William Slaughter

WILLIAM SLAUGHTER, a highly respected farmer, and well known resident of Fairview township, Labette county, Kansas, where he lives in the southwest quarter of section 6, is a native of Charlottesville, Virginia, where he was born in 1826. He received his primary education partly in his native state and partly in Ohio, to which state his father moved in 1831. In 1850 Mr. Slaughter moved to Tazewell county, Illinois, and was a resident of that commonwealth until 1874. He then moved to Labette county, Kansas, and located on the first farm he looked at, which was the southwest quarter of section 8, in Fairview township. He carried on farming there until the spring of 1901, when he moved to the southwest quarter of section 6, where he now lives. He sold the southwest quarter of section 8, and also the south half of the northwest quarter of section 8, and bought the south half of the southwest quarter of section 6, the north half of which he already owned. He has had a very successful agricultural career, and is considered one of the best farmers in this section of the state.

Mr. Slaughter has been married three times. By his first wife, whose name was Sarah Hudson, and who died in 1858, he has a daughter, Mary (Webster), who lives in Illinois. By his second union, with Elizabeth Cassady, there was one child, who died. Mrs. Slaughter died in 1874. His third wife's name was Amanda Baker. She died in November, 1890, leaving no children. Since then our subject's brother, Joseph J. Slaughter, and his family, have made their abode with him. Joseph J. Slaughter served four years in the Civil War, with the 115th Reg., Ill. Vol. Inf., under Colonel Cook. William Slaughter's brother, John, was also a soldier in the Civil War, and died in the army. Joseph J. Slaughter settled on a farm in Elm Grove township, Labette county, in 1881. He remained in that township until 1890, when he moved to Fairview township, and has since lived with his brother.

William Slaughter, the subject of this sketch, has always been a strong Republican. He served as supervisor of Tazewell county, Illinois, and was treasurer of Labette county in 1890 and, 1891. He has served Fairview township as trustee on five different occasions, and has discharged his official duties with dignity and with credit to the community. His portrait appears on a page in proximity to this.