Marion Clinton Slayton Sr. (1913 - 1977)

Born 27 Jul 1913 in South Pittsburg, Marion, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 16 Jul 1977 at age 63 in Chattanooga, Hamilton, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

This profile is part of the Slaton Name Study.

His father Bailey named him for friends Marion Timmons and Clinton Madaris. Madaris was the brother of Prudence "Prudie" Madaris, who married Bailey's brother Clayborne "Claib."

Marion grew up in Rossville, Georgia, where he sold Curtis Publications magazines from a wagon. He was called "Chip" as a boy because he resembled his father ("chip off the old block.") ^[1]He graduated from Rossville High School where most male students protested an issue over senior privileges, boycotted graduation ceremonies, and only Marion and classmate Preston Overall appear in the senior class picture surrounded by females. ^[2]

He married Katherine Dunagan and worked in the textile mills of Rosssville, Georgia as a bookkeeper through most of World War II. He was almost certainly exempt from the draft because one brother Joseph Eugene "Gene", was in the Navy and the other, Charles, had died in a B-17 in 1943; Marion and sister Gladys were the only siblings from his parents in the U.S. by the last years of WWII. His parents were poor in health and money and devastated by the loss of their youngest son. But Marion joined the U.S. Navy late in World War II. He was rated a Yeoman at the Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, MD. He was honorably discharged in 1946 after about two years of service. Letters from him to the department of the Navy directed virtually all of his pay to his parents, probably prompting a compassionate discharge date as the war was over and his father had developed a condition that the family could not afford to treat medically, leaving his father bedridden with his mother to tend for his father virtually "24/7."

After discharge, Marion attended Edmondson Business College in Chattanooga where he earned high marks but for reasons never explained, did not take the finals to earn a diploma. He resumed clerical work in textile mills, with over 35 years of service with Richmond Hosiery Mills, where he became president of the sales department and organized a credit union.^[2] He resigned 5 Nov, 1964, as the company was being liquidated by a New York firm. ^[2] He formed a company called Bar-Knit Hosiery with Earl Barger in Philadelphia, Tennessee, to make dark dress socks with a bleached white bottom. ^[3] as subcontractors for Petty-Johnson Men's Hosiery of Dallas, Texas. ^[2] Marion was the secretary of the company, which lost momentum when co-founder Earl Barger suffered the loss of his son, apparently a murder victim. Marion spent the remainder of his working career as Cost Accountant of Gateway Hosiery Mill in Chattanooga, owned by Hershel Nation.^[2]

He spent many summers as a softball coach for a girl's softball league team on which his daughter Nancy played, in the community of East Ridge, Tennessee where they lived until his death.^[2]

He died in 1977 in Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee and is buried beside Katherine in what is still sometimes called the community of Hixson, now a part of Chattanooga. ^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Personal knowledge of the late Joseph "Joe" Eugene "Gene" Slayton, East Ridge Tenn. and Winter Haven, Florida.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} Personal knowledge of siblings Clinton Slayton Jr. and Nancy S. Eiselstein.
3. ↑ Chattanooga News_Free Press, Thursday, Aug 11 1966 (page and section not visible on copy)
4. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46824565/marion-clinton-slayton: accessed 24 September 2023), memorial page for Marion Clinton Slayton Sr. (27 Jul 1913–16 Jul 1977), Find a Grave Memorial ID 46824565, citing Hamilton Memorial Gardens, Hixson, Hamilton County, Tennessee, USA; Maintained by Clinton Slayton (contributor 46632769).

• Delayed Birth, Death certificates, photo albums, letters and papers in possession of Clinton Slayton.

• "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch citing "Georgia, United States records, Aug 5, 2018," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R4B-9SL?view=explore : Sep 24, 2023), image 1027 of 1156; United States. National Archives and Records Administration., Entry for Bailey Slayton and Nora Slayton, 1930.Rossville, 16, Walker, Georgia, Household Identifier 648, Line Number, 20 Sheet 32A.

• "United States Census, 1940", database with images, FamilySearch citing, "Walker, Georgia, United States records, Aug 4, 2018," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9M1-H2RZ?view=explore : Sep 24, 2023), image 623 of 847; United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Entry for Bailey Slayton and Nora Slayton, 1940. Walker, Georgia, Militia District 1812, Rossville, Ward 4.

• "Georgia World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2QZ-17CC : accessed 24 September 2023), Marion Clinton Slayton, 1940-1942; citing Rossville, Walker, Georgia, United States, Records of the Selective Service System, 1926 - 1975, RG 147, National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri; FamilySearch digital folder 005427724.

• "United States 1950 Census", database, FamilySearch citing "Hamilton, Tennessee, United States records, Apr 2, 2022," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHJ-5QHW-GNLW?view=explore : Sep 24, 2023), image 33 of 52; National Archives and Records Administration. Entry for Marion C Slayton and Katherine D Slayton, April 13, 1950. East Ridge, Hamilton, Tennessee, Enumeration District 33-3, Line Number 19, Page Number 32.