Editor’s note: Information for this article was taken from The Advocate-Messenger archives and research by local genealogist Carolyn Crabtree.

 

Simeon “Sim” Drake Slaughter was a prominent farmer in Boyle County in the late 1800s before he moved to Muskogee in Indian Territory, which later became Oklahoma. He also was an avid fox hunter and helped organize a group of fox hunters in Boyle and surrounding counties.

Like many other young men in Kentucky, Simeon joined the Confederate Army in 1862 as a member of Captain Tom Quirk’s scouts, under General John Hunt Morgan, a company of men, 90% of whom were of the old squadron disbanded in the Lebanon, Tennessee, battle in May of 1862.

Simeon also was with the guards of President Jefferson Davis in their march southward from Richmond, Virginia, in 1865.

Corporal Slaughter “was said to be one of the safest and best scouts of the company, and it was while on the Ohio raid, and the company almost entirely used up, that by his alertness, the life of Major Thomas Thorp was saved and on other occasions his bravery and coolness helped to avert death.”

Simeon’s brother, Dr. Benjamin Gabriel, also served in the Confederate Army. He was attending Transylvania University when he enlisted in Morgan’s Cavalry. He was captured twice and escaped twice after he was condemned to be shot. He was wounded during the escape. He recovered and moved to Winchester, Tennessee, in 1868, and died April 10, 1915, in Abilene, Texas.

Simeon returned home and became a farmer. He returned to Granite Hill Farm, where he had lived since he was a young child.

He raised hemp and owned show horses and fox hounds. He also was an avid fisherman and hunter. He belonged to the Boyle County Hunt Club and owned stock in the Boyle County Fairgrounds.

 

Slaughter family

 

• First generation: The Slaughter family in Boyle County goes back to Augustine Smith Slaughter (1769-1845) and Susannah Fisher (1778-1829).

Augustine and Susannah were married February 12, 1801, in Mercer County (now Boyle).

Susannah was a daughter of Stephen Albert Fisher Sr. of Danville and Ann Mary Magdalene “Molly” Gaar (1778-1829) of Culpepper County, Virginia. She is buried in the Slaughter family burial grounds on U.S. 68 in Mercer County.

They had three children: Stephen Fisher Jr., Gabriel Stout and Lucinda Smith.

• Second generation: Stephen (1807-1837) Jr. was born in Mercer County. He was married to Ann Sloan (1808-1895). Both died in Texas.

They had one child, Augustus Benjamin Slaughter.

— Lucinda Smith (no other information).

— Gabriel Stout (1809-1850) married Elizabeth Drake (1812-1867). Both are buried in the Granite Hill Farm Cemetery.

Gabriel and Elizabeth’s children were: Simeon Drake, Mary Ellen and Benjamin Gabriel.

— Simeon was born in Harrodsburg June 23, 1842, in Mercer County. He and Olivia “Ollie” Stout were married on November 27, 1873, in Woodford County where she was born in 1850. Both are buried in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Their children are: John James, Olive S., and Simeon Drake Jr.

— John James (1878-1941) was born in Dunnville, Casey County, and died in Muskogee, Oklahoma. His wife was Anna. They had one son, John “Sim” Slaughter.

— Olive (1866-1969) was born in Danville, and died in Birmingham, Alabama. She married Richard Jeffries Yeager (1878-1961) of Danville. He died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Both are buried inOklahoma.

— Simeon Drake Jr. (1886-1984) was born in Danville and died in Muskogee. He served during World War I.His wife was Bertha Clare Connolly. He is buried in Muskogee.

• Third generation: Mary Ellen Slaughter (1833-1857) was born in Logan County, Kentucky, and married Benjamin W. Gaines (1828-1902) of Mercer County. She is buried in Granite Hill Cemetery and Benjamin died in Lancaster.

They had four children:

— Gabriel S. Gaines (1853-1938). He was married to Clara T. He died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gabriel and Clara had five children:

— Annie C. (1883-1923) who was born in Lancaster and died in Pennsylvania. She married Robert Ryland Talaferro (1877-1957). He is buried in Lexington Cemetery.

— William, James and Benjamin Gaines Jr., no other information.

— Benjamin Gabriel Gaines (1845-1915) who married Lucy Osborne (1847-1921). He served in the Civil War. He is buried in Montgomery County, Tennessee. They had three children: Fannie Osborne, Margaret Osborne, and Dana.

— Fannie (1868-1946) was married to George Emmett Bell. She is buried in Dallas, Texas.

— Margaret Ada (1869-1895) is buried in Franklin County, Tennessee.

— Dana (1871-1961) and George C. Millar were married in 1899. She died in Franklin County, Tennessee.

 

Granite Hill Farm

 

Simeon and his family lived on a 291-acre farm off Ky. 52. Known as Granite Hill, the farm is located two miles from Danville on the country road that connects Lexington and Lancaster pikes.

The farm was sold when Simeon moved to Oklahoma in the early 1900s. Humphrey Hudson paid $18,000 cash for the farm.

 

In Indian Territory

 

The Slaughter family settled in their new home in the west in 1901.

Their son, Simeon Jr., opened the Kentucky Livery Stable in Muskogee shortly after moving there. The stable, with horses, buggies, saddles and other equipment was destroyed by fire in March 1904. Simeon Jr. also had a business known as the Kentucky Feed and Barn.