John Snowden (1) (Immigrant ca 1632)
M, #576, b. 1632, d. 3 May 1736
| Father* | William Snowden b. c 1600 |
| Mother* | (__________) (__________) |
| Charts | Pedigree - Harold Norwood Hubbard |
| Reference | 7G Grf |
| Note* | John Snowden (1) (Immigrant ca 1632) Need to get will, bk E pg 369, estate 442. | |
| Source | Source(s): Text info provided by Rex Ennis 25550 Gilfford St Rd Watertown NY 13601. | |
| Background* | He has the following background notes: The following is from SNOWDEN 1677-1968 by Charles Randolph Snowden, supplied by The Historical Society of Pennsylvania on 30 Sep 1997 to Rex Ennis 25550 Gilfford St Rd Watertown NY 13601 The Snowdens were among the first settlers in the Philadelphia-West New Jersey area. Leach, in his "Old Philadelphia Families," wrote: "Indeed the statement can be ventured as an historical verity that the first of the name in America was one of the few Europeans of English antecedents who was present to welcome the "Welcome" with William Penn and his compatriots aboard hen that famous little craft dropped anchor in the Delaware at the close of October 1682." Leach continues: "Between 1676 and 1682 a number of English vessels had ascended the Delaware River and disembarked their animate cargoes. These emigrants, it is true, had landed on the eastern side of the river, first near the present town of Salem, and later on the site of the thriving city of Burlington. But not a few of these colonists after tarrying a while in West New Jersey had drifted across the Delaware and established themselves in the domain of the Duke of York, before the execution 4 Mar 1681, by Charles II of the Great Charter to William Penn which created a new Commonwealth. "Thus came the Ridgways, the Mifflins, the Paschalls, and others to Penn's Province before he himself had acquired title to the wonderful territory which afterwards bore his name. Thus likewise came the Snowdens." Before leaving England, John Snowden and 154 other founders of the colonial city of Burlington signed the Concessions and Agreements of the Proprietors, Freeholders, and inhabitants of West New Jersey. John Snowden who signed as a proprietor, placed his name near the bottom of the fourth signers' page of the declaration, dated "this third day of the month commonly called March in the year of Our Lord one thousand six hundred seventy six." The Concessions and Agreements were carried to the New World in the "Kent", commanded by Captain Gregory Marlow. John Snowden probably was a member of the ship's company, although no complete passenger list exists to support this. It was reported that as the "Kent" sailed dow the Thames toward the see it passed Charles, cruising in his barge. He ordered Marlow to heave to, and the monarch gave his blessing to the company of more than 200. The Concessions and Agreements were to have deep import on American constitutional history, since it was the first such declaration to stipulate separation of church and state. It was used as the basis of government in the new province and spelled out the method by which land was to be distributed. It was at least partially written by Penn more than 15 years before the Quaker leader received his Great Charter. The grant in West New Jersey came to John Snowden and his fellow proprietors from Charles to his brother, James, Duke of York (later King James II), to Sir George Carteret and John, Lord Berkeley. From these two noblemen it was sold to two companies of Quakers - in Yorkshire and contiguous territory, and in London. John Snowden undoubtedly belonged to the former company, since Yorkshire and Nottingham are contiguous in the north of England. John Snowden held land in what is now the Passyunk district of Philadelphia, and the district bounded by the south side of Chestnut Street and the north side of Pine Street between Ninth and Eleventh Streets in downtown Philadelphia. Despite (his) far-flung purchases, John Snowden apparently considered his home to be Burlington, West New Jersey, as late as 1697, when he purchased land in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. His home in Burlington was known as "White Hill." It was located on the Delaware River, above Sepassings Island, and covered 210 acres. He sold the homestead to a Richard Allison on moving to Bucks County. John Snowden, in addition to developing his extensive land holdings in Bucks County and West New Jersey, ran a number of tanneries in Pennsylvania and felled timber for sale to other colonists with lesser timber resources. In 1704 he was appointed an associate judge in Bucks County, and in 1712 was chosen to represent the