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KANAWHA COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA - BIOS: FARLEY, Capt. Snelling C.
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
SSpradling@aol.com
September 19, 1999
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History of Kanawha County
George W. Atkinson
1876
p. 294-296
CAPTAIN SNELLING C. FARLEY.
Captain Farley was born four miles from Paris, in Bourbon county, Kentucky,
February 3, 1806. His father lived upon a farm, and when the subject of this
sketch was seven years of age, he moved to Kanawha county, Virginia, where
his fatherin~law, Mr. Forquerian, formerly of Bedford county, Virginia, had
located in the spring of 1813. After his arrival in Kanawha, Mr. Farley
continued in agricultural pursuits for a few years, when he located in
Charleston, that he might be better en-abled to educate his children.
In Charleston young Farley attended the Mercer Academy, under the
instructions of Mr. Jacob Rand, who was a leading educator in the Ka-nawha
Valley at that time. At the age of fifteen years, he entered the tailor shop
of Mr. James Truslow, in Charleston, and continued in that business until
1826, when he had learned thoroughly every department of the business.
After he had completed his apprenticeship at the tailor's bench, Mr. Farley
engaged as a deputy Sheriff under Col. Andrew Donnally, who was at that time
Sheriff of the county. He continued in that business for nearly four years,
and gave satisfaction both to his employer and the people.
In 1844 Captain Farley purchased an interest in the side wheel steamer
Cumberland Valley, which ran between Charleston and Nashville, Tennessee, and
took charge of her as Captain. This was the beginning of
"a life on the river," which seemed to be his natural business, and which he
kept up for twenty-seven years. Ever since the writer can remember, Captain
Farley has been regarded as the leading steamboatman of the Great Kanawha
river. He was neat in his dress and appearance, and was courteous and
accommodating-just the make-up of a gentleman who would be popular as a river
Captain. He was known by nearly every business man along the Kanawha, lower
Ohio, and Cumberland valleys, having had more or less business transactions
with them during his twenty-seven years "on the water."
>From 1844 to 1876, Captain Farley was Master of the following named
steamers-in fact, he never filled any other position on a steamboat except
the office of commander: The Cumberland Valley, which plied be-tween
Charleston and Nashville; A. W Quarrier, running from Charleston to
Cincinnati; Allen Collier, in the same trade; Aurilla Wood, which ran between
Charleston and Wheeling; Hermon, in the trade from Paducah, Kentucky, to St.
Louis, Missouri. The Hermon also ran two years on the Wabash river, under
command of Captain Farley. The Ellen Gray was a neat little stern wheel
steamer, which he ran for sometime in the Charleston and Cincinnati trade.
He made fifty-one trips in one year with this steamer, a round trip requiring
one week; Kanawha Valley, Nos. I and 2, in the Cincinnati and Kanawha river
trade. He was in command of the No.2, when she was destroyed by General H.
A. Wise, of the Confederate army, in 1861. He built the T.J. Pickett, for
the Cannelton Coal and Oil Company, and commanded her in the trade from
Cannelton to Louisville, for about twelve months. The next steamer that he
commanded was the Mollie Norton, a large side-wheel steamer, which he ran in
the Cincinnati trade. The next one was the Collage No.2, which he ran a
portion of the time in the Charleston and Gallipolis trade, and a
considerable time also in the Cincinnati trade. The last vessel that he had
charge of was the R. W Skillinger, which he ran in the Charleston and
Cincinnati trade up to 1871, when he disposed of her, abandoned the river,
and has kept on land ever since.
River men, as a class, break down in health in early life. Captain Farley,
however, seems to be an exception to the rule, for he is now in the
seventy-first year of his age, and his health is tolerably good; his
appearance indicates an age not exceeding fifty-five or sixty.
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