Mollie Sneden
Encyclopedia
"Mollie" Sneden (January 13, 1709 – January 31, 1810) was the operator of a ferry service at Sneden's Landing, New York
. She performed this activity before and after the Revolutionary War
. During the war she was prohibited from running the ferry because of her British sympathies. Mollie Sneden is listed as a Woman of Distinction by the New York Senate.
in 1709. Her parents, John and Abigail Dobbs, baptized her in Tarrytown, New York
. Mollie grew up with two half-brothers by her father's first wife and four siblings by her mother, his second wife. The village of Dobbs Ferry takes its name from her family, which operated a ferry on the east side of the Hudson River
. Ferry operation began with either her father in 1698 or her half-brother, William, in 1730, departing from an Indian village called Wysquaqua, later Dobbs Ferry. In either case, the route of Dobbs Ferry across the Hudson River is recognized as one of the earliest of the Hudson ferry routes. Mollie's husband, Robert Sneden Jr., though a carpenter and farmer by trade, assisted William in running the ferry. It is not known if Mollie experienced ferry operations first-hand, but given her future vocation and both her family's and husband's connection to the trade, it is conceivable she did. The date of Robert Sneden's wedding with Mollie Dobbs is uncertain, but the birth of their first child is recorded as 1733. The couple continued living on the east side of the Hudson for several years, during which time they gave birth to four more children.
Mollie and Robert moved directly across the Hudson from Dobbs Ferry with their five children in about 1740, where it is believed they rented from a local land-owner named Robert Corbett. Their new home was on land which was claimed by both New York
and New Jersey
. The dispute was not legally settled for nearly 30 years, when a commission appointed by the King of England set the border officially in 1769. The surveyor's description measures the state line as 79 chains and 27 links south of the Sneden house, placing their property in New York. Although this was new property for the Snedens, both Mollie and Robert would have known it well as the landing site of the Dobbs's ferry. While living on the west side of the Hudson, Mollie and Robert had four more children, the last born in 1750. This brought the total number of their children to nine.
After their move in 1740 Robert worked at his farming profession, and Mollie relieved his burden of labor by operating the ferry landing. She may have run a ferry as early as 1745. A surveyor's map from that year illustrating the larger area known as the Lockhart Patent shows "Sneedings house the fferry[ sic] ." The ferry received a boost when an improved road was built down the hilly terrain to the landing in 1745. Whether or not she began as ferry mistress in 1745, Mollie Sneden was certainly acting in that capacity by 1753.
The original Dobbs ferry was said to be a periauger, a row-and-sail dugout, sometimes with two masts. Mollie Sneden would have known this, and she probably began her ferry with periaugers. They were popular colonial craft capable of negotiating shallow water while carrying heavy loads. Vessels of this variety were typically used in early ferry operations on the Hudson, and several miles downriver by Fort Lee
, Stephen Bourdette
began his ferry service using one. In addition to periaugers, Mollie Sneden would have used larger craft; for she ferried wagons as well as people. A larger type of ferry used on the Hudson during this period was powered by a paddle wheel, which in turn was rotated by horses or mules on a treadmill. She definitely would have required a larger vessel for a crossing she is said to have made in 1775 carrying a coach. It bore Martha Washington
and her son, John
, complete with his wife, liveried footmen and postillon, when Martha was en route to visit George Washington
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. The Hudson River is relatively wide between Sneden's Landing and Dobbs Ferry, and a crossing varied in duration. The length of time was affected by variable winds and the tide
s, which are still strong only a few miles above New York Harbor
. Not only did the Sneden ferry cross the Hudson River, it also transported goods southward to New York City
.
Robert and Mollie purchased 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) in 1752, which included the ferry site and Corbett house. Robert died in 1756 at the age of 46, and the eldest son, Abraham, inherited all of his property, in accordance with English law
. In that same year, the widow Mollie Sneden was granted a license to operate a tavern. She turned over her ferry operations to her half-brother William's son at this time, but resumed them with the help of her seven sons in 1758 or 1759. Although Dobb's Ferry had always used this landing as the western terminus of its ferry service, until now it had been called different names: sometimes simply "the ferry," sometimes Paramus or Rockland, and occasionally Dobbs Ferry on both sides of the river. From this period the landing took the name Sneden's Landing. Thus, Dobbs Ferry took Mollie's maiden name, and Sneden's Landing took her married name. Through the 1800s Sneden's Landing remained the center for riparian activities for the local region, which is called Palisades
today.
Mollie had been licensed to operate a tavern in 1756, and in 1763 she received a license to operate a public house
serving "strong Liquors" which she operated from "Stone House," her dwelling. Two years later a marriage license was granted to Mollie Sneden and George Calhoun. It is not clear if Mollie actually carried out the marriage license
by marrying George Calhoun. She is noted as living with her bachelor son, Dennis, but never with George Calhoun. In 1765, her first son, Abraham, distributed his father's property in ten equal segments, one portion going to his mother.
