Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Daniel Webster and Lizzie Ellis Slayton Papers, 1883-1934
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Slayton, Daniel Webster, 1862-1927
- Title
- Daniel Webster and Lizzie Ellis Slayton Papers
- Dates
-
1883-1934 (inclusive)18831934
- Quantity
- 3.5 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- MC 178
- Summary
- D.W. Slayton (1862-1927) was a Lavina, Montana, sheep rancher; owner of Slayton Mercantile Company; investor in the Lavina State Bank and the Citizens State Bank of Roundup; member of the Fergus County Board of Commissioners; state legislator; and unsuccessful candidate for governor in 1920. Collection consists of diaries (1884-1889, 1907-1917, 1928-1934) kept by Slayton, his wife Elizabeth "Lizzie" Ellis Slayton, and their son Daniel E. Slayton; and correspondence (1883-1924) among the three.
- Repository
-
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov - Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Daniel Webster Slayton was born in Steuben County, New York, on November 6, 1862. He attended school in Fairfax, Virginia, where his family lived following the Civil War. Slayton travelled to Montana Territory in 1884 and worked at the Ford sheep ranch near White Sulphur Springs and, later, in a lumber camp near Martinsdale. In 1885 Slayton and his brother Dalon claimed range land near Lavina, Montana. They began raising sheep on a share agreement with the Ford ranch and eventually acquired large herds of sheep and extensive property holdings. Slayton also owned the Slayton Mercantile Company and had interests in the Lavina State Bank and the Citizens State Bank of Roundup. Slayton was a Republican. He served on the Fergus County Board of Commissioners and was elected from that county to the Montana House of Representatives in 1911, and to the Montana Senate from Musselshell County in 1917 and 1919. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for governor in 1920. Slayton married Elizabeth (Lizzie) Ellis of Fairfax, Virginia, on November 8, 1887. The couple had five children; Lydia, Daniel E. (born March 15, 1891), Bert, Ernest, and Ruth. Daniel Webster Slayton died in Lavina on September 8, 1927. Lizzie Ellis Slayton died in 1940.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Papers. 1883-1934. 3.5 linear feet. The Daniel Webster and Lizzie Ellis Slayton papers include general correspondence (1883-1918) and diaries (1884-1887, 19O7-1934). The majority of the correspondence is between D.W. Slayton and Lizzie Ellis, primarily in the period before the couple was married in 1887. The letters, which have been transcribed, describe Slayton's activities and experiences as a ranch hand, logger, and sheep rancher, and conditions in Montana Territory. There is also a small quantity of letters between Slayton and family members and others. Daniel E. Slayton's letters (1917-1919) to his parents discuss his activities in the military in the U.S. and France during World War I. The diaries kept by D.W. Slayton (1884-1927) describe his daily life and activities. Several of the diaries were kept in shorthand; however these have been transcribed with the exception of the 1885 and 1886 volumes. The diaries kept by Lizzie Ellis Slayton (1917-1918, 1928, 193O-1934) describe her daily activities, social life, health, etc. One diary kept by Daniel E. Slayton (1907) when he was sixteen years old describes attending school in Helena and Bozeman, friends, activities, summer work on the ranch at Lavina, etc. Typed transcriptions of the diaries are in the collection. The collection also contains clippings (1909-1932) on the Slayton family.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
General Correspondence Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 1-3 | Between D.W. Slayton and
Lizzie Ellis |
1883-1887 |
1 / 4 | Between D.W. Slayton and
Lizzie Ellis Slayton |
1891-1905 |
1 / 5 | Between D.W. Slayton and
Lizzie Ellis (typed transcripts) |
1884-1887 |
1 / 6 | Between D.W. Slayton and
William Slayton; Katherine Jane E. Sagar Slayton; Dolly Slayton; George Stone;
W.L. Halbert; Walter Burke; "H.B."; etc. |
1892-1924 n.d. |
1 / 7 | From Daniel E. Slayton (re
work on harvest crew, military service during World War I, etc.) |
1917-1919 |
Miscellaneous Correspondence Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 8 | Bert Slayton; Ernest
Slayton; Lydia Slayton; Katherine Jane E. Sagar Slayton to William Slayton and
others; A. F. Martin |
1887-1905 n.d. |
Diaries Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 9 | D.W. Slayton (typed
transcription only) |
1884 |
1 / 10-11 | D.W. Slayton (in shorthand;
not transcribed) |
1885, 1886 |
1 / 12-13 | D.W. Slayton (in shorthand;
includes typed transcription) |
1887,1889 |
2 / 1-5 | D.W. Slayton (handwritten;
includes typed transcription) |
1887,1889 |
3 / 1-5 | D.W. Slayton (handwritten;
includes typed transcription) |
1912-1916 |
4 / 1-5 | D.W. Slayton (handwritten;
includes typed transcription) |
1917-1921 |
5 / 1-5 | D.W. Slayton (handwritten;
includes typed transcription) |
1922-1926 |
6 / 1 | D.W. Slayton (handwritten;
includes typed transcription) |
1922 |
6 / 2-5 | Lizzie E. Slayton
(handwritten; includes typed transcription) |
1917,1932 1928,1930 |
7 / 1-3 | Lizzie E. Slayton (includes
typed transcription) |
1931-1933 |
7 / 4 | Lizzie E. Slayton (includes
typed transcription) |
1934 |
7 / 5 | Daniel E. Slayton (includes
typed transcription) |
1907 |
Clippings Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 6 | Slayton family |
1909-1932 n.d. |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Legislators
- Ranches
- Sheep Ranches--Montana [Central]
- World War, 1914-1918
Geographical Names
- Fergus County (Mont.)--Politics and Government
- Lavina (Mont.)--Commerce
- Lavina (Mont.)
- Musselshell County (Mont.)--Agricultrue
- Musselshell County (Mont.)--Politics and Government