Nicholas Snow III

     Nicholas was born circa 1602. In 1623, Nicholas left from London, aboard the ship, "Anne", mastered by William Peirce, enroute for New England. They arrived at Plymouth on the 10th of July. He settled there and lived where a highway from Plymouth to the Eele River would be built. This was near the home of Edward Bangs..^5,6 Nicholas married Constance Hopkins, daughter of Stephen Hopkins and Mary, on 1 June 1627 in Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.⁷ In 1627 Plymouth division of cattle “Nickolas Snow” & “Constance Snow” were the 6^th & 7^th persons in the seventh company, which was headed by Stephen Hopkins. In 1644, Nicholas & his family were among the first seven settlers of Eastham. He made his will 14 November 1676.

"Nicholas Snow of Eastham being weak and infirm of body" bequeathed to "my son Marke Snow" all twenty acres of upland lying at Namskekitt where his house now stands, and two acres of meadow and all that broken marsh at Namscekett and two thirds of "my great lot at Satuckett"; to "my son Joseph Snow I give that other third part of my great lot at Satuckett, and two acres and an half of meadow lying at Namscekett near the head and an neck of upland"; to "my son Steven Snow I give twenty acres on the southside of my great lot at Pochett, and ten acres of my little lot at Satuckett ... an acre and an half of meadow at the boat meadow ... and that part of my meadow at the great meadow that lyeth between Josiah Cooke and the Eel creek"; to "my son John Snow I give all that my land at Paomett purchased or unpurchased ... and all my right and title or privilege there"; to "my son Jabez Snow I give all this my land lying between my house and my son Thomas Paine's, and seven acres at the Bass pond ... and an half acre of marsh at the end of it and six acres of upland at the Herring pond, and an acre and half of meadow at Silver spring ... and that part of my house he lives in as long as my wife or I do live ... and two acres of meadow at the Great Meadow"; to "my son Jabez I give that my four acres of meadow at Billinsgate due to me yet unlaid out"; "my meadow about my house I give to my son Jabez"; to "my loving wife Constant Snow all my stock of cattle, sheep, horses, swine, whatsoever, to be at her disposal for the comfort and support of her life, with all the moveable goods I am possessed of and after her decease, stock and movables to be equally divided amongst all my children ... the use and disposal of the part of my house she now dwells in during her lifetime, and after her decease to be my son Jabez Snow's"; to "my loving wife that ten acres of upland at Pochett and twenty on Billinsgate Iland, for her disposal for the comfort of her life, but if she need it now, and leave it undisposed, I give it then to my son Steven Snow"; "twenty acres of upland at Billingsgate if my wife leave it undisposed, then to be my son Jabez Snow's"; to "the church of Eastham for the furniture of the Table of the Lord, with pewter or other necessaries, I say I do give 10s. out of my estate after my wife's decease."⁸

Nicholas departed this life on Sunday, 15 November 1676 in Eastham. He was buried there in the Cove Burying Ground. On 6 March 1676/7 letters of administration were granted to Constance Snow, Mark Snow and John Snow, on the estate of Nicholas Snow, deceased. The inventory of Nicholas's estate was taken on Monday, 22 March 1676/77. Constance, widow of NIcholas, swore on this date that the value of 102 pounds 10 shillings and 9 pence was true and accurate.

Important Notes: It needs to be noted that the Nicholas Snow born christened 25 January 1600 in St. Dunstan's Parish, son of Nicholas Snow and Elizabeth Rowlles was buried there 3 days later on 28 January. This means this can not be the NIcholas Snow who immigrated on the ship "Anne" in 1623. As of now there is no knowledge when this Nicholas was born or who his parents were. He could still possibly be the son of Nichoas Snow and Elizabeth Rowlles born a few years later.
Most indications from the record point to this Snow family's British Medieval origins as being from County Somerset, in south-west England. Y-DNA testing by direct male descendants of the Nicholas Snow of the "Anne" has confirmed a Normandy and ultimately Denmark/Sweden origin for the Snow clan (Haplo-group = I-M253). A Snow ancestor no doubt accompanied or followed King William the Conqueror when he successfully invaded England in 1066. Nicholas Snow II's direct ancestors have been traced to the early 13th Century in Porlock, Somerset, 250 miles west of London on the Bristol Channel of the Irish Sea. They were yeomen or independent farmers there, building themselves up by favorable marriages, trade and education to become London-based merchants, very likely in the wool trade. In 1666, Nicholas Snow (b. 1578) was called a "citizen of London and armorer." IF this is the same Nicholas Snow - he would have been 88 years old then. [Courtesy of Chet Snow]