Finding aid for the Vaclav Snajdr Photographs

Biography of Vaclav Snajdr

Vaclav Snajdr (1847-1920) was a Czech writer and journalist. He was born on September 26, 1847 to John and Appolonice Snajdr in Ceska Budejovice, Bohemia (Czech Republic). Snajdr attended the gymnasium school at Mlada and completed his formal education at the College of Neuhaus in Prague where he studied philosophy. Snajdr received his first journalistic experience while attending the College of Neuhaus, contributing articles to the newspaper Ruch, edited by J. V. Sladek.

Snajdr was forced to flee Prague to Berlin after his arrest in the student demonstrations of 1867-1868; his flight was financed by Count Rudolph Taxis. Upon arrival in Berlin, Snajdr joined J. V. Fric and began to constribute to Fric's newspapers Blanek, Correspondence Tcheques and Boemische Korrespondenz.

In 1869 Fric sent Snajdr to the United States to solicit funds for the support of his newspapers. Although this venture failed, Snajdr came to the attention of Karel Jonas, and was asked by Jonas to edit the newspaper Slavie in Racine, Wisconsin. He accepted this position and remained at Slavie for three years, leaving in 1872 to edit Edward Rosewater's Pokrok Zapadu in Omaha, Nebraska. Snajdr's intentions at his time were to earn enough money to attend Cornell University and then return to Bohemia.

Snajdr left Omaha in 1873 to edit the Cleveland, Ohio newspaper Pokrok. When Pokrok failed in 1876, Snajdr was saved from bankruptcy by his father-in-law, Frantisek Korizek of Racine, Wisconsin. Snajdr had married Korizek's daughter, Cecelia, in December 1873.

Snajdr remained in Cleveland after the failure of his first venture, beginning a new, weekly rationalist paper, Dennice Novoveku, in October 1877. Later he also published a Sunday paper, Jednota; a supplement to Dennice Novoveku, Zert a Pravda; Osvobozenych (1883-1886); and Organ Bratstoi (1891-1896) of the Cesko-Slovanska Podporyici Spolecnost. In addition to his journalistic enterprises, Snajdr also wrote and translated books and pamphlets in the Czech language. He wrote For a Better Understanding of Robert Ingersoll (1904) and Ladislav Klacil, His Life and Teachings (1908). He translated the pamphlets Gods by Robert Ingersoll, Vindication by Thomas Paine, and Intellectual Development. Snajdr sold his newspaper and publishing business to Svet Publishing Company of Cleveland in 1910.

During the years he spent in Cleveland, Snajdr was active in politics and business. He served on the Cleveland School Board, the Board of Directors of Broadway Bank, and as President of the Pilsner Brewing Company. In 1919 Snajdr resigned from his position at Pilsner and moved to Pasadena, California, where he spent the remainder of his life.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Vaclav Snadjr

Scope and Content

The Vaclav Snajdr Photographs, ca. 1869-1955, consist of photographs of members of the Snadjr family, their homes and friends.

The collection includes 73 black and white photographs that measure 8 x 10 inches and smaller.

This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of the Czech immigrant community in Cleveland, Ohio.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should also consult MS 3706 Vaclav Snadjr Papers.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] PG 185 Vaclav Snajdr Photographs, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

These photographs were removed from MS 3706 Vaclav Snadjr Papers. Gift of Robert I. Snajdr in 1975.

Detailed Description of The Collection