Person:Elias Schneider (9)

Watchers
Elias Schneider
d.Bef 2 Apr 1866
m. Abt 1816
  1. Elias Schneider1817 - Bef 1866
  2. Mary Snyder1819 - 1908
  3. Nathan SnyderAbt 1820 -
  4. Elizabeth SnyderAbt 1822 -
  5. John Snyder1823 -
  6. Owen Snyder1825 - 1889
  7. Lydia SchneiderAbt 1829 -
  8. Sarah Snyder1833 - 1918
  9. Daniel Snyder1834 - 1900
Facts and Events
Name Elias Schneider
Gender Male
Birth[1] 12 Jan 1817 Heidelberg, Lehigh, Pennsylvania, United States
Death[2] Bef 2 Apr 1866

The most comprehensive Schneider source available, Source:Hollenbach, Raymond E. Schneider-Snyder Families of Heidelberg, says this Elias, s/o Johannes Schneider and Maria Barbara Hausman, b. 29 Apr 1816, d. 17 Dec 1866, m. (1) Elisa Rittner, m. (2) Elisabeth Ebert. However, Source:Heidelberg, Lehigh, Pennsylvania, United States. Two Hundredth Anniversary of Heidelberg Union Church, Reformed and Lutheran, Heidelberg Township,, p. 80, gives the baptism of Elias, b. 29 Apr 1816, bp. 19 May 1816, and lists his parents as "Schneider, Jacob & Margaretha". The baptism of Elias, the son of Johannes, is in 1817 (see S1). Since this source has clearly made an error regarding the parents of Elias, it is not clear how much of his data can be trusted. The discussion below suggests that the above source has completely mixed up selected data from three distinct Eliases and presented it as a single person.

I have identified at least four Eliases of the same approximate age in the Heidelberg area. Mentioned above is the baptism of the son of Jacob. In addition to this Elias, there are also three cousins, all named Elias, grandchildren of a Christian Schnieder. Their fathers are Johannes/John Schnieder (this page), Christian (Jr.) Schneider, and Friedrich Schneider.

The distribution of the estate of John in 1866 lists all his heirs and does not include son Elias or any heirs of Elias (see N1). This strongly suggests Elias died without issue before this date, and the lack of records of this Elias (no unexplained marriages, etc.) suggests further that he probably died young. Having rejected the cited source's data on Elias because of the multiple errors that the following research points out, I no longer have any evidence to contradict this conclusion. The conclusion is that Elias, s/o John, b. 12 Jan 1817, prob. d. young.

What follows is an attempt is to sort out some of the above source's other "facts".

Source:Heidelberg, Lehigh, Pennsylvania, United States. Survey of the Heidelberg Union Church Cemeteries lists three wives of Elias Schneiders of Heidelberg:

  • [p. 47] Schneider - Elisabeth, nee Eberts, wf of Elias b. July 28, 1817, d. March 24, 1885.
  • [p. 48] Schneider - Elisabeth, nee Sensinger, wf. of Elias, b. Nov. 16, 1822, d. Dec. 3, 1857, mar. 13 yrs 11 mos, issue 4 children.
  • [p. 49] Schneider Eleise, nee Bitner, wf of Elias, b. Sept 25 182?, d. July 6, 1857, married Dec 18 1842, married for 14 yrs, 6 mos, 19 da, issue-4 sons and 3 daughter.

Based on the dates and number of children, these wives correspond to at least two Eliases, possibly three. However, as other evidence on this page somewhat rules out two of the Eliases, the most likely case is that this is only two Eliases. One Elias married Elise Bittner, another Elias married Elisabeth Sensinger, and both these wives died in 1857. One of the Eliases then married, as his second wife, Elisabeth Eberts. Elisabeth Eberts' cemetery record shows no children, which combined with her late death date, suggests she was a second wife. (Making distinguishing the wives more difficult, various sources refer to the person I call Elise Bittner occasionally as Eliza, and even rarely as Elizabeth.)

