David Snyder Biography

B. 1797 D. 1884
Married: Nancy Erb

Daniel Schneider (later spelled Snider) was born in Pennsylvania in 1797 and came with father Christian Schneider and family in 1806 to the Doon area. He married Nancy Erb, a daughter of John Erb who had built the early grist mill in southern part of Waterloo Township that later became Preston. At first Daniel operated a small store south of Berlin but in 1830 decided that the early settlement of Waterloo would give more opportunity for a retail business. Another reason probably was that his brother Jacob C. had recently purchased the grist mill that had been begun by Abraham Erb. Daniel first purchased a farm west of Waterloo and then an acre of land on the main corner of the settlement across from the grist mill. Here in 1830 in the middle of the block on east side of early King St. N. he opened a small general store. The next year he was fortunate in getting permission to open the first Waterloo Post Office and being named its first Postmaster.

In the early settlement, this store became the first unofficial bank in town. Underneath the floor he built a large vault that had a number of compartments like our safety deposit boxes today. A large metal grate in the floor covered the area and could only be unlocked by pushing a secret release button. Farmers and others used this service to store valuables such as gold and silver coins, farm deeds, etc. that would be in danger if left around the early log cabins on the farm.

In the 1850's Christian Kumpf, recently from Germany, came to work in the store. Kumpf began to take more responsibility and soon around 1860 was named assistant postmaster. Daniel Snider and Benjamin Devitt purchased a large lot near gristmill from Elias Snider and constructed a large commercial building called the Devitt-Snider Block. The post office then moved to this new building in 1862 and after Snider’s retirement, Christian Kumpf was named postmaster. Daniel and Nancy had no children of their own but adopted a girl by name of Amanda Lewis. She married Henry Bauman (Bowman) and with help of his father-in-law Bowman erected in 1825 the first hotel in the settlement calling it the Farmers’ Inn.

Sources:
1. Margaret Zavaros, Waterloo’s Post Office, Waterloo Historical Society, Vol 80, 1992
2. Ezra E. Eby, A Biographical History of Early Settlers and their Descendants in Waterloo Township, Eldon D. Weber, Editor, 1971.
3. Marg Rowell, etal, Welcome to Waterloo.
4. Berlin Chronicle, February 22, 1859.
5. Waterloo County Councillors: A Collective Biography.
6. Early Settlers to Wat. Co. – A Genealogy.