machunk Creek, formerly that of Thos. Meriwether. Wits: Jno Morris, Jas. Defoor, Wm McGhee, Robert Hardwick." So there was a Sneed / Sorrell relationship. But the plot thickens. "23 Oct. 1749, Deed Bk 1, p. 139: Thomas Meriwether of Hanover to _ John Sorrell_ for 40 lbs. 200 acs. Both sides Mychunk or Beaver Dam fork adj. Benj. Wheeler. Patented to Thos. Meriwether 10 June 1740. Wits: Thomas Walker, Jno. Lewis, Wm. Hill." Now we learn that John Sorrell had bought this property five months earlier for 40 pounds, sacrificing 35 pounds in the exchange. Why would he do this? The obvious reason would be that the Mary Ann Sneed mentioned in his will was the wife of Benjamin Sneed. And the dates bear this out. John Sneed, son of Benjamin, was born in 1755, carryying us back to 1753 or 4. We don't have a precise date of birth for Frances, who possibly might have been the elder, since she is named first in the will. Or there is the possibility that there was an earlier first child who did not survive. In any event, Frances was the oldest daughter. Thus Benjamin Sneed was probably married about 1750, at 29 years of age, to John Sorrell's daughter, Mary Ann. Is this Mary Ann of the 1801 indenture the same Mary Ann who, as granddaughter of John Sorrell, presumably married our Benjamin Sneed? The presumption is "yes," unless there were two wives named Mary Ann. All of this does nothing to settle the identity of Polly Perry. But it does bring us closer. Recent information from the _ Garth Genealogy_ shows that Frances Sneed, who married David Garth, named her eldest daughter Sarah PERRY Garth. A later daughter was named Mary "Polly" Garth. Of significance is the fact that no parents for Mary Ann Sneed are named in the Sorrell will. This probably means that both parents were dead, and she was an only child. Since the amount left to Mary Ann and her children is so small, it is likely that her inheritance was settled upon her at the time of her marriage. But the omission of parents in the will leaves open the possibility of a Perry father. And Sarah Perry Garth is not only the eldest Garth daughter; she is the eldest child. Equally significant is the evidence of two 1742 deeds signed by _John Sorrell_ and a _William Perry_ as witnesses, indicating that they probably lived in the same neighborhood. Additionally, _William Perry_ sold 220 acres to _ John Sorrell_ 21 January 1741. This land was in St. James Parish, southwest of the Rivanna River, adj. Charles Lewis. Wits: Priscilla Dawson, Martin Dawson. (Deed Book #4, Goochland) And still another possible relationship: 20 Jan. 1755, Deed Bk 7, p. 536. _John Sorrell _, 260 acs on the S. branch of Rivanna river, part of a grant, to _William Perry _. The wife of John Sorrell relinquished her dower rights. Signed: John Sorrell. Wit: John Henderson, John Dawson. And finally, a Roderick Perry was present at the signing of the will of John Garth, father of the David Garth who married Frances Sneed. Several other Perrys are named in the _Douglas Register _ showing the presence of this family in Goochland Co., VA. Though nothing is proved by this data, the presence of a Perry family in the area supports the credibility of a Polly Perry being the wife of Benjamin Sneed b. 1721. Beyond that we cannot go. Benjamin Sneed (1721-1819): The CHILDREN Among the family papers of Frances Trader (b. 1903) of Sedalia, MO, is a genealogical chart displaying the descent of Benjamin Sneed (b.1721) from Samuel Sneade and his wife Alice, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. The merits of that descent are not at this time a consideration. Our concern is for the reliability of the children assigned to this Benjamin Sneed. In this Trader chart they are shown as follows: John b. 2 FEB 1755 m. 10 NOV 1783 d. 1855 Susannah m. George Faris Peggy m. Richard Johnson (deed 1798) Frances m. 23 NOV 1781 David Garth John Sneed and Susannah Faris are proved to be children of Benjamin by the following document: "this indenture made this [7th] day of May eighteen hundred and one between Benjamin Sneed and Mary Ann his wife, and John Sneed son of sd. Benj. and Sarah his wife and also George Faris and Susannah his wife daughter of the sd. Benj. and Mary Ann all of the one part .." Peggy Johnson is proved to be a daughter of Benjamin Sneed in this 1798 year document: "Indenture made this day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred ninety-eight between Benjamin Sneed of the one part and Richard Johnson of the other part witnesseth that Benjamin Sneed for the affection that he bears to his daughter Pegy." We have no document showing Frances as a daughter of Benjamin, but she appears in every Trader record, and the appearance of her name along with John's in the will of John Sorrell supports her inclusion as a daughter of Benjamin: "To my granddaughter, Mary Ann Sneed, and her two oldest children, Frances and John Sneed ten pounds currency to them and their heirs forever to be paid three years after my death." Frances is also included in the ancestry provided by Lucy Walker Sneed (b. 1853). Moreover, we recently learned that Frances Garth named her eldest daughter Sarah _Perry_ Garth. [The Garth Genealogy] PERRY is the traditional maiden name of the Mary Ann who married Benjamin Sneed. A more difficult decision must be made with respect to William Sneed born in 1768. He was never accepted by Frances Trader as a son of Benjamin. Indeed, it is not clear to this writer that Aunt Lucy Sneed herself was sure about this connection. She writes of a vestry meeting in 1763 where "it was ordered that a church be built near the foot of the mountain from Mr. Beal's where it enters the three notched road near Mr. Ben Sneed's." She adds, "This may have been the father of our Benjamin (I), who was born about 1745 and would have been eighteen years of age at the time of the vestry meeting and thirty at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War." And again, "I hold a copy of the Land Bounty warrant in the Virginia State Library to Benjamin Sneed's (I) for services in the Revolutionary War." This could hardly have referred to our Benjamin Sneed, a 55 year old man at the time, whose obituary proves him to have been born in 1721. The reference is clearly to a different Benjamin. As the following data show, there were two Benjamin Sneeds and two John Sneeds living in this period: "Census of Virginia - 1787 - Albemarle County: John (not tithable) and Benjamin Snead: Benjamin Sneed; John Sneid (Col. John Harvey charged with tax). However, Aunt Lucy Sneed was able to come up with this DAR record to support her belief: "Benjamin Sneed b. abt. 1735 Albemarle Co., VA md. (1) Jemimah; (2) Mary Ann (Peggy) Perry. Children by Jemimah: John b. 2 FEB 1755 Albemarle Co., d. 21 DEC 1855 Boyle Co. KY; md. 10 JUL 1784 Sarah Johnson b. 27 JUL 1755 d. 12 MAY 1813 Frances m. 23 MAR 1781 David Garth Susannah m. George Faris Peggy m. Richard Johnson Children by Mary Ann: William m. Lucy Stevens Lydia [Source: III DAR Directory #406052 by Ann Harris, 321 Park Place, Lincoln IL. Source: Billie Snead Webb, v. 1, pg 18-19 (copy DAR records included)]. Note that the date of this Benjamin Sneed's birth has dropped from Lucy Sneed's estimate of 1745 to 1735. In another of the original records shown as Aunt Lucy's, the 1735 date has been crossed out and written in as 1721, no doubt a consequence of the discovery of the Sneed obituaries. Thus we move a full generation from a military man b. c1745 to a teacher born in 1721. This problem is easily solved. As suggested above, we are dealing with two different Benjamins. We have the Benjamin Sneed b. 1721 with the wife Mary Ann and children John, Frances, Peggy and Susannah. And we have the 1785 indenture showing a Benjamin Sneed with wife Jemimah Harris. These two Benjamins have often been mistaken as the same one. This is easily disproved, as Susannah, daughter of Benjamin and Mary Ann, was certified as born in 1776, and both she and her mother were still living when the 1801 indenture was written. Thus Benjamin b. 1721 can hardly have been married to Jemimah in 1785. Aunt Lucy Sneed, with her war veteran Benjamin born about 1745, was obviously thinking of the man who married Jemimah Harris. A man of that age might well have fathered a William Sneed born about 1768. It was the attempt to connect her William Sneed to Benjamin (b. 1721) that caused the confusion. This is not to say that William could not be a son of Benjamin (b.1721). It is rather to say that this is not what Aunt Lucy Sneed originally had in mind. But what proof do we have that William is a son of Benjamin, born in 1721? Very little, it would