The Scottish surname Snodgrass is of local origin, deriving from the name of the dwelling place or locality where a bearer once lived.  In this instance, the name can be traced to the lands named Snodgrasse in Ayrshire, and the name literally meant, "a dweller at the smooth, grassy land."  In medieval Scotland it was common practice to identify a man with the area from which he hailed and to refer to him in this manner. Thus a resident of Snodgrasse usually adopted the name of their native soil as their family name.  There was also a certain civic pride involved in registering one's native town as one's family name.  Early instances of the name were generally prefixed with "de" meaning "of"; a preposition used to denote surnames of local origin.  The earliest instance of the name occurs in the Scottish Rolls and the listings are entered in Scots Gaelic; one Adam Snorgyrs is listed as being the bailie (bailiff) of Are (Ayr) in 1372. The modern form of the name began to appear during the sixteenth century; one Patrick Snodgrass was admitted Burgess and Freeman of Glasgow in 1578.  In Glasgow the surname frequently appears as Snodgers where a notable family of this name resided during the Middle Ages; they were recorded in the Glasgow Protocol Books as being significant maltmen and brewers.  One Margaret Snodgers inherited this firm from her brother John in 1621. 

HISTORIC BATTLE SITES

Battle of Chickamauga - Civil War	This battle was fought on Snodgrass Hill