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Georg (George) Schnauffer / Snouffer

Georg (George) Schnauffer / Snouffer

Male 1792 - 1831  (39 years)

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  • Name Georg (George) Schnauffer / Snouffer  [1, 2, 3, 4] 
    Born 13 Apr 1792  Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10] 
    Christened 20 May 1792  Krider's (St.Benjamin's) Luth. Ch., Westminster, Carroll Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  [5, 7] 
    Gender Male 
    AFN 2T5Z-WGT 
    Occupation Agriculture - Farmer 
    Died 26 Aug 1831  Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11] 
    Buried Otho Thomas (English) Family Cem, Point Of Rocks, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 11, 12] 
    Person ID I41  SnoufferCampbell
    Last Modified 27 May 2011 

    Father Johanes Schnauffer / Snouffer,   b. 15 Nov 1752, Berks Cnty, PA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 12 Feb 1810, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 57 years) 
    Mother Christina Rinehart,   b. 1756, Pennsylvania Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 15 Oct 1818, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 62 years) 
    Married 3 Sep 1776  [6, 13, 14, 15] 
    Family ID F4  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Dorcas Thomas,   b. 1 May 1790, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 19 Mar 1821, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 30 years) 
    Marriage License Date 1 Apr 1815  Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  [16, 17] 
    Married 2 Apr 1815  Evangelical Lutheran Ch, Frederick, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  [3, 4, 6, 12, 18, 19] 
    Children 
     1. Benjamin John Snouffer,   b. 5 Jan 1816, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 29 Mar 1876, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 60 years)
     2. John Benjamin Snouffer,   b. 5 Jan 1816, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 14 May 1882, Elk City, Montgomery Cnty, KS Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 66 years)
     3. Ellen Snouffer,   b. 6 Oct 1818, Frederick (Now Carroll) Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 2 Nov 1818, Frederick (Now Carroll) Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 0 years)
     4. Maj. Archibald T. Snouffer,   b. 28 Feb 1819, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 22 Mar 1895, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 76 years)
    Last Modified 25 Apr 2011 
    Family ID F33  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Elizabeth Ellen Ranneberger,   b. 1799, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 29 Oct 1857  (Age 58 years) 
    Marriage License Date 9 Apr 1822  Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  [17, 20] 
    Married 11 Apr 1822  Evangelical Lutheran Ch, Frederick, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  [2, 4, 21, 22] 
    Children 
     1. Dorcas Ann Snouffer,   b. 13 Mar 1823, Maryland Find all individuals with events at this location
     2. George Washington Snouffer,   b. 3 Dec 1824, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 3 Dec 1893, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 69 years)
    +3. Michael Snouffer,   b. 1826, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Ohio Find all individuals with events at this location
     4. William Henry Snouffer,   b. 19 Jun 1827, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location,   bur. Arnold Cem, Wellington, Lafayette Cnty, MO Find all individuals with events at this location
     5. Sarah Elizabeth Snouffer,   b. 10 Dec 1829, Frederick Cnty, MD Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 7 Jun 1917, Edmond, Oklahoma Cnty, OK Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 87 years)
    Last Modified 27 Jun 2012 
    Family ID F34  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Headstones
    Georg (George) Schnauffer / Snouffer    		Georg (George) Schnauffer / Snouffer
    George's tombstone was not very legible in 2006. The top lines read: "GEORGE SNOUFFER / died August 26 1831 / age of 39 years ...."

  • Notes 
    • Georg or George was born 13 Apr 1792. According to Charles Zahn's "Church Record of the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of St. Benjamin's, or Krider's Church at Pipe Creek, near Westminster, Md." (LDS Film 013200), "Georg Shauffer" was born to "Joh. & w. Christina" on 13 Apr 1792 and baptized 20 May 1792. His "sponsors" were "Georg Mayerle & w. Magdl." See also vol. 9, MARYLAND GERMAN CHURCH RECORDS, p. 43 (1993).

      In his book THE SNUFFERS, pp. 81-82, Jim Wood states that the eighth child of John & Christina was "George Snouffer, 13 April 1792 - 26 Aug. 1831. He married 1. Dorcas Thomas...on 1 April 1815; 2. Elizabeth Raneberger on 9 April 1822." (Mr. Wood erroneously confused the wedding license dates for the marriage dates.)