seem. The argument has been given that Benjamin Sneed (b.1795) at his death had a deed showing possession of the original Sorrell land in Buck Island that was sold to his presumed grandfather, Benjamin Sneed (b. 1721) in 1750. This land, which included a mill, has no record of transfer, indicating that it was an inheritance from the grandfather, thereby proving a descent from Benjamin Sneed (b. 1721). According to research by Trueman Farris, Benjamin Sneed (b. 1721) never owned land at Buck Island itself. Nor do we have evidence that he owned a mill. Moreover, according to Susan Stewart's records, Benjamin Sneed (b. 1721) sold the Machunk Creek land purchased from John Sorrell in 1750 to John Forsie in 1760. The Shiflett family did indeed own a mill at Buck Mountain Creek in St. Ann's Parish, and in 1839 the Buck Island property belonging to Joel Shiflett passed into the hands of Joel's brother-in-law, this same Benjamin Sneed of Fancy Hill, born in 1795. It seems likely, therefore, that such Buck Island property as Benjamin (b. 1795) may have possessed came through his Shiflett wife, not from his `grandfather' Benjamin Sneed (b. 1721). The possibility that the Benjamin who married Jemimah may have been a son of Benjamin (b. 1721) is hardly new. Such a Benjamin could have fathered a child (or children) born in the 1740s. And this unconnected Benjamin of Albemarle County with wife Jemimah could fit the role. There was little incentive to pursue this further, however, since all the local children of eligible age had been assigned to Benjamin Sneed (b. 1721). About William, of course, we had some doubt. There were no wills, no deeds, no documents whatsoever - only an unverified date of birth (1768) and the name of a wife (Lucy Stevens). His residence was designated as Louisa County, not Albemarle. What we did have was the authority of Lucy Walker Sneed, who has left us a charming account of her recollections. What we needed was evidence of a William Sneed living in Albemarle County in the early 1800s. Days ago Susan Stewart discovered such a William Sneed living in Albemarle County. He appears in the 1800 census. We do not know what parish he lived in, but he was obviously wealthy. He owned 73 slaves. He was between 26 and 40 years of age and had an unnamed wife and 7 unnamed children, broken down as follows: one boy under 10, three boys 10 to 16; three girls under 10. This William is old enough to be the father of Benjamin Sneed of Fancy Hall (b. 1795). He is young enough to be a son of Benjamin Sneed who married Jemimah Harris. And as we have said, this latter Benjamin, if born in the 1740s, could have been a son of Benjamin Sneed, born in 1721. There is nothing to support such a relationship except the presence of these men in the right places at the right times, with each man bearing what seems to be an appropriate birth date. Yet their presence fills a void. It is a matter worthy of further consideration. No mention is made of a Patsey Sneed by either Frances Trader or Lucy Walker Sneed. But we find this item in "Albemarle County Marriages - Snead/Sneed": Sneed - Patsey & Silvanus Meeks 28 DEC 1799; Benjamin Sneed who gives his consent; wit: Sally Shepherd & William Shepherd & John Rogers, consent only. This seems strange, as it is the only name of a child of Benjamin Sneed included in the listings. And indeed we have often wondered about the absence of Benjamin's known children in county or church records. However, the names of Patsey's husband, Silvanus Meeks, appears on Sneed family documents on numerous occasion, including a sale of property to him in 1799 by Richard Johnson, son-in-law of Benjamin, born in 1721. A year earlier Meeks name appears on an indenture between Benjamin and Richard Johnson. He also testified in the Faris / Sneed lawsuit against Higginbotham prior to 1810. Presumably he was the contact shown below in this item presented by Fawn Brodie in her biography of Jefferson: "Aug. 7, 1798 pd. Meeks for Mrs. Sneed' in full 20 D" Clearly, the Sneed clan had to have knowledge of this Patsey Sneed. Yet no one has included her among the children of Benjamin (b. 1721). It is possible that Patsey was the daughter of Benjamin Sneed and Jemimah Harris. This thought is generated by the recollection that the Shepherd family is associated with the Benjamin Sneed