John Poythress - Parents of Catherine Jane Snodgrass

Catherine Jane Snodgrass

Hello, I didn't make the entry for Catherine Jane Jenkins Snodgrass as being a Patterson and assumed that she was a Poythress. The Poythress family just appeared in my family tree one day. I recently found her on Find A Grave ID 44277144 and she is identified as Patterson but it does not include her parents. She also appears as a Patterson on Find A Grave results for William Snodgrass ID 25493312. On page 3 of 5, it refers to "In the Presence of us the Subscribers William Patterson James Brown David Snodgrass. A search of William Patterson and Aaron Jenkins on Find A Grave and Billion Graves revealed nothing.

As an ancestor of the Snodgrass family, I have been puzzled about this also. The Snodgrass family were notorious for naming their children after parents, great grandparents etc., but I do not see this in her children's names especially in the names Robert and David.

I'll research this some more and let you know if I discover anything.

Cynthia, Kevin,

Thank you both for responding. Honestly, Catherine is a curious person for me. The Snodgrass family is indeed in the Kincannon line but this Poythress name shows up as well.

Cynthia, where did you find your information that verifies Catherine is a Snodgrass (or is her maiden name Jenkins)?

I actually stumbled upon a Poythress family group several years ago and tried reaching out to them for help in determining who was and who wasn't a Poythress relative and they wouldn't respond.

Daughter of John Patterson
Wife of Aaron Jenkins and William John Snodgrass, Jr.

This is going to be long winded but it may answer several questions for us. I purchase a book on Amazon written by Millie Covey Fry called The Charles Snodgrass Family Frontier Life in the Monongahela Valley. I assume that is what the valley was called before it became Monongalia. I believe the dates and names she has provided are correct in that she is able to verify individuals based on property taxes, deeds and some court cases.

Excerpts:
"The story of the Snodgrass family in America begins with the journey of an ancestor across the Atlantic Ocean and continues with the westward migration of this and other families to Frederick County, Virginia, and Berkeley and Monongalia Counties now located in West Virginia. Later, Charles Snodgrass' widow and their children crossed the Mississippi River and traveled further west.
There are several variations of the story about the first Snodgrass to come to America; "Three brothers came from Ireland to America. Three brothers started to America and one died at sea and sunk in the sea. Our ancestor was born in the middle of the ocean, on his way over here". According to one old Snodgrass record, which can't be located by anyone today, a John Snodgrass was born in County Mayo, Ireland, in 1717 (Find a Grave ID 158726372 confirms this). Many believe that some of the Snodgrasses came to America in the early 1770's from Ireland, although their place of origin is said to have been near Ayshire, Scotland, located west and a little south of Glasgow. John apparently had seven sons who eventually made their homes in Pennsylvania and northern Virginia. Joseph the oldest born in 1740, Charles born in 1742, James "Blue Jim" born 1743, John Jr. born 1745, Frank in 1748, William in 1751 and Michael in 1753( who has disappeared from public record)".

With regards to Catherine Patterson Snodgrass (Find A Grave ID 44277144), I believe William (Find a Grave ID 25493312), husband to Catherine Patterson is Charles' brother.

With regards to John William Snodgrass born 1717, an Elizabeth Anderson Snodgrass (Find A Grave ID 226446209) indicates that her husband was John William Snodgrass with the same birth and death dates.

Interestingly I found the following web page regarding Charles Snodgrass and it reveals several names who may be connected. An example is a reference to William Patterson. Could he be the father of Catherine Patterson? I have yet to see any evidence that would prove Catherine Poythress is connected in any way.

https://wc.rootsweb.com/trees/244032/I333/-/individual

There are several inconsistencies and duplications throughout the Snodgrass tree. As I mentioned before, I have considerable evidence of everything that I have entered into Genie and ask that no one make changes to Charles Sr., or any of his descendants. I agree with Cynthia that someone who knows more about the family start over. This would require the cooperation of several people to make necessary factual changes but if it is not done, then this tree is simply not reliable.

Since I have Millie's book, let me know if you have any questions that it might answer.

On questions like this, FindAGrave is a resource for finding real documentation, but wouldn't stand on its own for the "genealogical standard of proof." If we're just wanting to fill names in a box, maybe that'll do, but it really isn't reliable by itself.
Kevin, thanks very much for the pointer to the book. No doubt the author studied this in detail. That doesn't mean everything they conclude is correct, but it's likely a much fuller reference than FindAGrave (though I usually assume FaG is correct if there aren't other sources).
Her son is Robert H. Snodgrass DAR A106553 - sometimes the DAR (or SAR) applicant added superfluous prior generations so descendants would have some clues. (Robert's father-in-law was apparently Colonel Stephen Rawlings DAR A093469, who d. Berkeley County, if that helps).
What I'm seeing on Ancestry.com to document a Patterson connection is a "Cath" LNU burial at Isle of Man in 1784, another Catherine LNU burial in England in 1779, a baptism from 1863, a marriage record for a Josaphine Helbert b. 1861 [f/m Wm & Catherine Snodgrass], and a will probated in 1957. If you check the dates, somebody's just clicking buttons over a cup of coffee. As far as I see, there's no contemporary record supporting the connection to her parents in any way, regardless of name. I'd be happy to see such a document, though.
Definitely worth looking into harder!