, or British sympathizers. All but John were forbidden to operate the ferry during the war. It has been suggested by the historian Howard Durie that they were, in fact, all Tories. According to this suggestion, the Snedens avoided having their land confiscated by having one family member espouse patriotism. Such an action would also have allowed the ferry to remain operational and in Sneden control.
A story credits Mollie Sneden with saving a British soldier during this period:
Through proximity and possible communication with Dobbs Ferry, Mollie Sneden would have been aware of the tremendous activity of 6,000 men across the river, when General Cornwallis
prepared to embark on a night crossing of the Hudson in late November of 1776. The British and Hessians, commanded by Cornwallis, were ferried in row galleys and landing craft from Dobbs Ferry, New York to Closter, New Jersey
, closing in on George Washington and the badly outnumbered Continental Army
. After this experience, heady for British sympathizers, she would have known in 1781 through gossip and John's ferry connection that General George Washington had established headquarters in Dobbs Ferry. Here he was to plan with Marshal Rochambeau
the Yorktown
campaign which would bring the Revolutionary War to an end. After the British surrendered, at the nadir of Tory experience, she would have witnessed the first naval 17 gun salute to General Washington fired from the British Warship, H.M.S. Perseverance, which was anchored offshore in the Hudson River.
She is buried in the Palisades Cemetery, also known as the Sneden's Landing Cemetery, in Palisades, New York. Her original grave marker was replaced in 1982 by the local historical society because it had crumbled and become illegibile.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She performed this activity before and after the Revolutionary War
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. During the war she was prohibited from running the ferry because of her British sympathies. Mollie Sneden is listed as a Woman of Distinction by the New York Senate.
Early life
Mollie Sneden was born Mary Dobbs in Westchester County, New YorkWestchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
in 1709. Her parents, John and Abigail Dobbs, baptized her in Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
. Mollie grew up with two half-brothers by her father's first wife and four siblings by her mother, his second wife. The village of Dobbs Ferry takes its name from her family, which operated a ferry on the east side of the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. Ferry operation began with either her father in 1698 or her half-brother, William, in 1730, departing from an Indian village called Wysquaqua, later Dobbs Ferry. In either case, the route of Dobbs Ferry across the Hudson River is recognized as one of the earliest of the Hudson ferry routes. Mollie's husband, Robert Sneden Jr., though a carpenter and farmer by trade, assisted William in running the ferry. It is not known if Mollie experienced ferry operations first-hand, but given her future vocation and both her family's and husband's connection to the trade, it is conceivable she did. The date of Robert Sneden's wedding with Mollie Dobbs is uncertain, but the birth of their first child is recorded as 1733. The couple continued living on the east side of the Hudson for several years, during which time they gave birth to four more children.
West of the Hudson
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The dispute was not legally settled for nearly 30 years, when a commission appointed by the King of England set the border officially in 1769. The surveyor's description measures the state line as 79 chains and 27 links south of the Sneden house, placing their property in New York. Although this was new property for the Snedens, both Mollie and Robert would have known it well as the landing site of the Dobbs's ferry. While living on the west side of the Hudson, Mollie and Robert had four more children, the last born in 1750. This brought the total number of their children to nine.
After their move in 1740 Robert worked at his farming profession, and Mollie relieved his burden of labor by operating the ferry landing. She may have run a ferry as early as 1745. A surveyor's map from that year illustrating the larger area known as the Lockhart Patent shows "Sneedings house the fferry
The original Dobbs ferry was said to be a periauger, a row-and-sail dugout, sometimes with two masts. Mollie Sneden would have known this, and she probably began her ferry with periaugers. They were popular colonial craft capable of negotiating shallow water while carrying heavy loads. Vessels of this variety were typically used in early ferry operations on the Hudson, and several miles downriver by Fort Lee
Fort Lee
Fort Lee may refer to:* Fort Lee, New Jersey* Battle of Fort Lee was fought on November 19, 1776 between American and British forces.* Fort Lee , a United States Army post...
, Stephen Bourdette
Burdett's Landing
Burdett's Landing, also called Burdett's Ferry, is a site on the west bank of the Hudson River located in Edgewater, New Jersey. Ferries initially used Burdett's Landing as a departure point for transporting agricultural produce from New Jersey across to New York...
began his ferry service using one. In addition to periaugers, Mollie Sneden would have used larger craft; for she ferried wagons as well as people. A larger type of ferry used on the Hudson during this period was powered by a paddle wheel, which in turn was rotated by horses or mules on a treadmill. She definitely would have required a larger vessel for a crossing she is said to have made in 1775 carrying a coach. It bore Martha Washington
Martha Washington
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States...
and her son, John
John Parke Custis
John Parke Custis was a Virginia planter, the son of Martha Washington and stepson of George Washington.-Childhood:...
