Brick Walls: Now and Forever? (Maybe not)

Every genealogist has them; those ancestors whose lives are not an open book, whose records (and sometimes even names) we haven't found anywhere we've looked.

Now I've just started using AI to help with my research and here is the result of my first trial.

My maternal third great-grandfather William T. Slater from "York County, England" made his first known appearance applying for citizenship in Jefferson County, Indiana, in 1818. All we have of this record is a transcription so I thought it might be interesting to contact the courthouse to see what else might be available. Alas! 

FIRE

At the Jefferson County, Courthouse

Madison, Indiana

May 20, 2009

At the time, it was feared that all the court records had been lost but according to the link above, it seems that because the fire was confined to the cupola, roof and top floor, they survived. So I asked Perplexity and Claude "What court records are survive in the Jefferson County Courthouse, in Madison, Indiana?"

Both agree that since before 1906, naturalization was handled by local courts, my ancestor's application could possibly be there (unless destroyed in earlier disasters, including two other fires in1853 and 1859). Both also give information about contracting the court clerk both by phone and email.

Now the rest is up to me!

Note: We've written quite a bit about William here on the blog, including what could possibly be his family in the Yorkshire West Riding--although Christine, who is the DNA expert around here, hasn't found a connection. A search of the blog will find the other posts about him.  

© 2026 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Further Speculation about William T. Slater's Yorkshire Roots

When William T. Slater, one of my maternal third great grandfathers, applied for citizenship in Jefferson County, Indiana, he stated he was 27 years old and a native of  "York County, England."* We've never been able to definitively trace William's antecedents to a specific location in Yorkshire so when this book came to my attention** I decided it might be worth a try:

[Yorkshire surnames: Are you a Brook, Haigh or a Hirst? Find out where your name came from 

The Huddersfield Examiner: 20 Dec 2015]

I first looked on worldcat.org hoping to find it in a local library but the nearest copy is 629 miles away in Salt Lake City and Amazon's vendor's asking price is $135. Fortunately I was able to find a bookseller in England for a fraction of that, although it turned out I had to pay extra because it's a brick of a book.

When my copy arrived I couldn't wait to see if Slater rates an entry. And it does! (However, Tiller which we believe to be his middle name, doesn't appear.)

According to Mr Redmonds this although this surname can be found thinly spread in many other English counties, it's in "the Pennine area where the name was exceptionally common: Lancashire, West Riding [Yorkshire], Staffordshire, and Derbyshire."

Concentrating on the West Riding this list of Slaters in Yorkshire that Christine found via FindMyPast several years ago hasn't changed materially.***

[findmypast.org]

Christine notes that the Wakefield individual died the in 1815 and I found that the Thornton William Slater was enumerated there in the 1851 English Census which leaves the one erroneously listed as born in Morley. Looking at the baptismal record the actual parish of birth was Leeds and the family's abode was Mill Shaw [Millshaw] a hamlet in Beeston which was a center of woolen cloth manufacture and is still considered an industrial area.

[Ancestry.com. West Yorkshire, Non-Conformist Records, 1646-1985 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: West Yorkshire Nonconformist Records. Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield, England:

West Yorkshire Archive Service.]

No occupation was listed for William Slater [Senior] but the only time that column seems to have been filled was only when the father was identified with a trade like mason, cordwainer, or clothier which is very seldom. Apparently being a mill hand wasn't deemed worthy of note. The initials purported to be the "Signature of Parents" are all in the same handwriting all throughout the register which would seem to indicate that none of the couples were expected to be able to sign their names.

I've found baptism records for four other children of this William and Mary Slater: Joseph (born 1789 in Churwell); Isaac (born 1790 in Millshaw); Betty (born in Beeston 1794) and Benjamin (born in 1806 in Mill Shaw).****

There's no proof that my ancestor was the William Slater born to this family but I think it's a definite possibility. To someone growing up in the bleak atmosphere of an early Industrial Revolution woolen mill town  and facing a future of unrelenting toil might well find "taking the King's shilling" an attractive idea since the bounty offered could equal several months pay.*****

However he found himself on board one of the over fifty ships comprising the British naval fleet invading Louisiana in 1815, it's clear that William Slater chose to end his military career then and there.

*Christine posted about her discovery of this record here.
**Sadly I don't remember who/where I saw the reference to this book so I can't give them credit.
***Except for the addition of a William Slater born in Whitby, North Yorkshire, in 1790 whom I'm ignoring for now.
****So far I haven't found other records for any these people.
*****Leeds, located 50-60 miles from the nearest port, wouldn't seem to be a likely place for a naval press gang.



© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: City Walls, York, England - 2013

After our stay in Scotland and before our visit to Liverpool, we were joined by Bonnie's cousin Lyn in York, which as guidebooks say has "the most complete example of medieval city walls still standing in England today."*

What remains of the walls no longer encircle the city but we spent a half-day marching around the surviving portions enjoying views of the Minster and the spring flowers in various backyards.

 

Bits and pieces of the original Roman walls are still standing in places, sometimes with medieval and Victorian courses on top of them.

[All photos from my personal collection]

*Quote from The History of York.



© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

My Connection to the Battle of New Orleans: William T. Slater (About 1794 - 1847)

Today marks the 203rd anniversary of the famous battle won by American forces under the command of Andrew Jackson. That didn't affect the outcome of the War of 1812 because a peace treaty had already been signed although the news hadn't reached either army in the field. The victory made Jackson wildly popular and led to his eventual election as our seventh President in 1828.

[The battle of New Orleans for the piano forte; Composer P. Ricksecker. Published and sold at G. Willig's Music Store, 1816.

Source: Library of Congress]

According to Slater family stories shared by my cousin Sue, William T. Slater, our maternal third great grandfather, was part of the British invasion forces. It's been assumed that he was a sailor because the legend is that he deserted by going over the side of the ship. We know he was from Yorkshire, but Slater is a very common name and I haven't been able to find any convincing records of him in British archives.

He's the most recent of my foreign born ancestors--all the others seem to have gotten here well before the American Revolution.

[Ancestry.com]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Gone for Soldiers? Sailors? Marines? William T. Slater (About 1794 - 1847)

This morning the Library of Congress* reminded me that today is the 202nd anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans. Family history gives this date (or sometime near it)** as the moment when one of my maternal third great grandfathers Yorkshireman William T. Slater*** decided he didn't want to be English any more.

[Battle of New Orleans…the 8th of January 1815. William Edward West, artist; Philadelphia: Published and sold by J. Yeager, engraver, [1817]. Popular Graphic Arts. Prints & Photographs Division]

Three years later he was applying for citizenship in Jefferson County, Indiana.

*Through their Digital Collections' Today in History which is my home page.
**You can find an excellent overview of the War of 1812 leading up to the two-month long campaign now known as the Battle of New Orleans here. I had never considered the terrain my great great great grandfather faced upon leaving his post, but this National Park Service photo of a Louisiana bayou included by the author makes it clear that it must have been daunting--even without taking into account the wildlife that's found there.

[Alligator crossing the road, Jean Lafitte National Park

Both photos courtesy of the National Park Service]

And he wouldn't have had the benefit of the safety information currently distributed by the Park Service--an example:

Think like an alligator. Alligators are surprisingly fast: on land they can move quickly over short distances and in the water they're unstoppable. Remember to keep your distance and stand tall. Alligators judge their prey by its size, and if you are kneeling down to take a picture, you're a much more tempting target than if you're standing up.

***Allegedly part of the British invasion forces, you can read more about William T. Slater in my original post and see what more Christine was able to find out about him here.

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: National Railway Museum, York

During our visit to England in May of 2013, Bonnie and I spent hours at the National Railway Museum.

[From my personal collection]

If you're ever in the neighborhood, I strongly recommend you pay this wonderful collection a visit.


© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

William Slater (1791-1847): A Few More Pieces of Information

In the past week I have found a few more items about my 4th great grandfather, William Slater (William T. Slater (About 1790? - 1847), Deserter, Farmer, Justice of the Peace).

Modern map showing where William Slater naturalized abt 1818 and had a lawsuit against him in April 1820 (in Jefferson County), and his marriage to Emily Jane Wilson on 30 July 1820 (in Crawford County).

A long time ago I found a message thread about one of William's sons that had William from Yorkshire, and I had also found an index reference to a William Slater applying for naturalization in Jefferson County, Indiana, but didn't have any further detail until the other day:

There he is.  From  "List of aliens who applied for citizenship in Jefferson County, Indiana : list of indentures of apprentices in Jefferson County" on FamilySearch.

Okay, it says York County, England, so I feel much more confident about about him being from Yorkshire now.

The index entry I had found before indicated that he naturalized in 1818, so at this point I'm theorizing that William Slater was 27 years old in October 1818 (the earliest date noted at top).

BUT, if he naturalized in 1821 then that would bump up his birthdate to about 1794.

And it could be any time in between those dates.  Based on the page number, it is probably closer to 1818 than 1821.

Notice that William's entry was on p. 135, and that there is a man named John Roberts (from Chester(?)County, Ireland, aged 22) a few lines up.

Is this the same John Roberts that is included in this lawsuit in Jefferson County, Indiana, in 1820, brought by Wm B. Benefiel against John Roberts and Wm. Slater?

From the Indiana Republican (Madison, Jefferson, Indiana) 13 April 1820.

This all leads to more questions, and more records (hopefully!).




© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.