My family tree

The Irish Snells: It is believed that the modern-day Snells of Ireland are descendants of the 12th century clan Snedgaile. The earliest report of the Snell name to be found in Irish records was one Thomas Snell listed as Bishop of Ossory in the Papal Papers of 1417. Barry Snell was a prominent citizen of Cork city listed in the Census of Ireland ca. 1659.

Michael Snell of Curraghmore, County Cork, a farmer, is believed to be the earliest Snell of our family to be located in Irish records. His name is listed in the index of Irish wills under the date of 1823. So far it has been impossible to prov e that this Michael Snell is our ancestor because all of the early Irish wills were destroyed by a fire at the Public Record Office in Dublin in 1922.

Our ancestor John Snell of Curraghmore, County Cork, Ireland died about 1847. It is believed that John had a brother William Snell who came to the United States about 1845. William Snell is listed in the primary Valuation of the Earl of Kingston in Curraghmore. This lease was in his name but in contemplation of his emigration, William assigned the duration of the lease to another person.

Curraghmore is a townland in the Civil Parish of Brigown in the Union of Mitchelstown in the Barony of Condions and Clangibbon. Mitchelstown is a town which spreads across from Brigown to Marshalstown parish, and would have been a market town for our ancestors in nearby rural Curraghmore. They also attended mass at the Catholic Church in Mitchelstown. The name Curraghmore is Irish for great bog or marsh. The departure of the Earl of kingston sometime before 1834 provoked a crisis in mitchelstown. With the kingstons as absentee landlords. Mitchelstown lost the money they formerly invested in the locality. The starvation that resulted affected one-third of the population of 5,000 and precipitated a wave of emigration before the great famine struck in 1846-1851.

In 1981, Patrick Snell of Seneca, Wisconsin told the following story of the family of his grandfather William Snell. Much of the informatrion comes from an interview with Patrick's uncle Michael Snell on 5 Jan 1949.

There were two Snell families who came to America. First came the family of William Snell. Later this family was joined by "Red" Mike Snell and his brother Edmund Snell. All of the Snells were born at Curraghmore, near Mitchelstown, County Cork, Ireland. William Snell was born about 1790 and died in Seneca, Wisconsin 17 Jan 1870. He married Mary O'Brien in Ireland, who was born in Ireland and all came to America except his eldest daughter Catherine Snell O'Brien. The Snells had tough going when they landed in Boston about 1845, faced with signs saying "No Irish Need Apply." The men were husky and got pick and shovel jobs building a realroad west. When they got to Ohio they applied for naturalization papers and had saved enough money t9 buy horses for their railroad work and thereby step up their income. They railroaded their way west finally settling in Seneca, Wisconsin. This is in Crawford County. They built a log home with a basement suitable for two families. They were Roman Catholics and some of the children were married at St. Gabriel's Catholic Church in Prairie du Chein, Wisconsin. Seven children are listed in the probate record of William Snell on file at the courthouse in Prairie du Chein.