Robert M. Snyder

                                                         Winfield, Kansas.
                                                    ROBERT M. SNYDER.
[Many questions can be raised about “Robert M. Snyder.” He became a partner of A. T. Spotswood in Winfield; their firm might be considered rivals of Baden during a certain time span in Winfield.]
R. M. Snyder, of St. Louis, buys the J. L. Horning store...
Winfield Courier, August 21, 1879.
Mr. J. L. Horning has sold his store to R. M. Snyder, of St. Louis, who takes charge of the stock September 1. Mr. Snyder comes in possession of a good store and a splendid trade, built up by energy, perseverence, and strict attention to business. We hope he may attain the same popularity as a groceryman as has “76 Horning.”
Winfield Courier, August 21, 1879.
We were pleased to meet last week Mr. R. M. Snyder, who has purchased the grocery store of Mr. J. L. Horning. Mr. Snyder is a pleasant and intelligent young man, has had years of experience as a grocer, and we think will keep No. 76 in the front rank as a grocery house.
He has leased the new building to be erected by Horning & Harter and expects to occupy it in October.
Winfield Courier, August 28, 1879.
Mr. R. M. Snyder, who purchased the Horning grocery store, arrived Monday and began taking an inventory of the stock prepa­ratory to taking possession.
[DESCRIBING SOME OF THE NEW BUILDINGS IN WINFIELD.]
Winfield Courier, September 4, 1879.
                                     SKIPPED THE FIRST PART OF ARTICLE.
Mr. Jochem’s building on Main Street is a brick 25 x 100, with a basement, and is built from the ground in the most sub­stantial manner. The front of the building is all door, having three entrances, one at the end of each counter, and one in the center. Half of each wall is owned by the parties holding the lots on either side, which insures the erection of two more substantial buildings in the near future. Mr. Jochems will occupy this building, with his hardware stock, next week.
Further down the street on the opposite side, Messrs. Horning & Harter, our enterprising millers, are erecting a brick and stone building, 25 x 60, 2 stories high, with a basement, which will be occupied some time in October; the lower story by R. M. Snyder’s grocery store, and the upper as offices for the mill. This lot they purchased some time since from Mr. Hitch­cock, for $600.
Winfield Courier, January 29, 1880.
Harter & Horning have put a first-class elevator in their store room for the benefit of R. M. Snyder, the “south end” grocer.
Winfield Courier, January 29, 1880.
R. M. Snyder, the south end grocer, has purchased the Buckingham grocery stock, and is now running an uptown store “for the benefit of the north end trade.” This is a good one on the north end grocers.
Winfield Courier, February 5, 1880.

Mr. R. M. Snyder is down with pneumonia.
Winfield Courier, March 11, 1880.
R. M. Snyder, grocer, returned from the east last week. He has been absent about two weeks, and during that time left about six thousand dollars with the wholesale grocer, and brought instead five car-loads of the choicest goods in the market, with more on the road. Snyder is business from the word go, and is bound to make things “boom.”
[OUR JOBBING TRADE.]
Winfield Courier, March 11, 1880.
The jobbing trade of Winfield is getting to be a matter of no small importance. Situated as we are with competing lines to Kansas City and St. Louis, the smaller towns east and west will naturally become tributary to us, and in fact are already buying most of their goods of our merchants.
Spotswood & Co. and R. M. Snyder are putting forth special efforts toward securing this trade, and have been in a great measure successful. Baird Bros. are also doing considerable in the jobbing line, and are supply­ing several of the largest stores in our neighboring towns with dry goods, notions, etc. Our merchants are live, energetic men, and have the capital; and by buying in large quantities for cash, they get such reductions both in cost and freights as enable them to compete with Kansas City in the jobbing trade of this and adjoining counties.
Winfield Courier, March 25, 1880.
Mr. G. W. Ellsberry, of Mason City, has purchased the building now occupied by Snyder’s grocery, from Harter & Horning, for $2,725, and the lot next to it for $1,000. The sale was made through Curns & Manser.
Winfield Courier, April 15, 1880.
Mr. Ralph Smalley, from Columbus, Indiana, has accepted a position in Snyder’s grocery store.
Winfield Courier, May 20, 1880.
R. M. Snyder, with his characteristic enterprise, has purchased a large coffee roaster, and is now roasting and grind­ing coffee for his customers free of charge. It is worth a quarter to see Ralph Smalley manipulate the crank of the roaster on hot days.
Winfield Courier, June 17, 1880.
Ed. Weitzel is building a stone and brick store room on his lot next to Snyder’s grocery.
Winfield Courier, July 8, 1880.
R. M. Snyder has sold his grocery store to Messrs. Bryant & Bennett, late of Texas. Mr. Bryant is a son of Mrs. Lowry, of this place, and an old time resident of Winfield. They under­stand the grocery business and will make things boom in the grocery trade.
Winfield Courier, July 15, 1880.
In another column will be found an ad for the new grocery firm of Bryant & Bennett. These gentlemen purchased the grocery house of R. M. Snyder, one of the best in city; and have stocked it up with everything needed in the grocery line, and are preparing to do a large share of the business coming to Winfield. They are live, enterprising men, are thoroughly acquainted with the business, and will succeed.
Winfield Courier, July 15, 1880.
                                                       CHANGE OF FIRM.

