Mary Slayter

First Wife of Gordon Brazzel
August 7, 1810 – September 23, 1863

Married September 19, 1836
Born in Rapids Parish, La, Buried Corinth Cemetery

Gordon, his first wife, Mary Slayter, and their seven children moved to Claiborne Parish (now Lincoln Parish) in 1853 and purchased 40 acres of land from the U.S. government.   Gordon and Mary were early settlers of the Corinth Community.  This is their story…

Mary’s parents were Isaiah Slayter and Hannah Grubb. Isaiah was the son of William Slayter who was born Wilhelm Schlator in Germany.   Research has not revealed the name of his mother.  Isaiah was born between 1770 and 1775.  He died November 8, 1835 in Ouachita Parish, La. Hannah Grubb was the daughter of Benjamin Grubb and Nancy Neal.  Benjamin and Nancy died in the late 1820’s.  They are believed to be buried in unmarked graves in Darke-Neal Cemetery near Boyce, Rapids Parish, La.   Hannah was born between 1784 and 1790.  As a child she moved with her parents to Ouachita Parish which is now in Lincoln Parish near Downsville, La.  She married Isaiah Slayter about 1802.  They had about 11 children and some died at a young age. When Isaiah died in 1835, he and Hannah had three children who had reached the age of majority and six who were minors.

The children are:

• Nancy (b. Oct. 10, 1806, married Phillips Feazel Feb. 1, 1826, had 7 children, lived in Lincoln Parish presumed died there)
• Mary (married Gordon Brazzel)
• Susan (no marriage record)
• William (b. Ca 1815, married Frances Pipes Feb 1, 1838, had 9 children, d. 1878)
• Benjamin (b. ca 1817, married Eliza Jane Graves Nov. 5, 1849)
• Isaiah (b. ca 1819 d. ca 1870-1880), married Mary Ann Cook April 20, 1842, had 3 children
• Elizabeth (b. Jan 26, 1823, married James Reynolds Aug 5, 1841, buried in Parker’s Chapel Cemetery near ElDorado Ark.)
• Julia (b. ca 1825-27, married Benjamin McClelland Mar. 8, 1843)
• Eleanor  was the youngest child (b. ca 1825-27)

Mary married Gordon at the age of 26 in Ouachita Parish.  They lived in Jackson Township, Union County, Arkansas after their marriage.   Mary gave birth to twins August 3, 1837.  She named them Ephraim and Hannah.  The next four years she had one child each year:

• Mary Elizabeth on Sep. 15, 1838
• Katherine on Sep 9, 1839
• Allen on Sep 18, 1840
• Benjamin Dec 10, 1841

Her seventh child, Emily, was born July 27, 1843. A typhoid epidemic in 1843 took the lives of four of these children in just 32 days.  Allen died Aug 31, Mary Elizabeth died Sep. 12, Katherine died Sep. 16, and Ephraim died Oct 1.  The following year Benjamin died on Oct. 7, just two months shy of his third birthday.   It is hard to imagine the pain this mother and father suffered with such a tragic loss to their family. However, life continued for this family and six more children were born.

• Luvenia was born March 6, 1845
• Laura Amanda on Sep 26, 1846
• Hensley Madison on June 23, 1847
• Isaiah on Nov 18, 1848
• Julia Francis on July 7, 1850
• Cornelia on July 17, 1852

Luvenia lived to be 2 years old.  She died Dec 8, 1847. Over a period of 15 years, Mary gave birth to 13 children and buried 6 of them. In 1853 they moved to the part of Claiborne Parish which was later divided in 1873 and a part was used to form a part of Lincoln Parish.  Gordon and Mary along with their seven children settled into this new area and founded the community of Corinth. It was ten years later (1863) when her youngest child, Cornelia, was 11 years old that Mary died at the age of 53.  She and Gordon had shared 27 years.

The following is a record of the births and deaths of The children born to Gordon Brazzel and Mary Slayter Brazzel:

From the Bible Record For the Methodist church, at the Conference Office 100 Mulberry Street, James Collard, Printer Published by G. Lane & P.O. Sandford 1841
(This Bible is now owned by Mr. Sidney Hood, Simsboro, La.)