Roswell Slater → William Johnson Slater
Roswell Slater (christened Simsbury, Connecticut, 1774, son of John Slater Jr.) is very probably the father of William Johnson Slater (c.1806–1882). No record found so far names William's father, so the link rests on several independent clues that all point the same way.
Probable, not proven. This is the weakest link in the line.
The clues
| Year | Clue | Source | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1795 | "Roswell Slater" witnesses a deed from John Slater of Amenia, Dutchess Co., NY, to John Slater Jr. | Simsbury land records vol. 17–18 pp. 512–513 (FamilySearch DGS 008299125, image 504) | Places Roswell in John Jr.'s family |
| 1804–06 | "Roswell Slaughter" on the Orwell taxables, 1804; "Roswell Slater (1806)" among the early settlers of Pike Twp. | Annual, Bradford County Historical Society (1906); Craft, History of Bradford County (1878) | Documents Roswell in Pike/Orwell |
| 1810 | A Slaughter household in Orwell (head written "Joseph") with a man 26–45 and two boys under 10 | 1810 census, Orwell, p. 716A | Suggestive |
| 1830 | "William J. Slater", a newly married couple, in Pike Twp., next door to Benjamin Coats | 1830 census, Pike, p. 94 (image; indexed "Stater") | Strong for place |
| 1830 | Clarissa Slater, widow, heads a family in nearby Wyalusing | 1830 census, Wyalusing, p. 63 | Supports Roswell dying c.1829–30 |
| 1832 | William names a son Roswell; the son's 1853 marriage names his parents as Wm. J. & Caroline Slater | 1850 census, Auburn; Pennsylvania county marriages, 1853 | Naming pattern |
| 1880 | William J.'s father and mother both born in Connecticut | 1880 census, Burlington, ED 6 (image) | Fits Roswell, born in Connecticut |
| 1867–80 | William J. and Adolphus D. Slater (b. 1814, father born in Connecticut) held land in Forkston, then lived two doors apart in Burlington | Wyoming Co. deed indexes p. 709; 1880 census | Suggests kin |
| 1894 | Samantha Shumway's marriage names her parents as "Roswell Slater / Clarissa Slater" | Bradford Co. marriage license no. 2474 | Proves a Roswell and Clarissa family in the area |
William Johnson Slater's life in records
| Year | Place | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1830 | Pike Twp., Bradford Co. | Census: a couple, next to Benjamin Coats |
| 1840 | Wysox Twp., Bradford Co. | Census: a family with a son and three daughters |
| 1850 | Auburn Twp., Susquehanna Co. | Census: with Caroline and children Naomi, Roswell, Fanny, Rachel, Benjamin, Edwin |
| 1864–67 | Auburn Twp. | Buys 10 acres from Nelson H. Roberts; with Caroline assigns it to George Warner |
| 1867–79 | Forkston Twp., Wyoming Co. | Deeds with Asher Kasson, Forkston Township, Joseph H. Rogers |
| 1880 | Burlington Twp., Bradford Co. | Census, aged 73, with Caroline |
| 7 Jul 1882 | North Towanda | Died; buried Pail Factory Cemetery |
Against or unresolved
- In 1880 Asa Slater (b. 1814, Burlington) gave both parents as born in Pennsylvania, and Adolphus gave his mother as born in Pennsylvania. If they were William's full brothers, some of these answers are wrong.
- William's birth year varies between 1805 and 1809 across records.
- No land, estate or guardianship record for Roswell or Clarissa appears in the Luzerne, Susquehanna or Wyoming County indexes. Bradford County's deeds and Orphans' Court records are not online.
What would prove it
- William J. Slater's obituary, July 1882 (Bradford County Historical Society)
- Bradford County deeds and Orphans' Court records, c.1812–1835 (courthouse, Towanda)
- Y-DNA comparison with documented descendants of the Simsbury Slaters