John Snodgrass and Anna Mason

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Husband John Snodgrass ¹

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           Born: Bef 1800 - Lancaster Co, PA
     Christened: 
           Died: Nov 1878 1
         Buried:  - New Alexandria, Westmoreland Co, PA

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         Father: William Snodgrass (      -1813/1814) 1 2
         Mother: Ellen Beggs (      -1844) 1 2

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       Marriage: 

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Wife Anna Mason ²

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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Children

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1 M William B. Snodgrass ^{2 3}

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           Born: 19 Jan 1829 - Derry Twp, Westmoreland Co, PA 2
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Mary Shields (      -      ) 3 4
           Marr: 12 Apr 1866 4

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General Notes: Husband - John Snodgrass

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He was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, not long before the year 1800. He was a babe at his mother's breast when he was brought by his parents to Westmoreland County.
His first public enterprise was the construction of two heavy sections on the Pennsylvania Canal, at Newton Hamilton. From about 1837 to 1843 he was superintendent of the Portage Railroad. His clerks were W. S. Campbell, afterwards proprietor of the St. Charles Hotel, in Pittsburgh, and later of the St. Lawrence, in Philadelphia; and John W. Geary, afterwards Governor of Pennsylvania.
After he left the Portage Railroad he bid for and obtained the carrying of the United States mail from Chambersburg to Pittsburgh by stage-coaches, which he continued until the railroad was constructed, and at the same time carried on farming on a large scale, and was the proprietor of two flouring-mills on the Loyalhanna. In 1862 he was the largest land-owner in Westmoreland County, and during the war, in connection with Gen. Markle, Thomas G. Stewart, Col. Israel Painter, and Charles Hillborn, of Philadelphia, was awarded a very large contract to supply the Northern army with beef cattle. After the contract was taken the government flooded the country with greenback money. This raised the price of beef-cattle in the market, and he lost heavily in all the supplies he furnished until his large fortune was nearly all gone. He persistently clung to fulfilling his contract with the government, and went down under the depreciation of the currency; but such was the confidence of his creditors in his integrity that during his life he was not disturbed in the possession or ownership of his large landed estate.
He was an ardent patriot, took a deep interest in local politics, and for upwards of twenty years did perhaps more than any other man towards making the county nominations. In 1850 he was nominated for Congress in the district composed of Westmoreland, Cambria, and Bedford, but owing to a division in the party, and two other candidates running in the same political party, he was defeated.
He was a strict Presbyterian.

1 George Dallas Albert, History of the County of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), Pg 632.

2 Samuel T. Wiley, Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: John M. Gresham & Co., 1890.), Pg 515.

3 Jane Maria Craig, Samuel Craig, Senior, Pioneer to Western Pennsylvania, and His Descendants (Greensburg, PA: Privately printed, 1915), Pg 101.

4 Samuel T. Wiley, Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: John M. Gresham & Co., 1890.), Pg 516.