Surnames commonly originated from the employment undertaken by an individual, in other cases it may have been based on location, or even a nickname [1]. In the case of a more unusual Surname such a Snashall, the origin is a little less clear, with no clear consensus among internet sources.

One source suggests the name as originating form the Gloucestershire area, and being derived from such variants as Kneeshall, or Snowshill [2]. Another suggests the name being a derivative of Seneschal, and meaning Steward, giving a possible occupation base [3]. In other suggestions of variants of the name, Marshall, Newhall, and Parshall are given as derivatives. In the 1891 census records found on Ancestry, there are 51 Snashall families living in Kent, and employed in occupations relating to agricultural labour [4]. This last scenario fits best with my own family history.

Thomas Snashall and Elizabeth Welch were married in Sevenoaks, Kent in 1847, and emigrated to South Australia, aboard the Indian in 1849 [5] [6]. There is no occupation listed for Thomas in ships logs. At the time of their arrival, they were the only Snashall family in South Australia.

After a harrowing journey, the family settled first in the Hindmarsh district. They had boarded the ship with one child (Elizabeth), birthed a second (Sarah), and witnessed the death of the first child within the duration of the voyage. Sarah died in May 1850, aged 13 months. Her death is recorded in the Hindmarsh district, as is the birth of Thomas William in July of that year. The birth locations of Thomas and Elizabeth’s children tell the story of their movement around the state [7].

Elizabeth – b. 1848 Kent, England – died 1849 at Sea
Sarah – b. 1849 at Sea – died May 7 1850, Hindmarsh, South Australia
Thomas William – b. July 17 1850, Hindmarsh South Australia
Richard – b. Jan 21 1852, Hindmarsh, South Australia
Charles – b. March 6 1855, Hindmarsh, South Australia
James – b. Oct 20 1857, Virginia, Gawler River, South Australia
Frederick – b. June 16, 1860, Hill River, Clare District, South Australia
Henry – b. Sept 18 1862, Hill River, Clare District, South Australia.

Of the eight children born to Thomas and Elizabeth, only Thomas William and James produced children. The name in is carried forth in South Australia via the male children born to Thomas William.

Having an unusual name, has not increased the ease of the search as you might think. In an issue common to many genealogical searches, the Snashall population of Kent appears to have shared frequently repeated Christian names, thereby ensuring confusion in tracing them with certainty.

References
[1] Wikipedia – ‘Surnames’ – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surname. Accessed Jan 16, 2019

[2] Surname DB – ‘Snashall’ http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/ Accessed Jan 16, 2019

[3 ]Forebears website – https://forebears.co.uk/surnames/snashall Accessed Jan 16, 2019

[4] Ancestry.com – https://www.ancestry.com.au/name-origin?surname=snashall Accessed Jan 16, 2019

[5] Free BDM – ‘Thomas Snashall – Marriage’ https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl Marriage of Thomas Snashall and Elizabeth Welch: Sevenoaks district 5, p.545. Accessed Jan 16, 2019

[6] The ships list – ‘The Indian 1849’. http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/indian1849.shtml Accessed Jan 16, 2019

[7] Genealogy SA, ‘online database’ https://www.genealogysa.org.au/ Accessed Jan 16, 2019