John Snider (1747 – 1828) 

Tofflemire-Snider Cemetery, 872 County Road 50, Harrow ON

John Snider was born in 1747* at Plum Creek in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His wife, Elizabeth (nee Reitz) was born in 1757 and was also from Plum Creek. They were married November 16, 1774 in Lancaster, PA and had thirteen children, of whom seven survived into adulthood. Their eldest son, Samuel, was a teenager by the time the war ended, and chose to remain in the United States.

The year after the American Revolution ended, John, Elizabeth, and their younger children left Pennsylvania and made their way to the Detroit area, which was still under British control. Like many other families, for enhanced safety and companionship, the Sniders made the treacherous journey to Canada in the company of other Loyalists. Their travel companions were the Tofflemires, Ilers, and Arners. Initially the group lived on Grosse Ile as tenant farmers to the Macomb brothers. Records indicate they arrived there as early as 1784. While on Grosse Ile, Snider helped to build a grist mill for that rapidly growing community. As soon as the north shore of Lake Erie was surveyed and he could claim his Loyalist land grant, John relocated his family to Colchester. There may have been one or two moves from one lot to another in the area, but by 1798 the family had settled on a lakefront lot. During the summer of 1813, John built a two storey, 24 X 20 foot frame house there. Family lore has it that while the house was under construction, cannons from the ships engaged in the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813, could clearly be heard.  As testament to his craftsmanship, John’s house still stands and has been under continuous occupation by his descendants for more than 200 years. In 2025 the Snider House was awarded Heritage status by the Town of Essex. It is among the oldest houses in Essex County.

John was a man of impressive talents. Not only was he a skilled mechanic and blacksmith, he was also a gunsmith, silversmith, and even reputed to have been a bell smith. In an era of horsedrawn carts, mills and the necessity for firearms, Snider’s skills would have been in constant demand during Colchester’s earliest days.

John Snider passed away on May 17, 1828 and is buried in the nearby Tofflemire-Snider cemetery on the north side of County Road 50. John’s widow, Elizabeth, died on February 23, 1837 and is buried next to him.  

*Snider’s tombstone says he was born in 1747; other records indicate he was born on November 10, 1756.