Husband Dr. Isaac Newton Snively, M.D. 1 2
Born: 23 Feb 1839 - near Jackson Hall, Franklin Co, PA 3 4
Christened:
Died: Aft 1887
Buried:
Father: John Snively (1799-1853) 3 5
Mother: Catherine Keefer (1802-1854) 3 5
Marriage: 12 Feb 1904 6
Other Spouse: Alice B. Barr ( -1902) 3 6 - 24 Dec 1863 6 7
• Additional Image: Isaac N. Snively, M.D.
Wife Anna Bella Good 6
Born:
Christened:
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Children
General Notes: Husband - Dr. Isaac Newton Snively, M.D.
He spent his early life on his father's farm, assisting in the various farm duties during the summer months and attending the public schools during winters. At the age of fourteen, being left an orphan, he started out in quest of employment. Arriving in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, he entered the store of Hutz & Son, acting as salesman with his cousin, John P. Keefer, who very kindly gave him access to his fine library. He soon acquired a fondness for books which disqualified him for the duties of a clerkship, and he withdrew to enter the Fayetteville Academy, then under the supervision of the Rev. Mr. Kennedy. From here he returned to Chambersburg and attended the private classical school of a noted teacher, Thomas J. Harris, where for a time he also acted as assistant. He afterward taught in the public schools and took an active part in the Franklin County Teachers' Association. In 1857 he graduated at Duff's Commercial College at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1858, while teaching the Mt. Vernon School, near Waynesboro, he commenced the study of anatomy with Dr. Benjamin Frantz. In the spring of 1859 he became a pupil of the late Dr. John C. Richards, of Chambersburg, and graduated from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, in 1863. In the same year, when the Confederate Army invaded Pennsylvania, the Doctor went to Harrisburg, and after passing the required examination before the State medical board, was commissioned by the governor of Pennsylvania as assistant surgeon, his commission bearing date June 20, 1863. He was assigned by Dr. King, surgeon-general of Pennsylvania, to do duty at Camp Curtin. He became acting surgeon of the Twentieth Pennsylvania Regiment, Col. William B. Thomas commanding. He allowed himself to be mustered out of service with his regiment, and returned to Chambersburg, where he associated himself in the practice of his profession with his late preceptor, Dr. J. C. Richards. Besides their regular practice they had charge of the Town Hall Hospital. September 8, 1863, the surgeon-general of Pennsylvania sent him a commission assigning him to the One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, then encamped at Beverly Ford, Virginia, Maj. Ewing commanding. He declined this, as well as a lucrative appointment on the Pacific coast in a marine hospital, preferring to continue in the practice with Dr. Richards.
He married and they moved on the Smith property on Main Street, Waynesboro, and there, July 30, 1864, they lost their all by the burning of the town by rebels. The Doctor was away at the time, and his young wife barely escaped from the flames of their burning dwelling. Left destitute, the Doctor was not discouraged, but in less than a week was found on duty in the United States General Army Hospital at Beverly, New Jersey. He continued there until the war was about closing, when he resigned to take the place of Dr. James Brotherton, Jr., of Waynesboro (who had lately died), and there he enjoyed a lucrative practice. He was one of the founders of the medical society of Franklin County, and of which he was president in 1874. He took an active interest in getting the railroads to Waynesboro, and was elected president of the Baltimore & Cumberland Valley Railroad in 1882. The Doctor was successful, turning his attention largely to surgery, and he had but few superiors in that branch of his profession in Pennsylvania. He made the eye a specialty, and through his professional knowledge was able, by performing delicate operations, to restore perfect sight where his patient had been blind for several years. He was a permanent member of the American Medical Association, and a permanent member of the Pennsylvania State Medical Association. The Doctor and his wife were members of the Presbyterian Church. He was a Republican in politics. He was a member of the I. O. O. F., and also of the G. A. R., Capt. Jno. E. Walker Post, No. 287, of which he was surgeon for a number of years. [HFC 1887, 960]
He spent his early life on his father's farm, assisting with the various farm duties in the summer, and attending the public schools in the winter. At the age of fourteen years, being left an orphan, he started out in quest of employment, and entered the store of Hutz & Son, in Chambersburg, as salesman with his cousin, John P. Keefer, who very kindly gave him access to his fine library. Soon the ambitious boy acquired a taste for reading and study that disqualified him for the duties of clerking, and he withdrew from his position to enter the Fayetteville Academy, then under the supervision of the Rev. Mr. Kennedy. From there he returned to Chambersburg and attended the classical school of the noted Thomas J. Harris, now deceased, where for a time he acted as an assistant. Afterward Dr. Snively took an active part in the Franklin County Teachers' Association, and was one of the popular teachers of the public schools in that vicinity. In 1857 he was graduated from Duff's Commercial College at Pittsburgh, Pa., and in 1858, while teaching the Mount Vernon school, near Waynesboro, he commenced the study of medicine and anatomy with Dr. Benjamin Frantz. In 1859 he became a pupil of the late Dr. John C. Richards, of Chambersburg, and was graduated at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, in 