Berrien County MI Archives News.....PIONEER STORY FROM THE HOME COMING EDITION 1910 July 27, 1933
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Mary Ellen Drolet marydrolet@comcast.net February 19, 2008, 10:16 pm

Berrien County Record, Thursday, July 27, 1933 July 27, 1933
Berrien County Record, Reprinted, Thursday, July 27, 1933
PIONEER STORY FROM THE HOME COMING EDITION 1910
In Which Charles Snyder, An Early Comer, Was Quoted By Thomas Tormey on Early
Reminescenses

     (The following recital of early Buchanan history is taken from the special
Home Coming edition of the Berrien County Record published Aug. 19, 1910)

     Recently the Record has an interview with Charles Snyder, the oldest
continuous resident of Buchanan, which town, when he arrived in 1832, consisted
of a few scattered log cabins in the almost unbroken wilderness.  At that time
the village of one fo the leading Pottawatomie chiefs, Moccasin, was located on
the flat below Moccasin Bluff, on the St. Joseph river, a mile north of the
place.  Another Indian village called Mishaquaka, was located just south of the
village.  The Indian emigration westward commended in 1836 and in 1843, the
remainder, except Pokagon's band went west.

     "There were only a few habitations, all of the log cabin variety when I
arrived here with my parents in '32." said Mr. Snyder.  "We plunged in to the
forest and carved out a home about six miles northwest of here.  There were many
Pottawatomie Indians hereabouts in those days, but they were friendly.  This
peaceable attitude may have been attibuted to the previous contact with French
missionaries and traders.

     The dense forest stood undisturbed in all its primeval grandeur when we
arrived on what became the site of our home, and deer, wild turkey, partridge,
quail and other wild game abounded, but the timber soon suffered inroads at the
hands of the early settlers, who in their eagerness to clear up the land burned
enormous quatities of valuable timber and in the later years, it was entirely
wiped out by saw-mill industries which  rapidly denuded the country.

     "Nature with the indulgence of a kind mother, furnished the early settlers,
who had plunged poorly equipped into the wilderness, with an abundant of
health-giving food and in addition to other game, the wolverine, muskrat,
raccoon, beaver, atter [sic], mink and martin were common and furnished both
pastime and profit to the hunter and trapper, and the streams and lakes swarmed
with fishr[sic].

     Mr. Snyder who was born in Richmond, Ind.  Sept. 2, 1826, and who was only
six years old when he came to these parts with his parents, lived on the farm in
the wilderness till about 1840, when he came to Buchanan, which was then a
hamlet of a few hundred population, and learned the trade of a brick mason, and
he plied the tools of his trade continuously until about a year ago.

     Mr. Snyder erected the union school building, the  Redden building, now
occupied by  W.F. Runner, the druggist; Hotel Lee, the post office bilding, the
Evangelical church and many others.  He also built the Gitchel block at Niles,
and some fine buildings at Dowagiac.

     Mr. Snyder says that he recalls spending a night in the first house built
in Buchanan.  This house he says, was erected by Leonard Madder [sic] and was of
the log cabin variety.

     In 1836, Madder [sic] sold the house, which stood on the bank of the creek
in the rear of the present site of the Atlas Belting company's plant, to Andrew
C. Day.  Mr. Day was a native of Connecticut and came here in '36.  He worked on
the saw mill which Russell McCoy and Hiram Wray built in 1835, at the mouth of
the creek.  In 1839 Mr. Day and John Hamilton erected a grist mill with two runs
of stones on the creek.

     The first person to settle in Buchanan township is said to have been Chas.
Cowles, who came from Vermont in 1833, and settled on the present site of
Buchanana. He built a shingle mill on McCoy's creek shortly after his arrival.

     Mr. Snyder recalls that the village of Buchanan was platted by John
Hamilton in 1842, and contained about 40 acreas.  The original village has
greatly enlarged by subsequent additions.  The village was incorporated in 1858
and at the first elections, James M. Matthews was chosen president.

     Mr. Snyder remembers that the first dry goods store in the village was
opened in 1842 by the firm of Stanley, Staple and Twomley; that a distillery was
established in 1840 by Julius  Russell, with whom Charles Clark was afterwared
associated; that the first physician in the place was Dr. Wm. C. Harrison; that
the first village attorney was John Grove; that among the prominent early
settlers of the village were Edward Ballinger, L.P. Alexender and John  D. Ross
and that among other prominent business men who were identified with important
industries in the village were Wm. M. Bainton,  George H. Richards, A. Willard,
Charles Black and H. S. Black.  Mr. Bainton at an early day built a flour mill
known as Bainton's Mill".  The business is still carried on the his sons, W.F.
and Charles.

     Mr. Snyder enlisted in Company C, 12 th Michigan Regiment in 1863 and
served till the close of the war.  He is a Republican and has voted in many
national and state elections.  In 1851 Mr. Snyder was married the first time. 
His wife died 16 years ago and he re-married his second wife dying nearly a year
ago.  The first marriage was blessed with two children.  They are J. W. Snyder
of Chicago and Mrs. George Howard who resides with Mr. Snyder.




Additional Comments:
Charles Snyder was the son of John Charles Snyder and Phebe Maddren.

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