L1 Orla Leon Snyder, born April 8, 1916 and died December 4, 1998, buried in Mote Cemetery in Darke Co, Ohio; about 1940 (1) Willowdean Lavaun Rex, born November 17, 1920 and died September 11, 1974 (car accident). Willowdean's parents were Wiley E. Rex and Merle B. (Baker) Rex.; Orla married (2) Marjorie Iles May 6, 1978 with whom he had no children. Three children.

The Snyder Family

There sat my grandfather, Orla Leon Snyder, chewing Levi Garrett with a spit can on the kitchen table. His expression made it easy to see he was thinking hard for memories in his life. He sat with his second wife, Marjorie (Iles) Snyder, as I interviewed them together. The most amazing part of this interview was his memory of dates.

His family moved here from Germany for freedom and better opportunities. They settled in areas between Haggerstown, Maryland through Pennsylvania. His grandparents were Luther and Alice Snyder. They lived 12 miles from the Battle of Gettysburg. They moved to Ohio for better farming opportunities. Luther started out working for another farmer for $8 a month for 9 months a year; the other 3 months of the year made up for room and board.

Leon's parents, Calvin and Laura Snyder, were married during World War I. They were quite close with their family. Calvin was a farmer like the rest of his family. Calvin died on his 87th birthday and Laura died of cancer when she was 79 years old.

My grandfather, Leon, had many memories I'd like to share. As a boy he often missed school for 3 weeks at a time to help with the farming chores. He started working at General Motors for 65 cents an hour. In 1936, his parents got their first modern refrigerator and stove. Leon worked for $1.25 a day for 3 years to buy his brand new 1936 Chevy for $725. They had no electricity until he got married and moved in 1943. He and his first wife, Willowdean Lavaun Snyder, (who died a few months before I was born) bought the 100 acres he now owns in 1944, and their electricity bill was $3.50 a month. My step-grandmother, Marge, distinctly remembers the old crank telephones. She enjoyed eavesdropping on her neighbors.

My grandfather remembers a lot about the past wars. The most interesting thing was how the men could get out of having to go to war. During the Civil War my great-great-grandfather gave his best horse so he wouldn't have to go to war. During World War I my great-grandfather received a deferment because my grandfather was born. During World War II my grandfather was examined to go to war twice. The first time he received a deferment because he was married. The second time he received a deferment signed by Franklin Roosevelt because he was a farmer and he was working for the government, making artillery. Then during Vietnam my grandfather's son, Gary, was in the service, but he was lucky he wasn't shipped to Vietnam.

My grandfather could have talked about The Great Depression for hours. He said it was bad but at the time it didn't seem so bad since they were all in the same situation. Here is one example of how bad it was. His parents owned a Model T Ford; the tires went bad and the radiator leaked. Since they couldn't afford to fix it, every 3 miles they had a flat tire and they carried a 5 gallon can of water to refill the radiator.

I enjoyed interviewing my grandfather and I know he enjoyed it, too. Leon is a very old fashioned man, so it wasn't easy to interview him. It was good for him to talk about it, and maybe this report will be read years from now. As for the Snyder farmers - we're all alike, but even that will change with the times.

Teri Lavaun Snyder
March 12, 1993

Children Orla Leon Snyder of and Willowdean Lavaun Rex:

M1 Gary Lee Snyder, born 1942.

M2 Jan Ray Snyder, born September 1, 1951; married Debra Mae Stump, born September 1, 1953, died April 12, 2002.

N1 Teri Lavaun Snyder, born January 24, 1975 in Dayton, Ohio; married Sean Aaron Templeton, born August 9, 1972 Greene County, Ohio.
O1 Lauryn Renea Templeton, born June 26, 2001 Dayton, Ohio.

N2 Kevin John Snyder, born May 3, 1978.

M3 Jerry Eugene Snyder, born 1952.