made deputy attorney-general, elected to the legislature, and served as speaker in 1842-'4. He was state treasurer from 1845 till 1847, treasurer of the U.S. mint from 1847 till 1S50, and its director from 1853 till 1801. In addition to numerous addresses and pamphlets on numismatics and curcency, seven annual mint reports, and contributions to journals, he published “Descriptions of Coin in the U. S. Mint” (Philadelphia, 1860); “Description of the Medals of Washington, of National and Miscellaneous Medals, and of other Objects of Interest in the Museum of the Mint, with Biographical Notices of the Directors from 1792 to 1851” (1861); “The Mint at Philadelphia” (1861); “The Coins of the Bible, and its Money Terms” (1864); and “The Cornplanter Memorial” (Harrisburg, 1867); and contributed articles on the coin of the United States to the National almanac of 1873, and articles on numismatics to Bouvier's “Law Dictionary” (12th ed., Philadelphia, 1868).—His nephew, Archibald Loudon, b. in Cumberland county, Pa., 11 Aug., 1837, after graduation at Jefferson college in 1856 was made register of the U. S. mint on 7 May, 1857, became chief coiner on 1 Oct., 1866, and in 1877-'9 was postmaster of Philadelphia. In 1879-'85 he was superintendent of the mint, and in 1878 he declined the office of general director of all the mints in the United States. He has made improvements and inventions relating to coining-machinery, and has written articles on subjects relating to coinage, the great seal of the United States, and other subjects. Mr. Snowden was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of Pennsylvania volunteers in 1861, and was subsequently elected captain of the 1st city troop of Philadelphia, which is the oldest military organization in the United States. It was the bodyguard of Gen. Washington during the Revolution, and bore a conspicuous part in the battles of Trenton, Princeton, and the Brandywine. He has been identified with railroads, insurance companies, and other business interests.
SNYDER, Christopher, called “the first martyr
of the Revolution,” b. about 1755; d. in Boston,
Mass., 23 Feb., 1770. During the excitement in
1770 on the subject of non-importation a few
merchants continued to sell articles that had been
proscribed, and one, Theophilus Lillie, incurred
such displeasure that, in order to mark his shop as
one to be shunned, a mob, consisting chiefly of
half-grown boys, erected near his door a wooden
head on a tall pole, upon which were written the
names of the other importers, and a hand pointing
to Lillie's shop was also attached. One of his
friends, Ebenezer Richardson, attempted to remove
this figure, but was pelted and driven into Lillie's
house by the mob. Greatly exasperated, he
appeared with a musket and fired a random shot
into the crowd, which mortally wounded a young
lad, Christopher Snyder, the son of a poor widow.
Snyder died on that evening, and his murder
produced a sensation throughout the country. His
funeral, on the 26th, was the occasion of a solemn
pageant. A procession of 500 children walked
before the bier, and the coffin was taken to Liberty
tree, where an assemblage of nearly 1,500 persons
had gathered. The bells of the city and of neighboring
towns were tolled. The newspapers were
filled with accounts of the story and of the funeral,
and Christopher Snyder was called the first martyr
in the cause of American liberty. The mob
seized Richardson and an associate named Wilmot
and took them to Faneuil hall, where they were
examined and committed for trial. Richardson
was declared guilty of murder, but Lieut.-Gov.
Thomas Hutchinson refused to sign his
death-warrant, and after two years' imprisonment he
was pardoned by the king.
SNYDER, Simon, governor of Pennsylvania,
b. in Lancaster, Pa., 5 Nov., 1759; d. near
Selinsgrove, Pa., 9 Nov., 1819. His father, Anthony,
a mechanic, emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1758.
After his death in 1774 the son apprenticed
himself to a tanner in York, Pa., and employed his
leisure in study. In 1784 he removed to Selinsgrove,
opened a store, became the owner of a mill,
and was justice of the peace for twelve years. He
was a member of the convention that framed the
constitution of 1790, and in 1797 was elected a
member of the house of representatives, of which
he was chosen speaker in 1802, serving in this
capacity for six successive terms. With him originated
the “hundred-dollar act,” which embodied
the arbitration principle and provided for the
trial of causes where the amount in question was
less than one hundred dollars. In 1808 he was
made governor of Pennsylvania and served three,
terms. Upon his retirement in 1817 he was elected
to the state senate, and died while a member of
that body. Snyder county, Pa., was named for him.
SOISSONS, Charles de Bourbon, Count de,
viceroy of New France, b. in France in 1565; d.
there, 1 Nov., 1612. The death of Henry IV.
weakened Champlain's chances of successfully
colonizing New France, and, by the advice of De
Monts, he sought a protector in the person of the
Count de Soissons, who accepted the proposal to
become the “father of New France,” obtained from
the queen regent the authority necessary to
preserve and advance all that had been already done,
and appointed Champlain his lieutenant with
unrestricted power. In his commission to Champlain
he styles himself “lieutenant-general of New
France,” but he died soon after issuing it.
SOJOURNER TRUTH, lecturer, b. in Ulster county. N. Y., about 1775; d. in Battle Creek, Mich., 26 Nov., 1883. Her parents were owned by Col. Charles Ardinburgh, of Ulster county, and she was sold at the age of ten to John J. Dumont. Though she was emancipated by the act of New York which set at liberty in 1817 all slaves over the age of forty, she does not appear to have obtained her freedom until 1827, when she escaped and went to New York city. Subsequently she lived in Northampton. Mass., and in 1851 began to lecture in western New York, accompanied by George Thompson, of England, and other Abolitionists, making her headquarters in Rochester, N. Y. Subsequently she travelled in various parts of the United States, lecturing on politics, temperance, and women's rights, and for the welfare of her race. She could neither read nor write, but, being nearly six feet in height and possessing a deep and powerful voice, she proved an effective lecturer. She carried with her a book that she called “The Book of Life.” containing the autographs of many distinguished persons that were identified with the anti-slavery movement. Her name was Isabella, but she called herself “Sojourner,” claiming to have heard this name whispered to her from the Lord. She added the appellation of “Truth” to signify that she should preach nothing but truth to all men. She spent much time in Washington, D. C., during the civil war, and passed her last years in Battle Creek, Mich., where a small monument was erected near her grave, by subscription. See “Narrative of Sojourner Truth, drawn from her ‘Book of Life,’ with Memorial Chapter,” by Mrs. Francis W. Titus (Battle Creek, 1884).
