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A brief biography SLATEN, WILLIS (b. 2-7-1878, Tenn., d. 4-15-1969, Portales) was farming and ranching in Hopkins Co., Tex. when he came to Roosevelt Co., in 1906 to homestead near Richland. He later had a coal and seed retail and mortar mixing business in Portales. he m. 1904, Hopkins Co., Tex., Janet Bell, b. 2-6-1888, Harper, Kan., d. 10-27-1970, Portales. Children: A. Orvel Truman (O.T.), b. 9-16-1905, m. 12-24-1925, Farwell, Tex., Vinita Cecil Harp. Children: 1. Stanly Truman, b. 10-21-1932, Portales, m. 1956 Rudioso, N.M., Marjorie Titswarter. 2. Karen Jane, b. 4-23-1942, Portales, m. 8-13-1961, Portales, Thomas Dwayne Vardeman. B. Blanche, b. 11-23-1909, Richland, m. 12-24-1925, Farwell, Tex., Elmer Lee harp. Children: 1. Adele Berwyn, b. 5-9-1929, Portales, m. 4-4-1947, Portales, Melvin Lindley Lavorn. 2. Keigm Lee, b. 3-1-1931, Miami, Ariz., m. 8-15-1954, Mont- rose, Colo., Donna Lee Barnes. C. Leon Cecil, b. 11-21-1911, Richland, m. 5-12-1932, Wichita, Kans., Bernice Beatrice Levick. Children: 1. Walter David (W.D.), b. 6-14-1936, Portales. 2. janet Berwyn, b. 2-24-1944, Austin, Tex., m. 6-9- 1968, Portales, Navio Christopher Acchialini. D. Woodrow Willis, b. 10-20-1914, Richland, m. 2-25-1934, Hereford, Tex., Theda Lou Wilson. Children: 1. Woodrow Kenneth, b. 3-13-1936, Portales, d. 1-13-1938, Portales. 2. Sandra Jean, b. 2-22-1939, Clovis, N.M., m. Leonard M. Rowe, Jr., Denver Colo. 3. Wendel Barry, b. 6-25-1944, Portales, m. 1964, Denver, Colo., Bobbie ______. E. Berwyn, b. 10-30-1919, Richland, m. 10-29-1944, Portales, harvey Forbes. Children: 1. Kraig Slaten, b. 6-14-1953, Kan. City, Mo. 2. Kimbery, b. 11-12-1955, Kan. City, Mo. 3. Jeffrey Wallace, b. 2-28-1959, Kan. City. Settler was the son of William Slaten, d. ca. 1890, Decatur, Ala. and his wife who d. ca. 1915, Decatur, Ala. Other children: A. Nora, m. John McClanhan. B. Florence. C. Molloy, m. Gus Blankenship. Three other girls not known by informer. Settler's wife, Janet Bell Slaten, was the child of Irving Bell, b. Scotland, d. ca. 1902, Tex., and Ellen ______, b. 10-23, 1856, Springfield, Mo., d. 5-6-1940, Portales. Other children: (end of page 103) A. Irving Bell, Jr., m. Amy. B. R.C. Bell. C. Clara Bell, m. _____ Reid. D. Eddie Bell, d. young. Settler was b. Tenn. and moved to Decatur, Ala. when he was very young. His father d. when he was about 12 years of age, leaving his mother, six older sisters, and himself. He quit school and took over as head of the family. After his sisters were grown, he came to Hopkins Co., Tex. where he met and married Janet Bell. He filed on land one mile E. of Pep, N.M. He worked on ranches, farmed and ran cattle on a small scale and bought more land as he could. Also, he worked as a mortar mixer and was away working to help out on the farm, leaving family at home to carry on. He helped to build the old Portales High School that has been torn down. In 1918-1919 he went to Miami, Ariz. and worked in the mines during the drought. In ca. 1927, he sold his farm equipment and moved to Portales where he went into business with Howard Davidson. later he bought his share of the business and operated it as Slaten Coal Company until he retired. He bought a home at 1000 main in Portales in 1929 where he lived until his death. Submitted by Blanche Slaten Williamson (end of page 104)
Transcription done 4 May 2002 by Kathy L. Rhodes. Photocopy of this SLATEN family history article sent via email to me on 3 May 2002 by Sherene Swanson of Portales, NM. Sheren's Source for article: "Early Settlers of Roosevelt County, New Mexico" Edited by Dona L. Stone and Pearce S. Grove. Copyright El Portal Chapter, N.S.D.A.R. 1977. Gen.978.932 E12 Click here to view scan of photocopy from which transciption was done.
Notes: Actual birth year is believed to be 1877 as indicated on the Social Security Death Records Index and the 1900 Morgan Co Al Census. (2 Ward, New Decatur, Enumerated on 11 June 1900, Sup. Dist No. 8, Enumeration District No. 142, Sheet 14, Line 82). Willis was the youngest of seven children and in 1900 is the only one left living in the home of his widowed mother, Elizabeth. Date of death confirmed by obituary published in the "Portales News Tribune" on 16 April 1969. Address given for the Slaten Coal & Seed Co. in a letter received by Noel H. Slaten or his wife Addie M. Craft Slaten, in 1956 is given as 105 East Commercial St., Portales, New Mexico. I have not examined the original of this letter but have information pertaining to its contents from notes written about the letter by Mrs. Pauline Slaten Dodson (dau. of Addie Craft and Noel H. Slaten). Click here to read these notes. Under construction....more notes to come Death Date from his tombstone (Walnut Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, Morgan Co, AL) is 2 Jun 1892, so Blanche was close on her "guestimate" here. Wife of William "Bill" G. Slaten is Elizabeth "Lizzie" [maiden name either Evans or Stan[d?,s?]field]. Researchers give conflicting marriage dates and places. (M. Gibson gives maiden name of Evans with marriage date of 28 Mar 1865 in Morgan Co AL and C. Slayton gives maiden name of Stansfield with marriage date of Dec 13, 1865 in Williamson Co TN). I've yet to see an original marriage record for either assertion. The couple are located in Williamson Co TN in the 1870 and the 1880 Census records and curiously, in the 1880 Census Record there is a John Standfield living just one door up from them. The age of John Standfield is given in this census as being 36 (est. birth year=1844), so he could possibly be a brother to Elizabeth "Lizzie" Slaten IF her maiden name is actually Standfield and not Evans as M. Gibson suggests. Willis didn't have 6 older sisters; he had 4 older sisters and 1 younger sister. Evidence for this is found in the 1880 Williamson Co TN Census records where the youngest child in the family is listed as Lizzie Slaten with a birth year of 1879.
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