Henry Schneider (1792-1860) In Search of His Family

Based on research that I wrote about in Joseph Snyder (1826-1895)—Who’s Your Daddy?, The Greulich Farm, and Part II: The Greulich Farm, I’ve determined that Heinrich Snyder was the father of Joseph Snyder, my 3x great grandfather. Henry died intestate, but deed records state directly that Henry was the father of Joel, Joseph, Lucianna, and Sophia.¹ The farm research also showed that Henry’s wife Sarah was the daughter of Godfrey and Eva Wissler.²

But who were Henry’s parents?

Henry Snyder was enumerated in Upper Hanover Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in the 1830³ and 1840⁴ census. The only other Snyder head of household I found in Upper Hanover in those census records was Catharine Snyder in 1830.⁵ Her household was comprised of:

• 1 male, 10-15 (b. ca 1815-1820)
• 1 female, 15-20 (b. ca 1810-1815)
• 1 female, 30-40 (b. ca 1790-1800)
• 1 female, 50-60 (b. ca 1770-1780)

Since Henry was born in 1792, it’s possible that Catharine Snyder was his mother and the others his siblings—if Catharine was born in the early 1770s.

Henry’s eldest child (that I know of), Joel, was born in 1823. It’s therefore possible that Henry, aged 28, was living with his parents in 1820. Were there any Snyder families in Upper Hanover in 1820?

Yes. There were Adam Snyder⁶, Jacob Snyder⁷, and Peter Snyder.⁸ The only household with a member in the 26-44 age group is Adam, but that individual is the eldest male, indicating that it’s likely Adam himself. So, I did not find a likely candidate in a Snyder household for Henry in Upper Hanover in 1820.

However, Henry was most likely in Upper Hanover Township or the general area by 1814. A Henry and Elizabeth Schneider took communion at New Goshenhoppen Reformed Church on Easter Sunday, 10 April 1814.⁹ They also attended services on the 1st and 2nd of April in 1815. Additionally, Jacob Schneider, aged 17, Catharine Schneider, aged 16, and Sara Wisler, aged 15 1/2 were confirmed on that weekend.¹⁰ Sara Wisler, of course, was Henry’s future wife.

Do Jacob (about 22) and/or Catharine (about 21) fit as members of Adam, Jacob, or Peter’s households in 1820? Let’s look closely at each.

Adam Snyder:

• 1 male, <10
• 1 male, 10-16
• 1 male 26-45 [Adam]
• 3 female, <10
• 1 female, 10-16
• 1 female, 26-45 [Adam’s wife]

Jacob Snyder:

• 1 male, <10
• 2 males, 10-16
• 1 male 16-18
• 2 males, 16-26
• 1 male, 45+ [Jacob]
• 1 female, <10
• 2 females, 16-26
• 1 female, 45+ [Jacob’s wife]

Peter Snyder:

• 1 male 16-26 [Peter]
• 1 female, <10
• 1 female, 16-26 [Peter’s wife]

Both Jacob—as one of the males aged 16-26—and Catharine—as one of the females aged 16-26—fit nicely into Jacob Snyder’s household based on this census.¹¹ There aren’t any members of Adam or Peter’s households that match in age, except Adam, Peter and their wives. While that might work for Catharine—if she married a Snyder, it definitely doesn’t for Jacob.

What about previous census enumerations? In 1810 there are two Jacob Schneider households in Upper Hanover, but only one matches the 1820 household.

Jacob Schneider:¹²

• 4 males, <10
• 1 male, 10-15
• 1 male 16-25
• 1 male, 45+ [Jacob]
• 1 female, <10
• 1 female, 10-15
• 1 female, 26-45 [Jacob’s wife]

Jacob would have been about 12 years old in 1810 and Catharine about 11. Again, both fit—both Jacob and Catharine in the 10-15 age group. Henry would have been about 18 years old—and there is a male in Jacob’s household, aged 16-25, who fits him, too.

Jacob can also be found in Upper Hanover in 1800.¹³

• 3 males, <10
• 1 male, 26-44 [Jacob]
• 2 females, <10
• 1 female, 45+ [Jacob’s wife]

Once again, Henry (aged 8), Jacob (aged 2), and Catharine (aged 1) would all fit as members of this household.

Godfrey Wissler is found in Upper Hanover Township starting in 1790 when he purchased land through 1829 when his estate was probated. So we know his daughter, born in 1799, lived in the township her whole life. Given these census records, it’s possible that Henry did, too.

So, what does this mean? Does it prove that Jacob was Henry’s father and Catharine his mother?

No. The census records are suggestive of a possible relationship, but do not prove one. This is one of the difficulties with working with census records. Even if the record names all of the household members, it wasn’t until 1880 that each person’s relationship to the head of household was noted in the enumeration.

In this case, working with pre-1850 census records, only the head of household is named. We need to guesstimate who the household members could have been using the number of people in each age range. When we don’t know who the members of the family were, this means we have a number of holes to fill in.

Check back to see what I can find.

• Category: Research
• Tag: Census, Maternal Line