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General Membership Meeting
September 20, 2021, 6:30 PM
Gwinnett Historic Courthouse
185 Crogan St, Lawrenceville, GA 30046

The ‘Lost Letters’ of Tom Snell

In 1874, three English teenagers, Tom Snell, Jim Sawyer, and Charley Sawyer, with London mercantile experience, emigrated to America to seek their fortunes, and landed in what is now Snellville. After a brief stint as farm workers, Tom and Jim became highly successful merchants—partners for a while, and then competitors. The city bears Tom’s name. Tom died at age 39, leaving no namesake lineage (current Snells descended from his sister). In 2012, the Snellville Historical Society was contacted by an attorney who was liquidating a Foundation in Neenah, Wisconsin. He was in possession of some 130 letters from Snell back to England and other family artifacts, and wanted to place these with appropriate caretaker organizations. Excerpts from these 145-year old writings which portray previously unknown Snellville history, will be shared in this presentation.