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E. A. SNIVELY was born in the village of Cuba, Fulton county, Illinois, February 17th, 1845. The Snivelys are of German ancestry, the descendants of whom settled in Pennsylvania many years ago. The grandfather of the present sketch was one of the pioneers of Ohio. He was a man of fine education, and was an accomplished German and English scholar. On the maternal side the family are of Irish descent, although three generations have been born in this country. The father of Ethan A., removed from Ohio to Illiois in 1838, and settled in Fulton county, where he remained until his death, which took place in 1860. The mother survived him, and died in 1879, in the house where the subject of this sketch was born. Ethan A. attended the district schools of his native village and received a fair English education. In the spring of 1860, when he was fifteen years of age, he entered a printing office in Havana, Mason county, and determined to learn the trade. His father wisely advised him to continue at school and prepare to take a classical course in some first-class college, and then enter upon the profession of law, but Ethan believed and argued that learning a trade, and thereby providing some certain way of making a living in the furtue, was the wiser course. The father admitted the force of his reasoning, and gave his consent. He finished his trade at Canton, Illinois. During the first week of January, 1866, he commenced the publication of the Rushville Times, at Rushvillle, Illinois, which paper he successfully conducted for two years and a half, when he sold the paper and established the Galesbury Times, at Galesbury, Illinois. In this enterpeise he was unfortunate and lost about $3,000. After this he edited the Pekin Times for three months, and in October, 1869, the position of city editor of the Peoria Daily Democrat was tendered him, and he accepted it. He remained with the Democrat for two years, during which time he acted as reporter for the paper at the session of the Constitutional Convention, and the first session of the 27th General Assembly. In October, 1871, he took charge of the Macoupin Enquirer, which succeeced the Macoupin Times, and continued in control thereof until March, 1877. While a resident of Carlinville, he on the 23d day of February, 1876, became connected with one of the oldest families in Macoupin county, by being united in marriage to Miss Kate M. Dubois, eldest daughter of Mr. A. McKim Dubois, of Carlinville. In 1878 he was elected clerk of Supreme Court for the thirty-three counties, comprising the Central Grand Division. In March, 1879, Mr. L. C. Glessner established the Macoupin County Herald, and Mr. Snively took charge of the editorial management. In June, 1879, he was elected president of the Illinois Press Association. Mr. Snively comes from strictly Democratic stock. His father was a prominent Democrat in Fulton county, and held several official positions at the hands of the party. Mr. S. has been an active and uncompromising Democrat.