1863. In the same year, when the Confederate army invaded Pennsylvania, the Doctor went to Harrisburg, and after passing the examination before the State Medical Board, was commissioned assistant surgeon, his commission bearing the date of June 20, 1863. He was assigned by Dr. King, surgeon-general of the State, to duty at Camp Curtin, and he became acting surgeon of the 20th P. V. I., Col. William B. Thomas commanding. He allowed himself to be mustered out with his regiment, and returned to Chambersburg, where he associated himself in the practice of his profession with his late preceptor, Dr. J. C. Richards. In addition to their regular practice they had charge of the Town Hall hospital. On Sept. 8, 1863, the surgeon general of Pennsylvania sent him a commission assigning him to the 155th P. V. I., then encamped at Beverly Ford, Va., Major Ewing commanding. Dr. Snively declined this, as well as a lucrative appointment on the Pacific coast in a United States marine hospital, preferring to continue in practice with Dr. Richards. At the time of the burning of Chambersburg, July 30, 1864, Dr. Snively was away, and his young wife barely escaped the flames of their burning building, to find herself destitute. She could not find her husband for a week, when he was discovered on duty in the United States General Army Hospital at Beverly, N. J., where he had charge of Wards 11 and 19, until about Jan. 1, 1865, when he resigned to succeed Dr. James Brotherton, Jr., of Waynesboro, who had just died, and Dr. Snively located in this city, where he has since enjoyed a very large and lucrative practice. He was one of the founders of the Franklin County Medical Society, and president in 1874. When the question of having the railroads to the town of Waynesboro arose, Dr. Snively took a very important part in the matter, and he was elected president of the Baltimore & Cumberland Valley Railroad in 1882, a position he still holds.
In his practice Dr. Snively has been eminently successful, he having made a specialty of surgery, and he has but few equals in Pennsylvania. Dr. Snively has long made the eye a feature of his practice, and has performed some very delicate operations, in more cases than one being able to restore sight after it had been lost for several years. In addition to the part he has always taken in the Franklin County Medical Society, he is a prominent member of the American Medical Association, and of the Pennsylvania State Medical Association. Dr. and Mrs. Snively were prominent members of the Presbyterian Church. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and fraternally he is a member of the I. O. O. F.; the G. A. R., Capt. John E. Walker Post, No. 287, of which he has been surgeon for a number of years; the Heptasophs; the Royal Arcanum, the Fraternal Mystic Circle; the Junior Order American Mechanics, and the P. O. S. of A. Dr. Snively enjoys a reputation that extends all over the State as a skilled surgeon and able physician. He takes great pleasure in the breeding of blooded cattle and horses at his beautiful country home on the Antietam, known by the name of "Antietam Place."
Dr. Snively's field of professional labor extended into the South Mountain in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Being fond of the studies of geology and mineralogy, he became intensely interested in that volcanic mineral belt, on the summit of South Mountain, running in a northeastern and southwestern direction, along which are extensive porphyry beds and outcroppings of rich minerals, principally native copper, carrying more or less of the precious metals. In this region, which was very indifferently noted by the state geologists, he spent much time and money in preliminary development and attracted many mining engineers from various parts of the world, all of whom reported favorably upon the conditions there. Dr. Snively's efforts to call the attention of mineralogists and capitalists to the South Mountain deposits of rich ore have extended over a period of a quarter of a century; and it is due to his geological knowledge, and his persistent exploitation of the extensive mineral wealth there, that there has been given to the scientific world the knowledge of this, as yet, only partially explored region. Dr. Snively has been compelled to work under difficulties, but these have not checked his enthusiasm and his belief that such a rich section should be developed in justice to the cause of science. By request of a state official Dr. Snively once accompanied an assistant to the state geologist over this copper region, but he did not seem impressed, and asserted to the Doctor that "the native copper was a mere surface segregation, and did not extend to any depth, and that he failed to see any evidences of igneous action in this region." Dr. Snively meanwhile took out a mass of native copper which he discovered only four feet beneath the surface, identical with the Lake Superior ores, and weighing about twenty-five pounds. A brief period afterward a shaft sunk on this mineral belt showed an abundance of native copper at the depth of one hundred and fifty feet, and only one year ago Mr. Zinc, a well driller, bored a hole to the depth of three hundred feet and passed through native copper and epidote over eight feet thick at the depth of two hundred and fifty feet beneath the surface. Such eminent geologists as Prof. Williams of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., Mr. Blandy, and Joseph Revere, of Boston, have pronounced this an igneous region and the outcroppings of great value. Dr. Snively has sold a portion of his mineral lands on the South Mountain which are showing well under development by Mr. W. D. Elger, of New York, and still holds large interests which he proposes to develop in the near future. [BAFC, 225]