Source:Lehigh, Pennsylvania, United States. Probate Records, 1812-1920 ; Index 1812-1965, file 5670: The will of a Elias Snyder of Germansville in Heidelberg, dated 18 Dec 1880, says he is the son of Christian Snyder dec'd [i.e., Christian (Jr.), who m. Elizabeth Hauser], and names wife Phoebe, sons-in-law Alfred Kern and William Sittler, plus other unnamed children. These sons-in-law are usually said to have married daughters of Elias Snyder and Elise Bittner, the obvious conclusion being that Phoebe is his second wife after Elise died. In 1850 census, at Heidelberg, is found Elias age 34, wife Elizabeth [sic], children Edwin, Senia, Louisa, Wilson. In 1860, at Heidelberg, is found Elias now age 44, with children Edwin, Sania, Louisa, Wilson, Fretta, and Monroe, and in the same household, an Elizabeth labelled widow, age 64 (i.e., his mother, widow of Christian Jr.). In 1870 census, at Heidelberg, Elias age 54 and wife Phoebe Ann have children Edwin, Louisa, Wilson, Fritta, Monroe, Jane Amda, and Rosa. In the 1880 census, Elias is 64 with wife Phoebe and children Louisa and Jane, and granddaughter Ellen George. Also, in the 1880 census, the sons-in-law can be found with their wives and children: Albert [sic] J Kern and wife Fretta are living in Slatington, and William Sittler and wife Sania are living in Lynn Township. The Second Graveyard at Heidelberg Church has a gravestone "Elias Snyder, gv Phebe Snyder, June 3, 1816, Feb. 15, 1881", per Burials at Heidelberg Church Cemetery, p. 20. The conclusion is that Elias, s/o Christian Jr., b. 3 Jun 1816, m. (1) Elise Bittner, m. (2) Phoebe ---, d. 26 Feb 1881.

File 6712 has the will of an Elias Snyder of Washington Township, dated 23 Nov 1886, which names no wife, and children Edwin Snyder (living outside of Pennsylvania), Alvin A. Snyder, and Flora A. Dutt wife of Samuel Dutt. The 1850 census for Washington, Lehigh, PA, shows an Elias age 34 and Elizabeth Snyder with children Edwin (age 5) and Floriann (age 2). In 1860 in Washington, this Elias age 44 has no wife, but the household includes a maid Elizabeth Ebert, and children Edwin, Flora A., twins Albert and Rosa. In 1870, Elizabeth is now the wife of Elias, who is age 54, with children Albert and Irvin living at home. There is no actual proof of his parentage, but given his consistent age pattern in the census records cited, he matches the Elias bp. in 1816. Therefore, it is reasonable to think that this Elias is the son of Jacob, and he married first Elizabeth Sensinger, secondly Elizabeth Ebert who died in 1885, thereby leaving him with no wife when he wrote his will in 1886. The Second Graveyard at Heidelberg Church has a gravestone "Elias Snyder, Apr. 29, 1816, Dec. 17, 1886", per Burials at Heidelberg Church Cemetery, p. 20. The conclusion is that Elias, s/o Jacob, b. 29 Apr 1816, m. (1) Elizabeth Sensinger, m. (2) Elizabeth Ebert, d. 17 Dec 1886. (The Glenn Synder manuscript that is attached to the above cited source presents this same arrangement. Glenn Synder was a grandson of this Elias, son of his son Edwin.)

Elias Snyder, the son of Friedrich, b. 1813, m. Rebecca ---, and is relatively easily distinguished from the other Eliases. As a result, he has not been as thoroughly investigated and is included only for completeness. One listing of his family may be seen at [1]. He is listed in the 1850 census at Heidelberg age 37, wife Rebecca, children Franklin, Mandes [Amandes], Mary, Amelia, Ely [Elias], John and Tilghman, apparently living next door to his parents Frederick age 69 and Susan age 59 Snyder. In 1860, this family, under Schneider, adds children Sarah and Moses, and mother Susanna, now age 70, has moved in with them. The conclusion is that Elias, s/o Friedrich, b. abt. 1813, m. Rebecca ----, d. possibly before 1870?.

References
  1. Baptisms 1816-1831, in Leiby, Amandus S, and John Helffrich. A record of baptisms & funerals copied from the private record of the Rev. John Helffrich. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1980)
    3.

    Johannes and Barbara Schneider: Elias, b. 12 Jan 1817, bp. 23 Feb 1817, Heidelberg, Sponsors: Friedrich & Susanna Schneider.

  2. Source:Lehigh, Pennsylvania, United States. Probate Records, 1812-1920 ; Index 1812-1965, file 3645, 2 Apr 1866, Accounting of estate of John Snyder Gunsmith Dec'd, presented by Nathan Snyder and Daniel Schneider, lists heirs Nathan Snyder, Owen Snyder, Daniel Snyder, Mary Snyder, Eliza Schnabel, Lydia De Long, and Sarah Bloss [i.e., not Elias].