October 25, 2026
One of the earliest glimpses of Jane Champion is a school report, not a family biography. In 1843, the Semi-Weekly Advocate listed Miss Jane Champion and Miss Mary Champion in the same Union Sunday School class. The report praised the girls' scripture memorization; the scan's tally is partly obscured, so the precise number of verses beside each name is uncertain.
The 1843 item does not identify their parents. Later evidence supplies that connection: a 1892 obituary for Judge William H. Snyder names his wife as Jane R. Champion, daughter of the late Dr. Federal Champion. The December 30, 1892 obituary also calls her Jane E. Champion, daughter of Dr. Champion, and says the couple had two sons, William H. Snyder Jr. and Frederick. A 1896 retrospective independently calls Jane a daughter of Dr. Champion and says she married Judge W. H. Snyder in 1857. A January 1894 obituary also gives the marriage year and describes their two sons.
Jane's birth date has not been found in the records reviewed for this draft. The 1894 obituary appeared January 12, and a notice on January 19 says the will of the late Mrs. Jane C. Snyder, widow of Judge Snyder, had been admitted to probate. Together these show she died by January 19, 1894, but the obituary issue date is not necessarily her exact date of death. The sources use Jane R., Jane C., and a form read as Jane E.; keep the middle initial open pending a clearer original or vital record.
The 1892 obituary names two sons: William H. Snyder Jr., later elected to the Illinois General Assembly, and Dr. Fred. H. Snyder, who had died in 1887. A 1887 obituary for Dr. Frederick Champion Snyder says he was born August 30, 1861, graduated from St. Louis Medical College in 1884, and died after a period of poor health. Its wording that his life ended twenty-six years and two days after his birth implies a death date of September 1, 1887. The matching family details strongly suggest this is Jane's son, but the middle-name forms differ and the 1887 obituary does not name his parents.
Jane was also the daughter who cared for Patience in her later years. Patience's 1892 obituary says she died at her daughter Mrs. W. H. Snyder's home and calls Jane the only surviving child. Its printed death date for Patience is May 2, 1892, while the 1896 retrospective says May 3.
The sources make Jane a link between the Champion household, the Snyder family, and Belleville's civic life. They also preserve the small early detail of two girls memorizing scripture together. A school report, marriage year, and family obituaries give us a shape for Jane's life, even though her birth date and exact death date remain to be found.
1843 Union Sunday School report
December 30, 1892 obituary for Judge Snyder and family