William P. Snyder, deceased, was for many years closely connected with the community interests in and about Dover, Shawnee County, and some record of his life and family connections should be entered in this publication.
He was born in Fayette County, Ohio, October 8, 1828. His parents John and Malinda (Campbell) Snyder had three children, all of whom are now deceased.
Reared on a farm, William P. Snyder adopted farming as his life’s occupation. His early life was spent at a time when public schools were not in vogue, and the advantages of the old time subscription school were all that his means could afford. He spent his boyhod very much as other Ohio farm boys of that time did.
In 1855 he married Miss Matilda Denious. She was a daughter of Isaac and Harriet (Coffman) Denious. Isaac Denious was a native of Virginia and the son of a large slave holder and planter. Because of his individual antipathy to slavery he left home and for that reason was disinherited. Settling in Franklin County, Ohio, in pioncer days, he married a daughter of Henry and Margaret (Sells) Coffman. Henry Sells was a soldier in the War of 1812.
With his wife and four children William P. Snyder came to Shawnee County, Kansas, in the early days. He pre-empted land in Dover Township, and there spent the rest of his life. He was a man of quiet character, but worthily filled the appointment on earth allotted to him by divine decree. His death occurred July 27, 1898, when nearly seventy years of age.
He was the father of five children: Cary, deceased; Earl, Harriet, Mrs. Joseph Flicking, Ray, and Jennie, Mrs. Floyd Ross.
