The David Snowden House is an abandoned residence built around 1825, situated in the mountains of eastern Kentucky.
David Snowden Sr. was born in 1759 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. 1a He married Nancy Hazelrigg in 1782 in Washington, Pennsylvania. 1b The couple moved to Clark County, Kentucky, in 1800, 1c and later relocated to Estill County around 1830, 1d where David Sr. passed away in 1839. 1
David Sr.’s son, David Jr., was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, in 1786. 2a He married Margaret “Peggy” McGuire in 1812 in Estill County, 2b where they resided. 2c In 1825, David Jr. built a log cabin, kitchen, and slave quarters near the Middle Fork Kentucky River. 2 The couple lived in Owsley County around 1850, 2d but David Jr. passed away in Estill County in 1852. 2
One of David Jr.’s sons, Frances Marion Snowden, was born on October 23, 1825, in Estill County. 3a He lived in Owsley County around 1850 3b before marrying Clarinda Baker in 1856 in Clay County. 3 Frances remarried Mary “Polly” Thompson in 1868 in Owsley County and moved to Lee County (which split from Estill County) around 1870. 3c He passed away on September 17, 1906. 3
Dudley Bishop Snowden, one of Frances’s many children, was born in Lee County in 1883. 4a He lived in St. Helens and married Zora Catherine Hieronymus in 1920. Dudley served as postmaster for the community starting on April 3, 1914, 5 and also owned a merchant store. He also served in World War I. 6
In 1825, David Snowden Jr. constructed a log cabin, kitchen, and slave quarters. 2 Later on, a larger two-story house was built, featuring a one-story wing, all supported by a foundation of locally quarried sandstone. The house exhibited simple American folk architectural styling, with narrow wood clapboard siding, a cross-gabled standing seam metal roof, a front door accompanied by a rectangular transom, and 2/2 windows featuring simple lintels and sills. Inside, a straightforward center-hall plan was implemented, complemented by lower beadboard paneling, tongue-and-groove hardwood flooring, and paired-end chimneys. At one point, the wing of the house served as the community post office.
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Sources
- Snowden, Randy. “David Snowden Sr.” Ancestry.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. Tree.
- Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
- Ancestry.com. 1790 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
- Ancestry.com. Kentucky, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1890 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.
- Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
- Snowden, Randy. “David Snowden Jr.” Ancestry.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. Tree.
- Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
- Dodd, Jordan. Kentucky Marriages, 1802-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997.
- Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
- Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
- Snowden, Randy. “Frances Marion Snowden” Ancestry.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. Tree.
- Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
- Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
- Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
- Snowden, Randy. “Dudley Bishop Snowden” Ancestry.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. Tree.
- Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
- Ancestry.com. U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
- Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
8 Comments
Add Yours →Years later, I found this, and hope it remained in the family! My paternal grandmother was a Snowden, and I happened upon this with a google of “snowden family history estill county ky” and am glad I did!
[…] and revisiting this part of the state gave me excitement for what I could discover. And this forlorn residence in the distance, set among the trees atop a dirt driveway, didn’t resemble the newer houses […]
How did this house become abandoned with so many descendents? Was it sold out of the family?
Dudley Snowden was my great great great uncle. My mom’s maiden name is Snowden and all of my uncles (Snowden’s no less!) still live in St. Helen’s KY right beside the property. St. Helen’s is my second home as I’ve spent my whole life visiting family and playing in the woods just behind the property on my uncle Kenny’s land. My family would love to have the opportunity to get this land and home back in our possession. Maybe someday we will be able to get it back. Such an awesome place!
This is a relative of mine, My name is Mary Neavin (Mary Elizabeth Snowden). David Snowden Jr. was the son of my Generation ! David Snowden and Nancy Hazelrigg. I would like to restore this home Lord Willing how do I get additional information. Sincerely, Mary Neavin
I’d love to have it too, if I were able to afford it! David Snowden, Jr. is my direct-male line 5th great grandfather (despite my last name, my father’s a Snowden). Hoping to stop by and see this soon next time I’m down there, as I live in northeast Ohio.
Oh, boy. Ask me if I’d like to have this house. Might as well ask a man on the desert if he’d like a drink of water. I’d give my eye tooth and a lot of loot for this house. Sad thing is, I don’t have the loot. So I’d settle for someone who has got the do-re-mi, and who’d use it to restore this beauty. I wouldn’t even bother them after it was restored. I’d be just as happy with some pictures.
Contact your state office for historic preservation and/or The National Trust got Historic Preservation, which has published a wealth of how-to info. Once it’s named an historic landmark (state or federal level) there are tax breaks for the owner to preserve it.