      George's father's will, signed 5 Dec 1809 and probated 12 Mar 1810, among other things, bequeathed property to his children, including "my sons Jacob Snouffer, George Snouffer [and daughters] ... to have share and share alike both of my real and personal estate [with exceptions]." Later the will provided that "my wife Christina Snouffer & my son George Snouffer are to have free and full possession of my said plantation[,] any other lands that I at present possess together with my negro man named Isaac, including the stock of every discription [sic] on said plantation to their entire occupation & benefit until my said son George shall arrive at the full age of twenty one years at which time he is also to have the first choice of either of my horses.... Frederick County Will Book RB #1, p. 82.

      On 1 April 1815 George obtained a Frederick County license to marry "Darkey" Thomas. See Dorothy H. Smith, Frederick County [MD] Marriage Licenses, 1778-1839, p. 197 (1979); Margaret E. Myers, Marriage Licenses of Frederick County [MD], 1811-1840, p. 228, 242 (1987). They married the next day, 2 April 1815. Frederick, MD, Evangelical Lutheran Church Records, 1756-1885, p. 1322 (LDS Film 1205005; see also Film 0020488). The church records spell her name "Darky."

      The Baltimore Patriot and Evening Advertiser, in its 12 Apr 1815 issue, reported the wedding as follows: "Snouffer, George, and Miss D. Thomas, all of Fred. Co., were wed 2nd inst. by Rev. D. F. Schaeffer." See R. Barnes, MARRIAGES AND DEATHS FROM BALTIMORE NEWSPAPERS, 1796-1816, p. 300 (Genealogical Pub. Co. 1978).

      The 1820 census lists "George Snoufer" and his family: 2 boys under 10 [Benjamin and John] and 1 male 26-45 [George], and one female 16-26 [Dorcas]. Dorcas actually was 30, so was listed in the wrong column; the census also overlooked baby Archibald. George and family are listed immediately before his brother John and his family. 1820 U.S. Census, 1st District, Frederick Cnty, MD (M 33, Roll 43, stamped p. 82). [Indexers read the written name as "Snowfer," but I read it as "Snoufer."]

      Dorcas died 19 Mar 1821, and, with three young children to raise, George soon married again. On 9 Apr 1822 he obtained a license to marry Elizabeth "Raneberger." See Dorothy H. Smith, Frederick County [MD] Marriage Licenses, 1778-1839, p. 197 (1979); Margaret E. Myers, MARRIAGE LICENSES OF FREDERICK COUNTY, 1811-1840, , pp. 196, 227 (1987). They were married 11 Apr 1822. Frederick, MD, Evangelical Lutheran Church Records, 1756-1885, p. 1331 (LDS Film 1205005; Film 0020488). The church record for that date reads: "Mr. George Snauffer to Miss Eliza Ranenberg."

      T.J.C. Williams & F. McKinsey, HISTORY OF FREDERICK COUNTY, MARYLAND, p. 1322 (1910), state:
      "***George Snouffer, who was a native of Germany [sic], was one of the early settlers of Frederick County. He and two of his brothers emigrated to America [sic] where one settled in Westminster, Md., one in Emmitsburg, Md., and Mr. Snouffer in the southern part of Frederick County, on a farm adjoining the place now owned by his grandson, George A.T. Snouffer. He was very prominent among the men of his generation and was presented with a gold cup, which was the prize of the best farmer in the section. He was one of the most enterprising farmers of the county and owned about 600 acres of land near Point of Rocks, and put up the first dwelling in the place. He married and had six [sic] children among whom was a son named Benjamin." [Note that George did have two brothers -- Jacob lived in Emmitsburg and John probably lived in Frederick -- but they were born in the United States, descending from German immigrants.]

