THE SNYDER FAMILY OF CLARENCE TOWNSHIP - Historical Albion Michigan

Recently at a numismatic show of all places, I acquired several 1890s-era photographs of members of the Snyder family of Clarence Township. The family is of German lineage and were natives of New York. John (d. 1869) and Betsey (d. 1861) (Collins) Snyder settled in Clarence Township in 1838, and were among the original settlers. They had nine children. Several biographies of the Snyder children are found in the book, The History of Clarence Township, Then and Now which is still available for sale at the Albion Chamber of Commerce, and at the Clarence Township Hall.

Take a look at the 1894 plat map of Calhoun County and you will discover that the Snyder’s owned much of the land southwest of Duck Lake. William A. Snyder (1839-1906) was the son of John and Betsey (Collins) Snyder. William owned the land where the Clarence Township Hall now sits. His brother Myron Snyder (1869-1916) owned the land where the Duck Lake Country Club golf course is located.

Jay C. Snyder (1869-1954) was the son of Myron Snyder. Jay married Harriet B. Sine in 1886. He served as a treasurer of Clarence Township, and was on the Calhoun County Board of Supervisors. Victor L. Snyder (1877-1956) was the son of William and Ophelia (Gorton) Snyder. Victor was a farmer in the Duck Lake area for many years. At the time of Victor’s death, he was survived by his wife Eliza (1883-1971), and two sisters, Bessie Pitcher of Monroe, and Winifred Townsley (1891-1971) of Springport.

Many members of the family were interred in the first front rows at Clarence Center Cemetery on 27½ Mile Road. There are still Snyder family descendants living in the area today. From our Historical Notebook this week we present a few of the photographs. Pictured here are top row, left to right, brothers Myron and William, and sister Emily (Snyder) Fenton; then bottom row, descendants Victor L. and Jay C. Snyder. You might like to slip a copy of this article in your Clarence Township History book.

In addition, I also have photographs of Mrs. Jay (Harriet Sine) Snyder (1870-1944) and daughter Mildred (1894-1911); Bertha Snyder; Collins (1870-1946) and Audrey (1872-1940) Snyder; Mrs. Alonzo Snyder (Martha A. McDivitt) (1850-19??); Ophelia (Gorton) Snyder (1854-1949), wife of William; Mr. and Mrs. D. Gorton, parents of Ophelia; James Fenton, husband of Emily Snyder, and Mr. and Mrs. Pratt A. (Carrie E. Snyder) Courtright, married June 15, 1884. Interested descendants can contact me for further information.

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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