Surnames: Rickard
Source: History of the Mohawk Valley - Gateway to the
West - 1614-1925
Covering The Six Counties of Schenectady, Schoharie,
Montgomery, Fulton, Herkimer and Oneida.
Volume IV Illustrated; Page
673
Chicago, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1925
There is no satisfaction in life which can quite equal that of the man who has finished a successful career and in the autumn of life settles down to enjoy the fruit of his labors, knowing that he has accomplished something worth while. Among the retired business men of Amsterdam who are now enjoying the contentment that comes from results achieved and tasks well done, there is none more highly esteemed than James R. Snell, who laid the foundation and fostered the growth of the city's fine street railway system. For many years he was prominently identified with public utilities of Amsterdam, while he also aided in framing the laws of his state, and measured by the standard of usefulness, his life has been a very successful one.
He was born December 5, 1841, in Stone Arabia, Montgomery County, New York, a son of Dr. Jacob G. and Mary (Rickard) Snell and a member of one of the oldest and most prominent families in the Mohawk Valley. The Snells have always been noted for their loyalty and patriotism and nine representatives of the name were killed in the battle of Oriskany under General Herkimer. Members of the family are scattered throughout the valley but are more numerous in Montgomery, Schoharie and Herkimer Counties and are numbered among the leading citizens of their respective communities.
Dr. Jacob G. Snell was a physician and resided in Stone Arabia until 1841, removing to Amsterdam when his son James was but a month old. He followed his profession for many years in the city, building up a large practice and his death in 1881 was deeply mourned, for his fidelity to duty and his professional knowledge and skill gave him a secure place in the esteem and affections of the residents of this locality. As one of the pioneer physicians of the county he became widely known and in the exercise of his beneficent calling he was never influenced by class distinctions or personal considerations, ever manifesting a deep sympathy for those who suffered, and in his self-abnegating labors furnished one of the truest examples of the altruistic life.
James R Snell attended the public schools and was also a student in the Amsterdam Academy. After completing his education he was employed for about a year as a clerk in one of the mercantile establishments of the city and then went to California becoming a conductor for the Central Pacific Railroad, now the Southern Pacific system. For seven years he was in the service of that road, returning to Amsterdam in 1872, and in that year leased the first street railway system in the city, a horse car line. He owned the cars and other equipment and when the line was electrified became manager and general superintendent of the new corporation, known as the Amsterdam Street Railway Company. Under his expert direction a well equipped, efficiently operated and systematically conducted transportation system was secured for the residents of the city and he continued to act in those capacities until 1893. He then became superintendent of the waterworks plant, filling the office until 1911, and for a quarter of a century was president of the waterworks board. His work in connection with the management of public utilities was inspired by the highest ideals.
(Surname variation: Rickert)