county in the colonial assembly in Philadelphia. Whatever his other accomplishments, John Snowden fell somewhat short of perfection as a colonial politician. He sponsored no legislation, was named to no committees, and his name was linked with no decision important enough to appear in the record. He was not returned to office after his first term. His only appearance in the minutes was in the record for 12 Nov 1712, wherein "John Snowden and John Swift asked leave" to be excused for the afternoon. Permission was granted. Shortly before the expiration of his second term as justice of the peace, John Snowden moved to Philadelphia, and was admitted, freeman, in May 1717. It is difficult to pinpoint John Snowden's exact residence in Bucks County because his holdings covered many hundred of acres. In Philadelphia - although he had been a Quaker - John Snowden helped to found the old Market Street Presbyterian Church and he is spoken of in several histories as an original elder of the church. The archives of the Bucks County Historical Society contain an account saying that John Snowden "and a Mr Baker, an elder at the same time, are believed to be the first ruling elders set apart for that office in the country." John Snowden's conversion to Presbyterianism began a tradition that endured in the family for nearly 250 years. His break with Quakerism came well after his arrival in America, since he married his first wife, Ann Barrett, at Burlington Friends' Meeting on 13 Apr 1682, and his name appears in connection with the Keithian controversy in Burlington in 1692, when he and his fellow Quakers signed a "vigorous proclamation" against Keith. George Keith was a dissident Quaker who later formed a splinter group known as the Christian Friends. He came from London to West New Jersey in 1689, and began to advocate a stricter religious regimen for the Friends. His agitation continued until he left the Society in 1693 after an adverse ruling from the Quaker hierarchy in London. He returned to Great Britain and the Church of England, and the Anglicans returned him to America as a missionary in 1702. Keith also figured in a long-standing controversy over the boundary between East and West New Jersey. . | |
| Birth* | 1632 | He was born in 1632 at near Knaresborough, Yorkshire, England.1 |
| Residence* | 1676 | He lived in 1676: He signed the "Concessions" as proprietor of West Jersey.1 |
| Marriage* | 13 April 1682 | He married Ann Barrett on 13 April 1682 at Burlington Meeting, Falls Twnshp, Bucks Co., New Jersey, "He was a resident of Falls township, Bucks county, 13 Apr 1682, when he married at Burlington Meeting, Ann Barrett."1 |
| Marriage* | 11 August 1718 | John Snowden (1) (Immigrant ca 1632) married Elizabeth Swift on 11 August 1718. |
| Will* | John Snowden (1) (Immigrant ca 1632) left a will; Need to get will, bk E pg 369, estate 442. | |
| Death* | 3 May 1736 | He died on 3 May 1736 at Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania.1 |
| Biography* | 1911 | He was New Tag John Snowden, "son and heir of William Snowden some time of Edwinston, county of Nottingham, England," born near Knaresborough, Yorkshire, England, about 1632, came to Pennsylvania presumedly about the date of the purchase of the land in New Jersey by his father. He signed the "Concessions" as proprietor of West Jersey in 1676. He was a resident of Falls township, Bucks county, 13 Apr 1682, when he married at Burlington Meeting, Ann Barrett. He was, however, a resident and land owner in Mansfield township, Burlington county, 28 Aug 1682, when he made a deed of trust to Benjamin Scott and John Hooten for the benefit of his wife Ann as a marriage settlement. The record of the birth of their daughter Ann on 17 Mar 1682-83, at Burlington Meeting, gives the residence of the parents as Mansfield township. He was associate judge in Bucks county in 1704. John Snowden died in Philadelphia in 1736, aged 104 years. His first wife, Ann (Barrett) Snowden, died in the same city in 1688. He married (second) in 1715, Elizabeth Swift. in 1911.1 |
Family 1 | Ann Barrett d. 1688 | |
| Marriage* | 13 April 1682 | He married Ann Barrett on 13 April 1682 at Burlington Meeting, Falls Twnshp, Bucks Co., New Jersey, "He was a resident of Falls township, Bucks county, 13 Apr 1682, when he married at Burlington Meeting, Ann Barrett."1 |
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Family 2 | Elizabeth Swift | |
| Marriage* | 11 August 1718 | John Snowden (1) (Immigrant ca 1632) married Elizabeth Swift on 11 August 1718. |
| Last Edited | 13 Aug 2010 |
Citations
- [S472] Colonial & Rev Families of PA, Jordan.