, complete with his wife, liveried footmen and postillon, when Martha was en route to visit George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. The Hudson River is relatively wide between Sneden's Landing and Dobbs Ferry, and a crossing varied in duration. The length of time was affected by variable winds and the tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
s, which are still strong only a few miles above New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
. Not only did the Sneden ferry cross the Hudson River, it also transported goods southward to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Robert and Mollie purchased 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) in 1752, which included the ferry site and Corbett house. Robert died in 1756 at the age of 46, and the eldest son, Abraham, inherited all of his property, in accordance with English law
English law
English law is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countries and the United States except Louisiana...
. In that same year, the widow Mollie Sneden was granted a license to operate a tavern. She turned over her ferry operations to her half-brother William's son at this time, but resumed them with the help of her seven sons in 1758 or 1759. Although Dobb's Ferry had always used this landing as the western terminus of its ferry service, until now it had been called different names: sometimes simply "the ferry," sometimes Paramus or Rockland, and occasionally Dobbs Ferry on both sides of the river. From this period the landing took the name Sneden's Landing. Thus, Dobbs Ferry took Mollie's maiden name, and Sneden's Landing took her married name. Through the 1800s Sneden's Landing remained the center for riparian activities for the local region, which is called Palisades
Palisades, New York
Palisades, formerly known as Sneden's Landing, is a hamlet in the Town of Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of Rockleigh and Alpine, New Jersey; east of Tappan; south of Sparkill; and west of the Hudson River....
today.
Mollie had been licensed to operate a tavern in 1756, and in 1763 she received a license to operate a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
serving "strong Liquors" which she operated from "Stone House," her dwelling. Two years later a marriage license was granted to Mollie Sneden and George Calhoun. It is not clear if Mollie actually carried out the marriage license
Marriage license
A marriage license is a document issued, either by a church or state authority, authorizing a couple to marry. The procedure for obtaining a license varies between countries and has changed over time...
by marrying George Calhoun. She is noted as living with her bachelor son, Dennis, but never with George Calhoun. In 1765, her first son, Abraham, distributed his father's property in ten equal segments, one portion going to his mother.
A Tory during the Revolutionary War
With the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, communities were split by political factions. Except for Mollie and Robert's son John, nicknamed "The Patriot," the Snedens were branded as ToriesTory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
, or British sympathizers. All but John were forbidden to operate the ferry during the war. It has been suggested by the historian Howard Durie that they were, in fact, all Tories. According to this suggestion, the Snedens avoided having their land confiscated by having one family member espouse patriotism. Such an action would also have allowed the ferry to remain operational and in Sneden control.
A story credits Mollie Sneden with saving a British soldier during this period:
The story goes that a British soldier was pursued down the gully by some patriots; she hid him in her house in a large chest on which she set pans of cream to rise, and when the patriots arrived she misinformed them; they were tired and asked for refreshment, and she offered them all the milk she had, but told them not to disturb the pans of cream which she had just set out. In the evening she is said to have ferried the soldier across the river.
Through proximity and possible communication with Dobbs Ferry, Mollie Sneden would have been aware of the tremendous activity of 6,000 men across the river, when General Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
prepared to embark on a night crossing of the Hudson in late November of 1776. The British and Hessians, commanded by Cornwallis, were ferried in row galleys and landing craft from Dobbs Ferry, New York to Closter, New Jersey
Closter, New Jersey
Closter is a Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,373. After the turn of the century, Closter changed from being sprawling estates and farms into a middle and upper middle class suburban town...
, closing in on George Washington and the badly outnumbered Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
. After this experience, heady for British sympathizers, she would have known in 1781 through gossip and John's ferry connection that General George Washington had established headquarters in Dobbs Ferry. Here he was to plan with Marshal Rochambeau
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau
Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau was a French nobleman and general who participated in the American Revolutionary War as the commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force which came to help the American Continental Army...
the Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
campaign which would bring the Revolutionary War to an end. After the British surrendered, at the nadir of Tory experience, she would have witnessed the first naval 17 gun salute to General Washington fired from the British Warship, H.M.S. Perseverance, which was anchored offshore in the Hudson River.
After the Revolutionary War
Mollie left Sneden's Landing after the war ended. With her bachelor son, Dennis, she moved to New York City, leaving operation of the ferry to John, "The Patriot." Other sons moved to the British colonies of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. In about 1788, when she would have been 79, Mollie returned with Dennis to Sneden's Landing and took up residence in a house adjacent to the landing known as the "Mollie Sneden House," 14 Washington Spring Road. She resumed involvement with the ferry and continued to work in this connection until shortly before her death. Mollie Sneden died on January 31, 1810 at the age of 101 years and 18 days, surviving her husband by 66 years.She is buried in the Palisades Cemetery, also known as the Sneden's Landing Cemetery, in Palisades, New York. Her original grave marker was replaced in 1982 by the local historical society because it had crumbled and become illegibile.