BRYANT & BENNETT, Having bought R. M. Snyder’s stock of Groceries, and with large invoice coming in daily, are PREPARED TO COMPETE with any house in the county, EITHER WHOLE­SALE OR RETAIL. “Live and Let Live” is our motto. HIGHEST MARKET PRICE PAID FOR PRODUCE. Goods sold at bed rock prices. Give us a trial is all we ask. [NO ADDRESS GIVEN.]
[COURT DOCKET: AUGUST TERM, 1880.]
Arkansas City Traveler, Wednesday, September 1, 1880. Front Page.
                                               CIVIL DOCKET. FIFTH DAY.
                                                R. M. Snyder vs. John Gleason.
Winfield Courier, September 16, 1880.
Snyder & Spotswood are doing a “Land Office” business shipping produce. They send out nearly a car load of chickens, peaches, and “sich” every day. They are shipping mostly to New Mexico and Leadville.
[COWLEY COUNTY DISTRICT COURT.]
Winfield Courier, November 25, 1880.
Trial docket for December term, commencing on the first Monday (6th day) of December, A. D. 1880:
                                             CIVIL DOCKET. FOURTH DAY.
                                         Robert M. Snyder vs. John Gleason et al.
Winfield Courier, February 3, 1881.
Messrs. Snyder & Spotswood have leased the Robinson farm southeast of the city, now occupied by Mr. J. G. Shrieves. These gentlemen propose to devote a greater part of the ground to garden and field vegetables for the supply of the city trade and their wholesale customers. This is a move in the right direction and will no doubt prove a successful enterprise. Telegram.
Winfield Courier, February 10, 1881.
                                                     CRYSTAL WEDDING.
Mr. and Mrs. Shrieves celebrated the 15th anniversary of their marriage by inviting their friends to attend their crystal wedding on Tuesday evening, February 8th. Accord­ingly a merry party filled the omnibuses and proceeded to their residence, one mile east of town, and spent an evening of unal­loyed pleasure. Mrs. Shrieves, assisted by her sisters, Mrs. Cummings and Mrs. Wm. Shrieves, entertained their guests in a graceful and pleasant manner. Although invitation cards announced no presents, a few of the most intimate friends pre­sented some choice little articles in remembrance of the occa­sion.
The following were present: Mrs. Hickok, Mrs. Mansfield, Mrs. Butler, Miss Graham, Mr. and Mrs. Kinne, Mr. and Mrs. S. D. Pryor, Mr. and Mrs. Wallis, Mr. and Mrs. M. L. Robin­son, Mr. and Mrs. Spotswood, Dr. and Mrs. Van Doren, Mr. and Mrs. Earnest, Mr. and Mrs. H. Brown, Rev. and Mrs. Hyden, Rev. and Mrs. Platter, Mrs. Houston, Mr. and Mrs. D. A. Millington, Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Fuller, Mr. and Mrs. Black, Mr. and Mrs. Williams, Mr. and Mrs. R. S. Wilson, Rev. and Mrs. Borchers, Mr. and Mrs. Meech, Mr. and Mrs. Millhouse, Mr. and Mrs. S. S. Linn, Mr. and Mrs. Snyder, Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Roberts, Mr. Hendricks, and John Roberts.
[THE MONITOR’S LOCALS.]
Winfield Courier, February 10, 1881.
Last week Spotswood & Snyder shipped upwards of three thousand pounds of butter to Kansas City.

