John-Jacob and Elizabeth (Helm) Snidow and their children were early settlers connected with the Pembroke area. John-Jacob, of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, visited this vicinity about 1766, then returned to Pennsylvania to settle his affairs. As he came back to Virginia with his family, he died en route in 1772. Elizabeth continued the journey with her children and settled at the mouth of Little Stoney Creek. A surprise attack by Indians on August 7, 1774, resulted in the massacre of two small daughters and the captivity of two sons, Jacob, who escaped, and Theophilus, who returned years later. In 1785 Elizabeth received a land grant for 360 acres that included part of the Town of Pembroke. Her sons Philip, Christian, Jacob, and Theophilus served in the American Revolution.