Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 301
ADAM C. SNYDER

Adam C. SNYDER, County Surveyor of Harrison County, and a resident of the village of Persia, came to the county, in the spring of 1880, and settled on a farm, on section 3, of Washington Township, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land upon which a small amount of breaking had been done, and a small unfinished frame house erected.

This land (to which he added another eighty acres, adjoining) he improved, built a frame house, 16x26 feet, one story and a half high. He remained on this farm until the spring of 1889, when he rented his place, and moved into Persia, and in 1884, was appointed as County Surveyor, to fill the unexpired term of R. BALLARD, who resigned after holding the office about six months. After serving out his appointed time, Mr. SNYDER was elected for two years, after which J. C. MCCABE held the office two years when our subject was re-elected and has held the office ever since.

The man of whom we write is an honored son of the old "Keystone State," born in Franklin County, August 8, 1831, and remained with his parents until he was nineteen years of age, when he went to Fayetteville of the same county, to learn the tanner's trade. He remained there two years and then moved to Strausburg, Franklin County, where he worked at his trade one year, and then moved back to Fayetteville, where he was engaged by his old employer, for whom he worked for two years, and after a year of farm labor for his brother, and in the spring of 1857, he came to John County, Iowa, locating two miles northwest of Iowa City, now called Coralville, where he was in the employment of ex-Gov. KIRKWOOD, who was then Speaker of the House of Representatives. In 1859, he moved to a point five miles north of Iowa City, and rented a farm, farming and teaching winters, (teaching surveying in connection with other branches). We next find him near the village of North Liberty, where he rented a farm and lived until 1866.

This farm belonged to his mother, and during the year 1866, she sold the land, and our subject removed to a farm adjoining, farmed one year, and then through the advice of E. CLARK, of Iowa City, he bought a farm of eighty acres of improved land, near the village of North Liberty, upon which he lived from 1868 to 1874, and then sold and moved to Shelby County, Iowa, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land a mile and a half northeast from Shelby, where he remained until 1879, and then purchased a farm in Washington Township, Harrison County.

Concerning his education, it should be said that Mr. SNYDER attended the Acadamy at Chambersburg, Penn. one year, where he studied civil engineering, which profession he followed in Johnson County, Iowa, under the act of 1864, providing for the re-survey of all fractional pieces of land along the Iowa River, containing less than forty acres. Upon coming to Shelby County, he was appointed land agent for the Rock Island Railroad Company, under John L. DREW, of Davenport, Iowa, and was a law partner of George GETTY in Shelby for two years in the practice of law, also acted as Deputy Surveyor, of Shelby County, in 1876, until he moved into Harrison County and was appointed to the same position in Harrison County, under Logan CRAWFORD, of St. John's Township.

He was united in marriage August 31, 1851 to Arabella L. BEASORE, of Franklin County, Penn.

They are the parents of ten children; Alfreta C., Martha E., George L., Arabella, Luther M., Harvey A., Amanda M., Hannah E., Hattie B., and Adam Arthur.

Arabella died, November 27, 1861; Austin H., October 26, 1880; Luther M., March 1886; George L., December 1886 and Adam Arthur, May 6, 1888.

Politically, our subject is a supporter of the Democratic party. He belongs to the Masonic order, joining in Johnson County, in 1865, being a member of White Marble Lodge, No. 271, and was a charter member of Selentia Lodge, No. 371, of Shelby, Iowa, and also a charter member of Craftsman Lodge, No. 490, of Persia, Iowa.

In their religion, Mr. and Mrs. SNYDER belonged to the Lutheran Church until they moved to Shelby and there united with the Presbyterian Church.

Since 1882, Mr. SNYDER has acted agent for the Chicago & Milwaukee Land Company, and wrote their contracts and specifications for their own lots, which he is handling. He was the first land agent in Persia, at the time the town was started.

Arabella (BEASORE) SNYDER, the wife of our subject, was born near Rocky Springs, Franklin County, Penn., March 16, 1829 and remained in that county, until the date of her marriage.

It only needs to be added, that our subject is a man of correct business principles, has always stood high in the various communities, in which he has lived, and is today an honored citizen of Harrison County, and is surrounded with a family and home worthy of the kind father and faithful husband that he is.

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