J. W. Snare General Store - Wampum PA

John Willis Snare (1859-1934), born in Clarion County, was the son of Adam and Elizabeth (Bartholomew)Snare. The Snare family was of German extraction and had been settled in Pennsylvania for some time. As a young man John was an extremely hard worker and found employment in the oil fields. He later worked as a brakeman with the P&LE, a railroad track layer, and a stone quarryman. In 1884 he married Rosanna Ehrhart and they had a child named Marie. In 1885 he relocated into Wampum and became a leading businessman primarily involved in the stone quarry industry. Snare served on the town council for a time as well. (c1900)

John W. Snare bought this general store in Wampum from the White Brothers in 1897. From then on the business was primarily operated by John’s younger brother Edward Snare and his wife Laura (Whitehouse) Snare. Edward and Laura’s daughter Mary later married Plummer Anderson and she subsequently served as a local school teacher and was a member of the Wampum School Board from 1951-1963. Pictured above from left are Leslie Guy & “Doc” Kellner standing together, Clair Houk (with baseball glove), Bob Cunningham & Laura Snare & Edward Snare on porch, and Frank Guy and Mary Snare (Anderson) on wagon. (Photo courtesy of Jim Strutz) (c1909) Full Size