      Wm. J. Grove, HISTORY OF CARROLLTON MANOR, p. 171 (1928)(repeating some of the same misinformation) reports:
      "The Snouffer family has always been recognized as ... one of the leading and most representative on Carrollton Manor, and their advice was often sought. Always farmers, they continued to cultivate the land and when their slaves left, naturally their plantations for want of help were worked with much difficulty.
      "George Snouffer, a native of Holland [sic], was one of the early settlers of Carrollton Manor, he and two brothers emigrated to America, one settled in Westminster and the other in Emmitsburg. Mr. Snouffer proved to be a very successful farmer and was a large land owner, he built the first house in Point of Rocks, a stone house, it is occupied and still standing. Miss Fisher was killed by a rebel sharp shooter while standing on the porch of this house during the Civil War. Recently I went to Point of Rocks to take a picture of the house that Mr. Snouffer built some two-hundred years ago. I was surprised to find it in fairly good condition.... [Note that George could not have built the house "two-hundred years ago," which would have been 1728; George was not born until 1792. Also note that, as of 2006, the house was gone.]
      "The old house looks like a fort built of stone at the foot of Catoctin Mountain, which was intended as a background, to guard against attack. The walls are two feet thick and will stand for ages. It is said [that] war correspondents occupied this house, September 14, 1862 [Battle of Antietam]. Mr. Snouffer owned about six hundred acres of land here, he also owned a great many slaves. He was awarded a silver [sic] cup as being the best farmer in Maryland; he was also a prominent member of the Frederick County Agricultural Society as early as 1825,...."
      Grove continues [p. 174]: "George Snouffer married Dorcus [sic] Thomas. They had three children; Benjamin John, and John Benjamin, who were twins, and Archibald T. Mr. Snouffer's first wife died in 1821, and he married her sister Elizabeth Thomas [this is not correct]. They had four children; George W., Michael, Henry and Elizabeth." Earlier in his book («i»ibid«/i», p. 121) Grove reported: "Philip Ranneberger *** had six children,... [one of whom was] Elizabeth who married George Snouffer...."
      Continuing on p. 174, Grove states: "Mr. Snouffer, although a large land owner, was anxious to farm some of the rich land of Carrollton Manor. He rented what was afterwards known as the William Dutrow farm; this farm being very productive, and with Mr. Snouffer's tact and energy he was recognized as one of the best farmers in Maryland. Mr. Snouffer died in 1831 at the early age of 39 on the William Dutrow farm, and is buried in the old Snouffer [sic; Thomas] burying ground."
      Later in his book [pp. 401-402] Grove both elaborates on the "Miss Fisher" death and contradicts himself about who built the old stone house in Point of Rocks: "At the beginning of the Civil War, both the Union and Confederate forces were armed with obsolete guns, mostly Springfield rifles manufactured at Harper's Ferry. The pickets would fire across the [Potomac] river, but their ammunition was generally wasted, until July 4th, 1862 [when] the Confederates captured a packet boat at the first lock on the Canal, west of Point of Rocks. This boat had ... rifles of the latest make, equipped with telescopic sights.... The Confederate sharp shooters commenced firing across the river at the [B. & O. train] engine. Miss Fisher, a very pretty girl, eighteen years of age, was on the upper porch talking to a Union soldier who was on the ground; Mrs. Nichols who was with her remarked ... they had better go in. Mrs. Nichols heard something fall, looking around saw Miss Fisher lying on the floor dead.... This old stone house still stands near the [train] tunnel and was the first house built in Point of Rocks by John [sic] Snouffer, the grandfather of G.A.T. Snouffer."

      George was buried in the old Thomas Family Cemetery, 1.5 miles East of Point of Rocks, MD.
    • (Research):

      George Snouffer's second marriage to Elizabeth Ranneberger has been confused, perhaps largely by the inaccurate comments of Wm. J. Grove.

      In his HISTORY OF CARROLLTON MANOR, p. 174 (1928), Grove stated: "George Snouffer married Dorcus Thomas. They had three children.... Mr. Snouffer's first wife died in 1821, and he married her sister Elizabeth Thomas. They had four children...."

      However, earlier in the same book (ibid, at 121) he discussed the Ranneberger family, saying among other things: "Philip Ranneberger married Captain Otho Thomas's sister about 1790. *** Mr. Ranneberger had six children... [one of whom was] Elizabeth who married George Snouffer...."

      The assertion that George Snouffer secondly married Dorcas' sister Elizabeth was repeated in G.L.Thomas, ENGLISH THOMAS GENEALOGY, pp. 34, 91 (1956). Because of his many references to it, Thomas clearly was familiar with Grove's book, and most likely was influenced wrongly by it.

      But, based on the Frederick Evangelical Lutheran Church records, as well as the Frederick County marriage license, it seems clear that George Snouffer's second wife was indeed Elizabeth Ranneberger.

      Much of G.L.Thomas' information (ibid, p. 34) on George Snouffer is wrong: he lists a birth date of 23 May 1792, a marriage date of 1 Apr 1815, and a death date of 26 Sep 1831, which are all "off" by various margins.

  • Sources 
    1. [S51] Tombstone - WCS |, Cemetery Memorial Stone , (Personal Inspection by Wm. C. Snouffer), Oct. 2006.

    2. [S987] MD Church Docs, 1668-1995|, Various Maryland Churches, Maryland, Church Records, 1668-1995, (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, UT; Online database, https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2385204?collectionNameFilter=false).

    3. [S32] RootsWeb WC - MD Families|, Nancy Jacobsen, "Maryland Families", (RootsWeb World Connect Project, http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=6105334 ; Email: njacobsen@charter.net : Jan 2008).