PS - if Catherine's first husband was named Jenkins, and noting that West Virginia wasn't a State until 1863 or so, a thorough search on Catherine Jenkins of Virginia could be in order.

I concur with Peter in that we must be careful where we get our information from. In the case of the Millie Covey Fry book, she admits that some information has not been proven. Also in her Acknowledgement she thanks Ruth Snodgrass for photos and information when they met in 1969, so this may be the most accurate information that may be available to us. Although Catherine's surname is not mentioned, here is another section that may help.

"No known record verifies that such a John Snodgrass was the father of these men (referring to my last post) or proves their reported birth dates, but there is documentation the three Snodgrass men - James (died in 1786), Charles (died in 1808) , and William (his will was proven in 1832) - were living in very close proximity in Monongalia County, Virginia (now West Virginia), within a few years following the close of the American Revolution. Although these three men were likely brothers, there is no known documentation offering proof of such a relationship.
The first known mention of Charles Snodgrass is on a Sept. 7, 1770 church record in what is now Berkeley Co. WV. This county was formed from Frederick Co. VA in 1772. His name is one of 109 on a subscription list for the Presbyterian congregations of Tuscarora, Falling Waters, and Back Creek - Tomahawk. Other persons on the list were David, Mary, John and John Snodgrass Jr. A sixth name could be Joseph Snodgrass, but the writing of the given name is difficult to read"

It then goes on to an agreement to pay for services of Pastor Hugh Vance and includes a copy of page 1 and 2 of the 1770 list of members of the congregation. The above names are included on this list.

In the next chapter,

"William and John Snodgrass were brothers who owned land in the Back Creek area before 1750. Although Charles appears on the same Presbyterian Church membership list, his relationship to John and the descendants of William Snodgrass is unknown at this time. William and Catherine built a one-room log house in 1742 on the Warms Springs Road (today's State Route 9) midway between Martinsburg and the Town of Bath (now Berkeley Springs, WV). He and Catherine Snodgrass were the parents of at least four children including Robert, David, Joseph and John. By 1773, Robert and his wife Susannah (Rawlings) were the proprietors of the Snodgrass Tavern, the home where he spent his childhood. As a result of his love for the area, he and several family members purchased substantial plantations near Charles Town in the Northern Neck of Virginia.
The second Snodgrass brother John owned property on nearby Tuscarora Run. His will was probated on Feb. 19,1788, and included the names of his children - Benjamin, John, James, and William Snodgrass, Elizabeth Kennedy, Sarah Eakin, and Catherine Reney."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snodgrass_Tavern

I just discovered an Aaron Jenkins in land grants for Monongalia Co. if it helps.

http://wvancestry.com/ReferenceMaterial/Files/History_of_Monongalia...

Page 126 - Aaron Jenkins, assignee to Alexander Clegg,
who married to Margaret, who is heir at law to Jacob
Foreman, who was assignee to John Miracle, is entitled to 400 acres of land on Dunkard's creek, to include the settlement made in 1 773 by Thomas Miracle.

Page 189 - Aaron Jenkins, assignee to Alexander Clegg, is entitled to 400 acres of land on Helen's fork of Decker's creek, adjoining lands claimed by Philip Doddridge, including his settlement made in 1 773.

Oh my. Thank you Kevin, Peter and Cynthia.

Catherine is proving to be a bit of a problem. So Millie Fry's book doesn't mention anything about any Poythress relatives. But she does speak of several Snodgrass relatives that need more investigation. And then there is Aaron Jenkins. Hmm.

There's another historian in my Kincannon part of the family. Let me ask her what she discovered about Catherine. I'll get back with all with the information when I receive it.

Judy, have you looked at Find A Grave # 25493312 for William Snodgrass 1697 - 1750?

Page 2 includes the will of Aaron Jenkins and it was witnessed by William PATTERSON, James Brown and David Snodgrass. There is also reference of "Power of Attorney from Katherine Jenkins to Hugh Vance (being the Pastor mentioned earlier) and John Snodgrass of Barkly (Berkeley) County acknowledge in Court and ordered to to certified."

It suggests that after William Snodgrass died in 1750, Catherine Jane Patterson Snodgrass 1705-__?__, married Aaron Jenkins.

For what it's worth and given the children's names mentioned in Find A Grave are the same as those in Millie Covey Fry's book, it could provide a clue.