Rev Joseph P. Sneed
(1804-1881)

Died aged c. 77

Reverend Joseph Perkins Sneed (January 10, 1804 – November 21, 1881) was an American preacher, farmer and educator. A minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, he established the first-ever Methodist church in Waco, Texas. Prior to and during the course of the American Civil War, he converted many slaves to the Methodist faith.

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Commemorated on 8 plaques

Texas Historical Marker #01246

First United Methodist Church of Port Lavaca. The First Methodist Church of Port Lavaca was organized in 1841 by the Rev. Joseph P. Sneed of the Victoria circuit. By 1844 the Lavaca congregation had joined the newly formed Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Though hurricanes plagued the area, the congregation persevered. The 1862 building was destroyed in 1875; its 1898 replacement, which harbored the bell of the ravaged Indianola Methodist Church, was lost in the storm of 1945. A complex of facilities was completed in 1958, with a new sanctuary added in 1975. The First United Methodist Church of Port Lavaca continues a tradition of service to the community. (1998) #1246

814 N. San Antonio Street, Port Lavaca, TX, United States where they organised

Texas Historical Marker #01897

First United Methodist Church of Victoria. When Victoria was settled in 1824, Texas was part of Mexico and there were no Protestant churches. Itinerant Methodist ministers began to visit this area soon after Texas won independence in 1836. The Rev.Jesse Hord (1808-86), a missionary sent to this region by the Mississippi Conference of the Methodist Church, preached here in 1839. This congregation, formed in 1840 with the Rev. Joseph P. Sneed (1804-81) as pastor, was the first Protestant church in Victoria. Among its early pastors were the Rev. John Wesley DeVilbiss (1818-83), who helped conduct the first Protestant service in San Antonio in 1844, and the Rev. James E. Ferguson (1824-76), the father of Texas governor James E. Ferguson (1871-1944). Methodists worshipped first on South Street, then moved in 1852 to a small, frame building on Santa Rosa Street. In 1876 the steadily growing congregation occupied a frame structure on this site. Between 1896 and 1910, the church was known as Callender Chapel in memory of a prominent member, lawyer W.L. Callender. Damaged by a hurricane in 1886, the frame sanctuary was destroyed by a fire in 1910 and replaced by a masonry structure in 1911. The present facility was built in 1960. In the 1970s, the historic fellowship recorded a membership of over 1400. (1976) #1897

407 N. Bridge Street, Victoria, TX, United States where they preached

Texas Historical Marker #01898

First United Methodist Church of Waco. In 1850 the Rev. Joseph P. Sneed and 23 charter members founded this congregation, the first church in the townsite of Waco. Services were held initially in a log cabin at Second and Jackson Street. The Methodists shared their building with the First Baptist and First Presbyterian churches. This fellowship worshiped at two other locations before moving to Fifth and Jackson Street in 1876. The Fifth Street congregation became First Methodist Church in 1919. The members moved to the present site in 1963. #1898

4901 Cobbs Dr., Waco, TX, United States where they established a church

Texas Historical Marker #04103

Powers Chapel. Before 1850 the Rev. Joseph P. Sneed (1804-1881), a Methodist circuit rider, organized the congregation later known as Powers Chapel. Luke Powers and John Cullines donated this land for a log church house built in 1855. It served as a community center and school until a two-story building, with a Masonic lodge upstairs, replaced it in 1870. This structure was completed in 1890. Acreage from other land gifts provided for the cemetery and the tabernacle which took the place of an early brush arbor. Revivals and Memorial Day services are still held here. #4103

?, Rosebud, TX, United States where they established a church

Texas Historical Marker #04783

Site of First Church Building in Waco. Near this site about 1850, according to local tradition, worshipers gathered in a simple log house to hear Methodist Minister Joseph P. Sneed deliver a sermon. The house, long since removed, is considered the first Waco church building, and Sneed's followers are credited with founding Waco's first Methodist congregation. Sneed had previously served as an itinerant Methodist preacher with the Mississippi Conference in Lousiana and Arkansas. After 1851 he remained in Texas and died in Milam County in 1881. About 1851 the Methodists erected a frame church at Second and Jackson street (2 blocks SW), with Sneed as pastor. That building also served as a Sunday school and was later used by both Baptists and Presbyterians. In 1858 the Methodists built a brick church at Third and Franklin streets (three blocks west), no longer extant. The congregation moved services back to Second and Jackson streets in 1868 to meet in the new Waco Female College, a Methodist Institute. In 1879 these Methodists moved to an imposing new structure at Fifth and Jackson streets (five blocks SW). This congregation, known officially as First Methodist Church after 1919 and unofficially as the "Mother Church," moved in 1963 to 4901 Cobbs Drive. #4783

?, Waco, TX, United States where they preached near

Texas Historical Marker #08463

Martha's Chapel. Robinson's settlement became a stronghold for Methodist activity in Southeast Texas in the early 1830s. By 1839 a campground, church, and school were established here on land given by William and Elizabeth Robinson to The Rev. Littleton Fowler, Superintendent of Methodism in the Republic of Texas. Early clergy who visited and served here included Isaac Strickland, Jesse Hord, Joseph P. Sneed, and Bishop Thomas A. Morris. The Fourth Texas Methodist Conference met here in 1843, with Bishop James O. Andrew presiding. The church and the area became known as Martha's Chapel in 1854 after Martha Palmer, wife of a church trustee, died and was buried behind the church building. During the pastorate of The Rev. James G. Johnson (1812-1887), it was also referred to as Johnson's Chapel. At his death, Johnson bequeathed funds to complete the construction of the third and last place of worship at this site. It was dedicated on October 18, 1887, by Bishop W. W. Duncan. Although the congregation disbanded in the 1930s, ending a century of Methodism in this area, the Martha's Chapel Cemetery remains as a reminder of the area's pioneer heritage. #8463

?, Huntsville, TX, United States where they visited

Texas Historical Marker #10946

Rev. Joseph P. Sneed. (Jan. 10, 1804 - Nov. 21, 1881) A Methodist minister. Licensed 1828, Tennessee. After a Texas visit in 1834, volunteered as a missionary to Texas Republic in 1838. Organized many churches. Once was circuit rider for 7-county area. Prospered as a farmer, rancher, preacher. #10946

CR 270, Maysfield, TX, United States where they was

Texas Historical Marker #10947

Sneed Memorial Methodist Church. This congregation, organized in 1869 as the Calvert Methodist Church, built its first sanctuary on this site in 1872. Among the early pastors were (1885-86) the Rev. Seth Ward, later first native Texan to be named a Methodist bishop; and (1895-99) the Rev. Dr. James Kilgore, a founder of Southern Methodist University. In 1923 when the present church building was erected, the name was changed in memory of the Rev. Joseph P. Sneed (1804-81), a circuit rider who came to Texas in 1838, then served for many years in Robertson and Milam county churches. #10947

Beech and Mitchell St., Calvert, TX, United States where they is commemorated