Snell-ReadCem
Snell-Read Cemetery
Submitted by Cannon Pritchard

Location:  At the intersection of  U. S. Highway 59 and Highway 287 in Corrigan, Texas,
    go West on Highway 287 for 2.5 miles and turn right on Howell Road for 1.1 miles.
    Turn right at the cemetery sign on Abbott Spring Meadows Road for approximately
    .4 miles to the Snell-Read property and the "Snell Place". You will pass the Abbott
    Spring Meadows Cemetery and the Watson Place (house) enroute to the Snell property.

    This cemetery is considered a "lost" cemetery in Polk County since there are no markers and
the exact location on the Snell-Read property is unknown. However, their are descendants of
both families who have helped to provide some of  the names of  those who were buried there.

    Amos Snell and his family came to the Asia community area of  northwest Polk County in 1857.
They had traveled by wagon from Jackson County, Florida where they had lived about ten years.
They were previously from Georgia where all the children were born. Amos Snell and his wife,
Cynthia Johnson Snell had thirteen children, but only eight of  them came to Texas. Several of  the
older children married in Florida and remained there. Amos Snell purchased his homestead of
172 acres on Paces Creek on November 13, 1858. The Snell Cemetery was established in 1859
with the death of  their son Christopher Hardy Snell. After Amos Snell's death in 1864, Cynthia
Snell sold the homestead to her son Isaac Newton Snell for his agreement to take care of  her in
her old age. She continued to live at the "Snell Place" with her bachelor son, Crawford Columbus
Snell. After her death Isaac N. Snell sold the property to his brother C. C. Snell on Sept. 15, 1872
who continued to live there with his niece Victoria J. (Snell) Meadows and her husband  Bartlett R.
Meadows.  In 1876 the property was again sold to Mr. W. Elias Meadows who owned the
property until he sold it to Mr. L.L. Read on May 10, 1902.

The following members of  the Snell Family are believed to be buried in the Snell-Read Cemetery:

Snell,  Amos,  born  1803 Ga.  died  1864
Snell,  Arina Elizabeth,   born  1838  died  prior to 1880
Snell,  Catherine,  born  1841  died   prior to 1880
Snell,  Christopher Hardy,  born  1828  died  1859
Snell,  Crawford Columbus,  born  1846  died  after 1890
Snell,  Cynthia (Johnson),  born  1805 Ga.  died  1872
Snell,  Nancy Ann,  born  1825 Fla.  died   1885,  second wife of Littleton Green Snell

    Snell children buried in other locations include George W. Snell in Lampasas Co., Texas;
Littleton G. Snell in Waller Co., Texas; Isaac Newton Snell and Lovicey Jane Snell (Snelling)
in Livingston, Texas; and  in Jackson Co., Florida:  William M. Snell,  Bennett J. Snell,
Ellen Snell, Robert F. Snell, and Mary Snell.

    Mr. L. L. Read who purchased the Snell property in 1902 was born in Mississippi in 1860 and
came to Polk County in 1898. After the death of his wife Eula Rogers Read in 1902, he married
again to Florence Frances Fenley about 1903. Mr. Read was a farmer and brick mason. He and
Florence lived together at the "Snell Place"  until 1918. Tragically, in 1912-1913, their children
were infected with typhoid by an unsuspecting guest who had already contracted the deadly fever,
and five of  the children died and were buried in the Snell Cemetery.  A Read child who died in
infancy had already been interred in the Snell Cemetery during the period 1904-1912.
The five Read children were:
Cora Read, Cordelia Read, Cecil Read,  Preston Read, and Zack Read.
    (Preston and Cecil were twins and probably Zack was a twin to Richard Read who
     was a surviving child).

    L.L. Read was away in Mississippi when the children died and FlorenceRead had to bear that
great loss alone and bury her children.

    The Read children sold the property in 1949. Apparently in the 1960's when lumber was
harvested from the property, the cemetery was not protected and it was destroyed.
Read descendants attempted to find the cemetery in the 1960's but were unsuccessful.

    In April, 2002  a memorial marker by Read descendants was placed at the grave of  Florence
Read at Union Springs Cemetery to the memory of  her children who were buried at the Snell-Read
Cemetery. The marker reads:
"In Loving Memory, Cora, Cordelia, Preston, Cecil, and Zack".
 


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