11-29-06

Sanford S. Slaton was becoming acquainted with his wife-to-be, Nancy Williams in Miledgeville, Georgia, where a large prison system was in operation. Nancy’s sisters, Eliza Wood and Sophia Williams, were living near the prison system near the community of Dahl-Onega where a large gold mine provided them with a worthy income.

The year was in the late 1830's when President Jackson passed legislation that would not allow Native American Cherokees to reside east of the Mississippi River. The Cherokees were ordered to join the thousands of Indians who had settled in the Oklahoma Indian Territory.

Sanford Slaton, John Williams, Eliza Wood and her three daughters did not see a future in the Oklahoma IT, and decided to settle in the area which would be later named Denton County.

The Reverend John B. Denton later became an Indian killer after his assignment to the Choctaw Nation where he was teaching school for the newly arriving Indians during 1832 as they were forced west of the Mississippi River.

The Williams brothers and sisters were talented musicians, and they played mostly religious music. Most of them were able to bring their musical instruments with them on the march called the Trail of Tears. The exodus of Indians was extended into several years.

One of the Williams sisters was married to Sanford Slaton. Nancy Williams Slaton had a small family. Her son became the Denton County Treasurer in the 1890's after his service with the Post Office.

One of the Williams sisters, Eliza Wood, married G.W. Goin. This couple had seven children.

The mother of the Williams family was a professional photographer. She wrapped the many old photos that she made in a thin layer of 24K gold. These old photos are priceless and certainly have a welcome home wherever they exist.

It was about the time when the Civil War approached that Denton County was in need of servants to fight the war. At that time, John Cebe Williams, Sanford Slaton, and G.W. Goin found themselves in the war between the states. The three were together almost the entire length of the war. I have original letters from these men when they were in combat duties in Virginia. It generally took four weeks for the grandmother to receive and respond to her mail.

I don’t have her letters, but I have the letters that the men wrote to her responding to the questions that she asked them.

I have in my archive of family records many old hand written deeds that Sanford Slaton surveyed. The field notes are meticulously hand written with a beautiful old hand writing style. The beauty of the words stands out in the handwritten documents.

I can write a lot about Sanford Slaton, because it was his grandson that passed the old documents to his cousin, Jim Goin, my Daddy.

When the war was over and a need for entertainment was a welcome treat, the war veterans began to organize the large and well-attended Opry House. Music was definitely needed in the Onega village after the war settled down.

The photo for this week portrays the music industry after the war and a renewal of the spirit of music as entertainment. Pay particular attention to the modern system of lighting (as it was then). The Opry House was located on the lot that is north of the telephone building. I think this building went up in fire with the 1907 fire that destroyed downtown.

I would at this point ask for more old photos from you to share with others. At this point I have shared about three hundred and fifty photos to this point, and am needing more to share.

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