BIO: Charles Albright SNYDER, Dauphin County, PA

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Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, 
Containing Sketches of Representative Citizens, and Many of the 
Early Scotch-Irish and German Settlers.  Chambersburg, Pa.: 
J. M. Runk & Company, 1896, page 224.
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  SNYDER, CHARLES ALBRIGHT, son of Simon Snyder and Catharine Michael, 
was born May 29, 1799, at Selinsgrove, Pa.  His grandfather, Simon 
Snyder, was an emigrant from Moravia, while his mother's father was 
Eberhart Michael, a prominent personage in the early history of 
Lancaster county.  Charles A. was educated by private tutors, and early 
in life began contracting.  In 1837 he was one of a partnership in the 
building of the West Feliciana railroad in Mississippi and Louisiana.  
For several years he was a clerk in the prothonotary's office at 
Sunbury and afterwards at Harrisburg.  In the latter part of his life 
he was a justice of the peace, alderman, United States commissioner, 
and a notary public.  He died at Harrisburg on the 8th of November, 
1868, aged sixty-nine years.  Mr. Snyder was a good land lawyer and had 
a very extensive knowledge of land titles in Pennsylvania, and was 
often sought by prominent members of the bar in consultation on such 
subjects.  He owned considerable bodies of coal land, which have now 
become valuable, but which he was compelled to part with because of the 
slowness of internal improvements; was interested in the copper and 
nickel mines of Lancaster, Pa., and Connecticut; developed the first 
cannel coal mines in Missouri; was pioneer in such early enterprises, 
which always turned out disastrous at the time, but as the country 
improved and modern appliances and new inventions came in vogue turned 
out well.  In fact, he was too far in advance of the times.  Mr. Snyder 
married, in 1828, Barbara Keller, daughter of John Keller, and their 
children were:  Catharine, married B. F. Etter, Edward, Eugene, Mary, 
Emma, married Dr. George H. Markley, Charles, Simon, and John Keller, 
the two latter deceased.