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Elizabeth was born in the early 1860s in Alabama to John Slatton and Loudemia Parker. Her father enlisted in the Union Army in the fall of 1863 and was injured after encountering rebel pickets, leaving him unable to conduct strenuous manual labor for the remainder of his life. The Slattons remained in rural DeKalb County for a few years after the war and lived near Bolivar Switch where John worked as a watchman for the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad.[citation needed] [1] [2]
They moved northwest across Tennessee border in the 1870s, and by 1878 they rented about 20 acres of farmland and a house on the Cumberland Mountain from the Southern State Coal, Iron, and Land Company for one dollar per year. The land was situated east of Pocket Creek in the 3rd Civil District of Marion County. [3][4] Within the next two years they moved north into the 2nd Civil District. They lived by the Floyd and Morrison families and ended up connecting with both of them through marriage. [5] On October 6th, 1883, Betty married W. H. H. Floyd. Reverend T. M. Morrison, Will's uncle, performed the ceremony in the presence of Will's brother-in-law G. W. Morrison and L. J. Tate.[6]
Betty and W.H.H. purchased a farm of their own near both of their parents raised a large family of seven children. [7]
Around New Year's Day of 1909 the Floyds said farewell to Tennessee and started their moved to the new state of Oklahoma. They arrived in the former Indian Territory on January 6th, 1909. Initially, the family rented government land in the Township of Monroe for $1.50 per acre per year. [8][9] They rented this land while still owning the farm in Tennessee as they struggled to find a suitable buyer. In 1912 they remotely finalized the sale of their 45 acres in the Pocket to E. M. Jones.[10]
In August 1914 Betty suffered a severe stroke and residual paralysis.[11] After a few months, her she showed significant signs of recovery until March 25th, 1915 when she suffered a second stroke that took her life in a matter of minutes. While the death was quick, it was said to be peaceful. Services were held by Reverend James Hart, and she was buried in West Harmony Cemetery in Sebastian County, Arkansas. [12] [13]
It is unclear whether Betty was born in Alabama or Tennessee. All known documentation pertaining to her birthplace are cited below:
The following discussion assumes Betty was born in the month of April.[7][13] The 1870 Census lists Betty's age as six years old and was enumerated in August, suggesting a birth year of 1864. In the 1880 Census (enumerated in June), however, she was listed as 17 years old, dating her birth to 1863. Her marriage record suggests a birth year of 1862. The 1900 Census (June) recorded her date of birth as April 1861, the same as her husbands. The 1910 Census was enumerated on April 16/17 and lists Betty's age as 49 years old, again suggesting an 1861 birth year. Her age lagged her husband's one year, but her birthday could have been approaching within days of enumeration. According to Betty's headstone, she was born on April 22nd, 1861, corroborating this hypothesis for the 1910 Census.
In summary, the first two census records in which Betty appears suggest a birth year around 1863/4. Her marriage record suggested 1862 as her birth year. All of the available documentation from 1900 to her death in 1915 suggest a birth year of 1861. While the day and month on her headstone are likely to be accurate, there is more uncertainty surrounding her year of birth. Perhaps her neighbors were informants on the older census records and did not know her age for certain, while in her adult years she and her husband did not repeat the error. While this is possible, the systematic recording of later birth years weakens this claim.
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S > Slatton | F > Floyd > Elizabeth Jane (Slatton) Floyd
Categories: Monroe, Oklahoma One Place Study | Monroe, Oklahoma | Marion County, Tennessee