    4. [S10] Snuffers|, James L. Wood, Jr., THE SNUFFERS, (BJW Printers; Beckley, WV : 1989), 929.273Sn72., p.81.

    5. [S465] Krider's|, Charles T. Zahn, Church Record of the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of St. Benjamin's (Krider's) Church at Pipe Creek, near Westminster, Md, (Charles T. Zahn, Westminster, MD (1935) [Compare: LDS Film 0013200]).

    6. [S12] Ott|, Richard H. Ott, Jr., "Ott Genealogy" : Oct 2003, (Richard H. Ott, Jr., 4208 Elsa Terr, Baltimore, MD 21117; DickOtt@aol.com).

    7. [S133] German Churches-9|, Maryland German Church Records : The Pipe Creek and Jerusalem Churches, vol. 9, (Historical Society of Carroll County, Westminster, MD (C.T. Zahn & F. S. Weiser, eds) : 1993), p. 43.

    8. [S27] Pheneger, Diane|, Diane & Don Pheneger, "John Snouffer [1779-1823] Family Group" (5 Mar 1979) & Family group and lineage charts : 1979 - 2004 , (431 W. College, Granville, OH 43023; Email: dondi@windstream.net).

    9. [S37] Ancestry Tree - Mann, James D. Hug, "Mann_2011-12-09", (Ancestry.com, Public Member Tree, Online database, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/33020986/listofallpeople/ ).

    10. [S215] Ancestry Tree - Laub| , Sheila Simpson, Laub and Associated Families of Pennsylvania and Iowa , (Ancestry.com, Online database, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/pt/RequestTreeAccess.aspx?tid=6939597&pid=-1198657546/ [This is a "private tree;" so one needs to contact Ms. Simpson via this link to seek permission to view the tree.]).

    11. [S56] Names in Stone|, Jacob Mehrling Holdcraft, NAMES IN STONE, (Ann Arbor, MI : 1966), p.1070.

    12. [S31] Thomas, G.L.|, George Leicester Thomas, GENEALOGY OF THE ENGLISH THOMAS FAMILY, (G.L.Thomas, Adamstown, MD : 1956), p.34.

    13. [S10] Snuffers|, James L. Wood, Jr., THE SNUFFERS, (BJW Printers; Beckley, WV : 1989), 929.273Sn72., p.79.

    14. [S11] Frederick Cnty, MD, Will Book GM 2 |, Frederick County, MD, "Will Book GM #2", (Frederick County, MD, Maryland State Archives, 350 Rowe Blvd., Annapolis, MD 21401), pp. 437-438.

    15. [S13] Carrolltonian - Krider's|, Anonymous, "Old Krider's Cemetery Inscriptions"; vol. 16, Carrolltonian (1996), (Carroll Cnty Genealogical Society, PO Box 1752, Westminster, MD 21158), p. 23.

    16. [S718] Smith Marriages|, Dorothy H. Smith, Frederick County [MD] Marriage Licenses, 1778-1839, (Unpublished Monograph, "Publication Rights Reserved," by Dorothy H. Smith, United States : 15 Jun 1979), F187.F8 S65 1900z., p. 197.
      "SNOUFFER, George & Darkey Thomas - Apl 1, 1815"

    17. [S28] Myers Marriages 2|, Margaret E. Myers, MARRIAGE LICENSES OF FREDERICK COUNTY [MD], 1811-1840, (Family Line Publications, Silver Spring, MD : 1987), pp. 228, 242.

    18. [S29] Frederick, MD, Luth Ch|, "Church Records", (Frederick, MD, Evangelical Lutheran Church [LDS Film 1205005]), vol.11, p.1322.

    19. [S30] Carrollton Manor|, William Jarboe Grove, HISTORY OF CARROLLTON MANOR, (Marken & Bielfeld, Inc., Frederick, MD : 1928), p.174.

    20. [S718] Smith Marriages|, Dorothy H. Smith, Frederick County [MD] Marriage Licenses, 1778-1839, (Unpublished Monograph, "Publication Rights Reserved," by Dorothy H. Smith, United States : 15 Jun 1979), F187.F8 S65 1900z., p. 197.
      "SNOUFFER, George & Elizabeth Raneberger - Apl 9, 1822"

    21. [S29] Frederick, MD, Luth Ch|, "Church Records", (Frederick, MD, Evangelical Lutheran Church [LDS Film 1205005]), p.1331.

    22. [S30] Carrollton Manor|, William Jarboe Grove, HISTORY OF CARROLLTON MANOR, (Marken & Bielfeld, Inc., Frederick, MD : 1928), p.121.