Winfield Courier, February 24, 1881.
Snyder & Spotswood have had photographs taken of their patent folding coops, from which they will have cuts made. The coop is intended for shipping, and can be folded up and returned to the owner, thereby saving to shippers the price of the coop. It is an excellent thing.
Winfield Courier, March 17, 1881.
Snyder & Spotswood are making preparations to put in a large garden this spring, and raise and sell their own produce. It is difficult to supply the home demand, and with the increased shipping facilities, we can get a market for all that is raised. They propose to sow several hundred dollars worth of seeds.
[FRANK MANNY’S LETTER: PROHIBITION IN KANSAS.]
Winfield Courier, May 5, 1881.
      Statements of Businessmen of Winfield and Leading Citizens of Cowley County,
                                          Kansas, in Relation to the Situation.
                                                 SNYDER & SPOTSWOOD,
Produce dealers. Our business is much larger than it was a year ago. In the last two months we have shipped to Colorado and New Mexico 32,070 dozens of eggs and 6,761 pounds of butter, besides large quantities of dressed poultry. We are handling a large amount of fresh garden vegetables, and besides what we are able to buy we cultivate 12 acres in garden sauce. We raise a large amount of poultry and keep the best breeds.
[WHAT THE SANTA FE RAILROAD HAS DONE FOR COWLEY COUNTY.]
Winfield Courier, May 26, 1881.
Before the Santa Fe railroad was opened up to Colorado and New Mexico, every spring our farmers were compelled to sell eggs at four or five cents a dozen, butter at seven or eight cents a pound, and chickens, lettuce, radishes, rhubarb, peas, potatoes, and other kinds of garden vegetables for almost nothing, and take pay in groceries at much higher prices than are asked now, because they could not get one cent of cash for their produce. Now mark the difference.
All fresh butter that is brought into Winfield finds a ready market at not less than 12½ cents cash, eggs not less than 8½ cents per dozen. Chickens, $2.60 per dozen; peas in pod, $1.75 per bushel, turkeys, dressed poultry, rhubarb, gooseberries, strawberries, onions, potatoes, radishes, lettuce, and other vegetables find ready market at high prices, and a large amount of money is being distributed among the farmers for truck that was formerly comparatively valueless.
A single firm in the city, Snyder & Spotswood, have shipped to Colorado and New Mexico within the last two months, 24,275 dozen eggs. 7,043 pounds of fresh butter, 250 dozen chickens, and quantities of all the other kinds of produce above mentioned.
J. P. Baden & Co., have shipped similar amounts, and others have shipped more or less.
[ARTICLE ABOUT WINFIELD LEADING ALL IN PRODUCE SHIPMENTS.]
Winfield Courier, May 26, 1881.

Last Tuesday we noticed four drays loaded down with express matter, wending their way toward the depot, and concluded that it would be a good idea to find out how much produce our merchants were sending out. We forthwith proceeded to gather the facts, and learned enough to astonish even a newspaper reporter.
Messrs. Snyder and Spotswood were first visited. They reported the following shipments, with as much more on hand and not shipped, because of lack of express facilities: 600 dozen eggs, 621 pounds of butter, eight dozen chickens, and 100 pounds of vegetables.
J. P. Baden was next interviewed. He reported shipment of 1,750 pounds of butter, 1,200 dozen eggs, 24 dozen chickens, and 40 baskets of vegetables. While talking with Mr. Baden he remarked that he had paid out, on Monday, over eight hundred dollars for butter and eggs alone. We were inclined to scoff at this assertion, until Mr. Baden brought out his books and showed us stubs in his check book for $761.38 cash paid out, and charges for over $100 in goods. We count this a pretty good day’s work. The total amount of eggs shipped Tuesday was 1,800 dozen, for which our farmers received $180. The total number of pounds of butter was 2,371, worth $308; thirty dozen chickens, worth $75, and eighty baskets of vegetables, worth $50. Total cash value of shipments, $613, and this was only an average day for butter and eggs.
[PROGRAM FOR JULY FOURTH CELEBRATION AT WINFIELD OUTLINED.]
Winfield Courier, June 9, 1881.
The following are the arrangements for the celebration of the 4th of July in Winfield.
1. We appoint the ministers of Winfield to secure speakers.
2. We invite the Mayor and city council of Winfield, the militia of the city, and the soldiers of the late war to join with us to make a big day for Winfield and the county.
3. We appoint J. O. Johnson, T. B. Myers, and A. P. Johnson to secure the services of the city band.
4. We appoint J. L. Horning, G. T. Manser, H. S. Silver, E. P. Hickok, D. L. Kretsinger, N. T. Snyder, and Albert Doane to obtain funds to defray the expenses of the celebration and have control of the fire works.
Excerpts...
[REPORT FROM I. E. CONKLIN (MONITOR) RE NEW MEXICO.]
Winfield Courier, July 14, 1881 - Front Page.
Though but a few months have passed since the Santa Fe railroad has opened up a vast region that was practically three years ago a terra incognita in settlement and the civilization of the nineteenth century, yet, already hundreds of letters have been sent back by the new settler and traveler, and New Mexico letters have become almost as common as country correspondents.
While New Mexico is not by any means “written up,” yet correspon­dents have gone so often over the same ground that the victimized reader looks with a great deal of suspicion upon one of these letters.
My late trip was made mostly for pleasure. I went to see, and as I traveled only during daylight, I had unusual opportuni­ties of gratifying that sense. I visited some localities out of the beaten track, and I may be able to make a letter of the same kind.

Our town is widely known through the enterprise of its merchants. As a supply point for butter, eggs, poultry, and vegetables, Winfield today is sending more of these products into New Mexico than any other city. In groceries and commission houses, it appeared to me that at least two-thirds of all the boxes and pails carrying such goods bore the familiar imprint of J. P. Baden or Spotswood & Snyder. I will have more to say about this trade in my closing letter.
[Note: The letter from Conklin about “Spotswood & Snyder” was the last mention of that firm as such. Within a very short time it became “A. T. Spotswood & Co.” The name of Robert M. Snyder disappeared entirely from the Winfield Courier. One can wonder what happened! I do not know. MAW]