Snow Hill Baptist Church about 1900 - 1910.
This is the place! Stand still, my steed,
Let me review the scene,
And summon from the shadowy Past
The forms that once have been.
Longfellow
"When I first came to Texas in 1867,there were very few people here,mostly men with two six-shooters on their belts,wearing spurs and with lariats on the saddle.The one could cuss the loudest was the Man."
George Jeffcoat March 15,1915
The first settlers were Alfred Markham Thompson and extended family and friends down from Greene County, Missouri in 1850. The earliest known burial in the cemetery is that of Jane Freeman dated 1855. There were probably some few others before and now perhaps as many as 100 or more unmarked graves in the older western section. Alfred operated a sawmill in 1855 and a grist mill for corn in the early 1870s.The Mill was located on nearby Pilot Grove Creek. I Will post the surviving receipts for these early business's shortly. The 1881 Collin County Land Survey map shows the Thompson Bridge on Pilot Grove Creek.. It is probable,as was the custom of the times, this was a toll bridge and appears to be situated on the road to Verona and up to Stony Point. The Thompson School House was in use by 1870 and a Church begun at least by 1881 likely in the same building as shown on the 1881 Map. The present Snow Hill Baptist Church was organized in the spring of 1893 and the building constructed in 1900. Reverend Dwayne Atterberry is now the Pastor.
The State of Texas has just recently granted the Cemetery Designated Texas Historic Cemetery Status.An historical marker will be available around May or June,2011.(Cancelled by disgruntled Cemetery Board Members Bill Stroup,sister Betty Vamvakas and daughter Mary Vamvakas Nov.2010)* Alfred Thompson,N.B.Campbell and J.R.Campbell deeded the land for the Cemetery to the people of the Thompson Community in 1885.
There are four marked graves of Confederate Soldiers;
B.C.Reynolds Co.A Morelands Alabama Cavalry
John J,McDonald Co.C 9th Texas Cavalry
Joseph Thompson Captain Alf Johnson's Texas Spy Company
Joseph U.King 6th NC Cavalry/25th NC Infantry
I have ordered the following CSA markers for known Confederate soldiers:
Soloman Baker Co.K 7th Texas Cavalry
George E.Bowman Farmersville Militia (placed April 30,2011)
Thomas F.Driggers Co.A 22nd Texas Cavalry (placed April 30,2011)
John Hurst Co.A 63rd.Tennessee Infantry (placed April 30,2011)
George Jeffcoat Co.A 59th.Alabama Infantry
William H.McCarley Captain Alf Johnson's Independent Texas Spy Company
Thomas P.Reed Co.F 5th.Texas Partisan Rangers
Dennis B.Thomas Co.F Colonel James Bourland's Border Regiment of Texas Cavalry (placed July 2012)
James Thompson Co.E 22nd.Texas Cavalry (placed April 30,2011)
Wilson McDonald Co.G 22nd. Texas Cavalry
Alf Johnson's Texas Spy Co. CSA
See the balance of the program and pictures on the page War-Confederate soldiers at Thompson/Snow Hill.
The original old Cemetery and Church ledgers have survived. Betty Vamvakas and Chita Welch have informed us they are in the posession of a Mrs. Marlene Kemp. The historical documents were taken sometime over 15 years ago. The Kemp descendents have to date refused to return the old records or provide copies to the Snow Hill Baptist Church and Cemetery Association. There are perhaps a hundred unmarked graves in the old cemetery that may forever remain unknown. A terrible tragedy.
Some notes on the early School:
The noted Collin County historian Minnie Champ made copies of the Index to the large bound volumes to the Collin County School Records beginning 1846.After repeated attempts to locate these records from Minnie's Index and several trips to the County Clerks Office at McKinney,these extremely important documents were located in the basement of the Collin County Annex.Thank you Collin County Clerk Stacey Kemp,Tinker and your whole crew!. (Records were located Oct.2010 as County Court Minutes)
The following Index pertaining to Snow Hill from Minnie Champ. Thank you Minnie!
PAGE 100
# 73 Thompson/Snow Hill School SD # 73 (SD refers to school district # )
F 4/428 Change 8/32 8/509
9/551 Change 10/397 + 8
11/546 Move Church Bldg. on lot
12/115 Sell lot
Order to sell withdrawn 12/127
The County Clerks Office does have an Index for the years 1928 - 1968 but cannot locate the following documents:
Snow Hill School # 73
1.Use as community center 274
2.Sale of teacherage(?) and grounds to L.Bourland 276
3.Sale of Bldg.and ground 354
This is probably the disposition of the most recent Snow Hill School.
* October 2,2010 Cemetery Board members Bill Stroup,Betty Vamvakas,Mary Vamvakas and Sandra Monk voted to sell Board Member Betty Vamvakas part of the Snow Hill Cemetery for cattle grazing. The Vamvakas' are adjacent landowners. I opposed this illegal and immoral sale of a Texas State Historic Cemetery.
The location of the church and cemetery is about 5 miles north of Farmersville,Texas just off HI.78.Take CR.619 west at Pot Rack Creek and look for the sign.
For 20 years I have been gathering information and plan to write a local history book. Please contact me should you have any questions or information about the Snow Hill Community and the people who have lived and are buried here.These people gave us life.They will live in our hearts as long as we remember and honor them.
Thank you,
Mike W.Thompson
cell..972-921-6293
By:Mike Thompson
© Copyright 2010
(Last update June 10,2012)
Alfred Thompson 1810 - 1894
POST MASTERS @ NEARBY US POST OFFICE FAYBURGH,TEXAS
FAYBURG (Collin) (see also FAYBURGH)
Ellis, Geo. W., 6 Nov 1893
Discontinued 30 Nov 1901; papers to Farmersville
[Apparently re-established] Ellis, Geo. W., 8 Sep 1914
Discontinued 15 May 1926; mail to Farmersville
FAYBURGH (Collin) (see also FAYBURG)
Griffith, Jas. G., 4 Mar 1884
Patterson, Wm., 20 Jan 1885
Thompson, Alfred M., 31 Aug 1885
Bristol, Wm. H., 17 Aug 1886
Lindsay, Alex H., 29 Aug 1887
Stinebaugh, John, 23 Dec 1887
Brown, Silas M., 28 Apr 1888
McDonald, Robt. B., 25 Nov 1888
Miller, Lewis L., 15 Feb 1890 (C)
Lindsay, Nelson P., 17 Jan 1891
Cg'd to FAYBURG, 6 Nov 1893