Marriage bond in Giles Co., VA; Abram Ehart, sec. Married by Landon Duncan.

Ehart family notes say that they moved to 8 miles north of Valparaiso, IN in
1833 and then to Clinton Twnshp. in 1839.

William may have been in a party that went to California during Gold Rush:

       Leaving South Bend, Indiana in February 1849, David Leeper traveled to
California seeking his fortune as a gold miner. This database details his
journey west and life in California between 1849 and 1854. It contains recounts
of his attempts to find gold at of Redding's Diggings, Hangtown, and the
Trinity River. Additionally, it provides descriptions of Eureka, Sacramento and
Humboldt Bay. [There is a William J Snavely on the roster. If this is the same
William he obviously returned to Indiana.]

"An Illustrated Historical Atlas of LaPorte Co., Indiana", Higgins, Belden &
Co., Chicago, 1874

       "One of the oldest settlers of Clinton township was WILLIAM SNAVELY, who came
to the county in 1835 and took up land in that township. He was born in
Montgomery county, Virginia, June 9, 1797. His parents came from Germany before
the close of the eighteenth century and did good service in our Revolutionary
war. His father was at the surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga.

       The family first settled in Pennsylvania and subsequently moved into Virginia
and engaged in farming. Here William spent his youth and early manhood,
attending the schools and aiding his father in farming. His parents died in
Virginia and their remains were buried in Montgomery county. Mr. Snavley
married Margaret, daughter of William Erhart, of Virginia and by her became the
father of ten children. She passed away in 1866.

       He married for his second wife Mrs. Lovina (Dunham) Robinson, who came from
Ohio. Her grandfathers were both Revolutionary soldiers. She was of Scotch
extraction through her grandfather Drummond, who came from Scotland. Mr.
Snavley became the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres in
Clinton township. He passed away in 1877 or 78, but his descendants remained in
the county."

Clinton Twp., pg 104

       "In 1833, before Clinton was set off from New Durham township, Nathaniel
Steel, R. Prather, Levi Reynolds, John Osborn, William Niles, Lemuel Maulsby,
Richard Williams, Thomas Robinson, Stephen Jones, a Methodist preacher, William
Snaveley, and R.R. Richardson came into the township and became residents."

History of Porter County, pg 148

       ""Snavely War." William Crawford located upon of the these Indian tracts -- a
quarter section in the northeast part of the township -- but subsequently sold
it to William Snavely. a little later Peter White laid claim to the land and
asked the assistance of the law to dispossess Snavely. Charles G. Merrick, who
had been elected sheriff of the county in 1838, organized a posse, and,
pursuant to the order of the court, went to Snavely's for the purpose of
evicting him. Snavely barricaded himself in his cabin, and he and his sons,
well armed, put up a spirited defense. Unable to gain admittance through the
doors or windows, the sheriff ordered some of his men to climb to the top of
the house and tear off the roof. No sooner had they begun to remove the
clapboards than Snavely fired through the opening and wounded one of the men.
This had the tendency to stop active operations on the part of the sheriff and
his men, and Snavely, thinking he had killed the man, made an attempt to
escape. He was overtaken, captured and taken to the county jail, where he
remained until his victim recovered from the wound, which was only a slight
one, when he was released upon payment of a fine and a promise to relinquish
the land. Some years after his death, his heirs received a portion of the
value of the improvements made by Snavely while in his possession."

June 16, 1860, at age 64, William married Lovina Robinson age 32 in La Porte
Co., IN.