Ben Snowden portrait   Save
Ohio History Connection
Description: Photograph of Ben Snowden (1840-1920), whose father was the first African American in Knox County, Ohio. This photograph was taken around 1915. Together with other family members--their sisters Sophia, Phebe, Martha, Elsie, and Annie--Ben and his brother Lew (the Snowden Brothers) performed popular songs for both African American and white audiences throughout rural central Ohio between 1850 and 1900. According to local legend, Daniel D. Emmett learned the song "Dixie" from the Snowdens. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC3964_04
Subjects: African American Ohioans; Arts and Entertainment; Musicians; Musical performance;
Places: Clinton (Ohio); Knox County (Ohio)