of Fancy Hill (b. 1795) rather than with the Benjamin (b. 1721). In fact, Benjamin (b.1795) had a sister Sally (see above) and a sister Elizabeth who married an Albert G. Shepherd. And Stapleton C. Sneed, another brother of Benjamin (b. 1795) is mentioned as buying land adjacent to that formerly owned by William E. Shepherd. This land was purchased from William Fontaine, into whose family the next generation of these Sneeds were to intermarry. The names of William Fontaine and William M. Shepherd are also associated in land sales in Goochland County n 1845. While the appearance of these names may be coincidental, the fact that a clearly recorded marriage of a Patsey Sneed, daughter of a Benjamin Sneed, was ignored by both Frances Trader and Lucy Sneed in their records, must carry some significance. At this writing I believe that the preponderance of evidence points to Benjamin and Jemimah as being the parents of this Patsey. Finally, there is a Lydia whose name appears in the DAR data as being a daughter of Benjamin and his second wife, Mary Ann Perry. Lydia's name also appears in some early records of Lucy Sneed. Nothing else is known of her. If she did exist, it is likely that she died early. Thus we conclude this review of the possible children of Benjamin Sneed by stating that John, Peggy, and Susannah are definitely proved offspring of Benjamin Sneed (b. 1721), with Frances almost equally proven. Of William we have considerable doubt, suspecting that he may perhaps be a grandchild of Benjamin. But his case remains open. Patsey, we believe, is probably the daughter of Benjamin and Jemimah. But nothing is final. She is definitely a daughter of one of these Benjamins. Benjamin Sneed (1721 - 1819): The Sneed ANCESTRY The name of Snead / Sneed appears very early in the history of Virginia. In the year 1609, we find this reference: "I, James, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland . Second Charter of the Treasurer and Company for Virginia . 23 May 1609 ." Among the names inscribed is that of Thomas Sneed. While there is no evidence that Thomas ever came to Virginia, it is clear that he was a party to this project. (from Henning's Statues at Large , vol. 1, 1606-1659) Ancient Charters', 1823, p. 84) [Hockett Papers] Additionally, the _Magazine of Virginia Genealogy _ in vol. 32, Aug 1994, No. 3, pp 187-189: "Ferrar Papers" shows that a William Sneade was among a group of men who came to Virginia Colony in 1619 on the `Bona Nova', proving that a Snead was among the earliest arrivals in the settlement. [Hockett Papers] However,_Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents & Grants 1623-1666_ by Nell Marion Nugent (p. 30), shows the earliest reference to the Samuel Sneade presumed to be the founder of the family in Virginia. "Samuell Snead (Sneade), 200 a. in James Co., 04 Aug 1635 .. at the head of Heths Cr. beg. at a Crose path which lyeth on the SE side of sd. land, running NW into forrest toward Kiskiake between two swamps on the NE & SW sides, adj. Samuel Griges plantation, being alsoe parted with a sw. from the land of Thomas Smith. 150 a. for a per. Adv of himself, his wife Alice Sneade & his sonn William Sneade & 50 a. for trans. of a servant called Henry Vincent;" Ibid. p. 224; "Alice Snead, 200 a. 19 Mar 1643"; record incomplete; mentions her husband, Sam'l Snead. The `patton' was renewed in the name of Alice Sneade in March, 1643. Much of the information about Samuel Snead and his descendants comes from a book by Mrs. William E. Hatcher entitled _The Sneads of Fluvanna_ . Mrs. Hatcher makes no mention of our Benjamin Sneed, though she cautions the reader that her inclusions do not necessarily cover all the descendants. While much of her material may be an accurate representation, she provides virtually no documentation. Her book is, nevertheless, one of the two major sources from which we must draw our conclusions. Although there are several other references to Samuel Snead in the _Colonial Abstracts for York County, 1633 to 1646_, we need mention only one that occurred in 1652, where "Samuel Swead [Snead] of Queen's Creek, planter, for `the naturall affection which I beare toward Susan Reynolds my Daughter and now wife unto Thomas Reynolds of Queen's Creek aforesaid" gives to the Tho. Reynolds 45 acres on W side "of the Plantation