Russell Slayton

Russell Slayton

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58824756/russell_slayton

Progress" by Ernest B Fisher, published 1918:

In 1846 Russell Slayton located on Section 14 and Dudley Newton on Section 17. Russell Slayton was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and in early life removed to Rochester, New York. He came thence to Grattan Township, the journey consuming forty-six days. He was among the earliest residents and landholders of the township.

Extract from the 1850 Census:
Name: Russell Slayton
Age in 1850: 50
Estimated birth year: 1800
Birthplace: Massachusetts
Race: white
Gender: male
Relation to head-of-house: head
Home in 1850: Grattan, Kent, Michigan
Value of real estate: $2000
Occupation: farmer
Census place: Grattan, Kent, Michigan; Roll: M432_353; Page: 303; Image: 586
Date: 19 Oct 1850

Extract from "Slayton History and Genealogy, 1682-1898" by Asa Walker Slayton: page 62 to 67 82

Russell b. Nov. 19, 1798. His early years were spent on the farm and running his father's carding machine summers, in school winters. He attended the Leicester Academy the Quarter ending Nov. 12, 1818, John Nehor, Preceptor; more, afterward, I think, but cannot say. One of his amusements was spearing fish in Five and Seven-Mile Rivers, wading in the middle of the stream nights, a torch of burning pine knots in left hand, a spear in the right.

He decided to "go west" with his brother-in-law, Harvey Wood and family, and an expected brother-in-law, Perley Stevens. How far west could the reader go in three weeks? They started with a team Feb. 13, 1821, and reached their uncle Reuben's in Middlesex, N. Y., March 4th. They soon bought 825 acres in Weet River Hollow, nearly a mile south of Walford's Corners, now Middlesex Center, for between seven and eight dollars an acre. Harvey took the north one-third; Russell, the middle one-third; Perley the south one-third; a shanty of logs was built in which all lived, and each began clearing. Russell taught school in Italy the next winter; "made 850 pounds maple sugar in six weeks in the spring, bought and set 50 apple trees, planted one acre of corn, and. sowed one acre of spring grain."

He m. Berthena Clark, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 1822, at her father's house in Italy, Yates Co., where she was b. May 20, 1803. Italy was then in Ontario Co. The next year, 1828, land was bought on East Hill at four dollars per acre. He laid out and framed by "square rule" the first barn in all the country around, putting in double the usual number of braces and girts 145 braces and on raising day thirteen boss carpenters, by scribe rule, were present to see how the new-fangled notion worked. Without instruction, he and three of his boys have set out many timber frames since then.

Dec. 4, 1820, he was appointed Ensign in the 103d Reg. Inf., to rank from Sept. 24, 1824, by DeWitt Clinton, Gov., Commander-in-Chief of all the Army, and Admiral of all the Navy. He was appointed Captain in a Battalion of Riflemen, date from Oct. 30, 1830, by Lieut. Gov. E. T. Throop, Acting Gov. He was appointed Lieut. Col. of the 26th Reg. of Riflemen, rank from June 11, 1831, date July 1, signecl by Enos T. Throop, Gov., John A. Dix, Adj. Gen. April 80, 1836, he was commissioned Col. of same Reg. to rank from Sept. 12, 1835, signed by W. L. Marcy, Gov., Levi Hubbell, Adj. Gen. With his military commissions, which I have. are two others signed by W. T. Barry, P. M. Gen.; one dated April 10, 1832, making him the first P. M. at West River, Yates Co.; the other dated June 20, 1838, changing the name to Middlesex. At the General Training, Sept., 1886, in addressing his regiment before dismissal, the Col. used these words, "Take your arms home with you. Show them to your children; and tell them that by these arms our liberties were won and will be maintained." Ira Williams, then a boy of 15, repeated the words to me 59 years afterward, in Naples, where they were first spoken.

He moved up on West Hill in the spring, 1838, still owning some land in the valley at the Corners, where the Baptist church now stands, also a sawmill. He had taught school nine of the winters in Italy or Middlesex, was Justice of the Peace, and P. M. also. He was a Democrat until 1832, when at a mass-meeting and pole-raising in Rushville he saw men dig a ditch around the hickory pole they had raised, empty a barrel of whiskey into it, then get down on their knees and drink from the ditch. This so disgusted him that he kept aloof from politics until his opposition to slavery induced him to give shelter to the runaway, and to vote the Free-soil ticket. George W. Henshaw [runaway slave] was a member of the family 1838 to 1846.

In the spring of 1837, [Russell] moved to Perinton, Monroe Co., where he had bought 320 acres; where, after working hard for six years, clearing much land, building barns and a large stone house, and paying over $6000 toward the land, hard times compelled him to deed all back without reserve. He sold his personal property and bought land in Mich.; moved to Victor spring of 1845 to school his children, worked at carpenter and mason work; started for Mich. Sept., 1847, around the lakes, five weeks on the way; settled in town of Grattan, Kent Co., and spent rest of life clearing land and making buildings. He had revisited Brookfield in 1825, and with his wife in 1847; and they visited Middlesex and Italy spring of 1856.

Memory oft recalls the September morning, 1862, when, bareheaded, the early sun silvering his gray locks, he walked down with us to the road that skirts the shores of the beautiful lake that bears his name, and could find only a tremulous voice to say "Do your duty," motioned his three boys a Good-by as they started for the South, and they never saw him again. Hard work and little rest for one of his years brought on inflammation. He d. Oct. 20, 1863, in Grattan. She lived at the homestead, but d. May 4. 1877, while visiting in Lake Co. at Marion's home. Both are buried in Grattan, the Mason cemetery. Eight ch.