JOHN SLAFTER was born at Mansfield, Conn., October 31, 1776. He married Persis Grow, of Hartland, Vt., January 14, 1805. She was born June 17, 1783. Mr. Slafter inherited the paternal estate at Norwich, Vt., where he resided for many years. He held the office of justice of the peace, and was a prominent citizen of that place. He followed surveying at times, and an old compass that he used is now in possession of Hon. D. G. Slafter, of Tuscola. The instrument must be a century old, and is a curiosity. In 1850, Mr. Slafter sold his estate in Vermont, and removed to Tuscola, where his sons had already located. He died November 2, 1856.

HON. DAVID G. SLAFTER was born at Norwich, Vt. January 1, 1817. February 11, 1843, he married Ann Calista, daughter of John Lucas, of Pierrepoint, N. Y. She was born December 6, 1825. In the fall of 1849 they settled in the town of Tuscola, and since that time Mr. Slafter has occupied a prominent position in business and public affairs. With the exception of one year, he has held the office of justice of the peace ever since 1852, and during all that time he has never had a case reversed. He was judge of probate four years, enrolling officer and deputy provost marshal from 1863 until the close of the war, and a member of the legislature in 1863 and at the extra session of 1864. Mr. Slafter's business has been mainly real estate and lumbering. He is now extensively engaged in buying and selling pine lands, and at the present time is largely interested in pine lands in Alabama. He is a stockholder in and vice president of the First National Bank of Vassar. He is a man of superior business ability, and is regarded as one of the leading men of the county.

WILLIAM SLAFTER is a native of Norwich, Windsor County, Vt., where he was born October 1, 1807. In 1849 he came to Tuscola, bringing his family, and reaching the county on the 17th day of October, and with the exception of five years, between 1854 and 1859, spent in Genesee County, has since resided here. In coming into the county his party consisted of his wife and five children - Flora E., Albert, Alonzo, Mary and Anne R., also D. G. Slafter and wife. At Flint they hired a man, by the name of Russell, to bring them through with his horses and wagon, but when in the vicinity of Pine Run he declared himself lost, and after wandering about for some time they finally encamped four miles south of Tuscola village on that is now Mrs. Calkins place, and built a fire. William and D. G. Slafter then struck out in search of the settlement, and alone in the night reached Tuscola, where they procured help and returned for the remainder of the party, bringing them in about two o'clock in the morning. Mrs. Slafter and daughter Mary died within the following two weeks. Mr. Slafter was foreman for P. Richardson & Co., in their lumber camps, and running sawed lumber in rafts to Saginaw, for many years, and was the first highway commissioner who did very much toward improving the roads.

JUDSON SLAFTER was born at Norwich, Vt., January 3, 1822, and settled in Tuscola in 1850. August 12, 1862, he enlisted in the service, and was made sergeant of Company D, Twenty-third Michigan Volunteers. He was wounded at Campbell's Station, Tenn., November 16th,and died in the hospital soon after. He left a widow and three children. He was a man very much esteemed, and an excellent soldier.

JOHN FARWELL SLAFTER was born at Mansfield, Conn., November 11, 1814, and died at Keokuk, Iowa, October 24, 1847. There were four daughters,viz: Phalle Richardson Slafter, born at Norwich, January 1, 1806, who married Nahum Wilson, of Barre, Vt., March 17, 1828 and died in August 1863.

PERSIS GROW SLAFTER, born December 28, 1809, who married Austin Hutchinson, of Norwich, Vt., December, 1882, and died at Hartland, Vt., in 1879.

ALMINA LOUISE SLAFTER, widow of the late Dr. Paschal Richardson, still living in Tuscola, also Augusta Melvina, wife of Oliver P. Tobey, of Tuscola.

ALONZO SLAFTER, son of William Slafter, was born in Norwich, Windsor County, Vt., December 27, 1842, and came to Tuscola with his parents in 1849, and since has resided here, with the exception of the time he spent in the army. On the 8th of December, 1864 he enlisted in the Thirtieth Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and served until the 23rd of June 1865. They rendezvoused at Camp Blair, Jackson, and from there were ordered to Keely's Hall, corner of Orleans and Lafayette Streets, Detroit, where they were mustered in, and were afterward at the Detroit barracks, on what was termed "frontier service" and enforced the passport system. Mr. Slafter has a farm near the village of Tuscola, and at one time was engaged in the nursery business, having an original stock of 64,000 trees.