where I now dwell". According to Mrs. Hatcher, "Samuel Snead was survived by his son William, or William's descendants, of York County, and by at least two others sons, Henry and Samuel Jr. of New Kent" and of course by Samuel's daughter Susan Reynolds. Hatcher justifies a Samuel Jr. by the following reference: "in 1664 Samuel Snead was living on the Pamunkey River in what became New Kent and is now King William County. His lands were bounded on the south by a creek forming the northern boundary of William Woodward's 2100-acre patent, which in turn began at the mouth of John's Creek. The dwelling house of Capt. William Bassett immediately adjoined `the land of Mr. Samuel Snead Sr., whereon he now lives.' The `Sr.' indicates that his son Samuel was living with him or in the vicinity." "The Sneads of Fluvanna," says Hatcher, "are descended from Henry." The parentage of Samuel Snead has not been determined. In one of the Hockett Papers, we have a reference to Snead wills proved between 1584 to 1650, wherein there is "Only one will" that "meantions a Samule Snead who fits into the time frame of Samuel Snead of Virginia who arrived in that colony by 1635, and that is the will of William Snead of Staunton, Worcestershire. "Samuel, his son, was a minor in 1604." The writer's name was not disclosed. A more traditional ancestry is provided by the notes and letters of Ms. Frances Trader of Sedalia, MO., who writes, "Descended from William Sneyd of Keel Hall through his second son, Richard Sneyd, Sheriff of Derbyshire, England, who died in 1694." This ancestry appears to have been provided by Mrs. Jennie T. Grayson, a genealogist of Richmond, VA., who researched the family for Frank Sneed of Chicago. Unfortunately, when Ms. Trader caught up with Mrs. Grayson, she learned that Mrs. Grayson was blind, and that her papers were scattered about her house and therefore unavailable. Thus, as with Mrs. Hatcher's records, we are working without sources. According to Grayson, William Snead (b. c1630), son of Samuel Snead, Sr., went back to England to be educated. There he married and perhaps died, although Mrs. Hatcher in her book on the Sneads, suggests that a headright claimed in 1664 for William Sneed may indicate that William did return to Virginia. Mrs. Grayson goes on to say that the two younger sons of the above William came to the plantation of their mother, Alice Snead, in Virginia. And indeed the Register of St. Peter's Parish shows a John and a Thomas Snead as parents of the following children: Henry son to Jno Snead bapt ye 8th day of May, 1687 William son to John Snead bapt ye 9 of Novemb., 1690 Rebecca Daut to Thomas Sneade bapt ye 3rd day of Jany., 1688-9 By our Sneed family tradition, Benjamin Sneed (b.1721), was the son of William, born in 1690. If so, our line would look as follows: Samuel Sneade (VA in 1635) m. Alice William Sneade b. c1630 John Snead m. Alice Tinsley (?) William Snead of Hanover Co. VA Benajmin Sneed b. 1721 d. 1819 m. Mary Ann (Perry?) gr-dau of John Sorrell Note: This John Snead, father of Henry and William above, may have married Alice Tinsley, daughter of Thomas Tinsley. This John and Thomas are known to have done their processioning together, and Tinsley's daughter Alice was married to a Snead. _Some Wills From Burned Counties_ Wm Hopkins. 1987 p. 110: LWT of Thomas Tinsely, written 09 Oct 1702; proved 28 Oct 1702 . dau. Alice Snead." We must emphasize that we have no proof of Benjamin's connection to this line, nor of the validity of the line, other than that William b. c1630 is the son of Samuel and William b. in 1690 is the son of John Snead. We must further note that Grayson shows the Snead line as coming down from Samuel to William to John, while Hatcher shows the line as coming through Samuel to Henry to John. Nevertheless, the surviving land records do provide us with the names of these inhabitants and the places where they lived. These data, together with the information from Hatcher and Grayson, provide a kind of framework upon which we can build. Meanwhile, we search for new internet sources to support our search. Note below Hatcher's Ancestral Chart of the Three Brothers, which we show in part only: Samuel Snead | William (York) Henry ( New Kent) Samuel (Stafford) | | John (New Kent & Hanover) Thomas (New Kent) | | Henry William John Samuel