Editing Snellville, Georgia (section)

===English settlers===
In 1884, Thomas Snell and James Sawyer, 17-year-old friends from [[London]], secretly planned a voyage to the United States. On March 18, James Sawyer and his brother, Charles, left England. However, Snell's parents, having learned of the plan, would not allow him to leave, thus delaying his departure. The Sawyer brothers arrived in New York City on April 1, and after a few weeks, headed toward [[Athens, Georgia]], and then to [[Madison County, Georgia|Madison County]], where they stayed and worked on a farm for $10 a month. Snell did eventually follow his friends to New York and made his way south to meet them. The three then made their way through [[Jefferson, Georgia|Jefferson]] and [[Lawrenceville, Georgia|Lawrenceville]]. Shortly after Snell's arrival, Charles left for [[Pennsylvania]], later returning to the South and settling in [[Alabama]], where he went into the [[turpentine]] business. James had gone also, in search of his brother, leaving Snell to work on the farm of A. A.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XT0TAAAAYAAJ&q=thomas+snell+james+sawyer+snellville | title=History of Gwinnett County, Georgia | last1=Flanigan | first1=James C. | date=1943 }}</ref>

Unable to find his brother, James Sawyer returned to New York and began work on a farm near the [[Hudson River]] area until his 21st birthday in 1878, when he returned to England to claim his inheritance. Shortly following, in August 1879, he returned to [[Americus, Georgia]], and then Gwinnett County. Once in Gwinnett County, Sawyer found Snell in the small settlement then known as New London, near [[Stone Mountain]]. In the homestead that Snell now referred to as Snellville, the two built a small wood-frame building and started a business together, Snell and Sawyer's Store, similar to the one in which they were employed in London. As was common in small mill towns of the time, they printed store money with the trade value and Snell's likeness on the front that regular customers could use to purchase goods. By the end of 1879, the business was prospering and catering to customers from the neighboring towns of Lawrenceville and [[Loganville, Georgia|Loganville]]. Travelers bought supplies at "Snell and Sawyer's" and often spent the night in the nearby oak groves, as the trip was too great for one day's travel. When New London officially became Snellville is unknown, but the location of the partners' store was referred to as Snellville in their advertising, and the young town began to show a promising future.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

The partnership later dissolved, and Sawyer kept the old store, building granite stone above and around the old frame and then disassembling the wood frame from within. Snell built a new store of granite.<ref name="Assessment_2006" /> In 1883, Sawyer built a home and married Emma Webb{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}, of the historic Snellville Webb family, on November 15. Sawyer opened Snellville's first post office in 1885 and served as postmaster from the back of his store.

Snell died at age 39 in 1896 due to complications following an [[appendicitis]] operation. He was buried in Brownlee Mountain, presently known as Nob Hill, and was later reburied in nearby [[Lithonia, Georgia|Lithonia]].<ref name="Assessment_2006">{{cite report | author = Jordan, Jones, & Goulding | date = 2006-10-09 | title = City of Snellville 2030 Comprehensive Plan: Community Assessment | url = https://www.dca.ga.gov/sites/default/files/snellvilleci.community_assessment_plan.pdf | section = 5.9.1 | page = 51 | access-date = 2024-02-08}}</ref>

Initially forced into partial retirement due to failing eyesight, Sawyer later lost his sight completely. After that time, the store was owned and operated by various merchants. It was eventually destroyed in 1960 and replaced by a [[filling station|service station]]. James Sawyer died in 1948 at age 91 and is buried in the Baptist Cemetery (now Snellville Historical Cemetery).<ref>[https://www.snellville.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={D18C6C40-23A7-4F3E-A603-396812502377}&DE={EFC0E20E-059C-4613-A934-75BBA41BEE14} "History of Snellville"], ''City of Snellville'', February 2, 2016,</ref>