Bio of Stephen Thomas Slay, Miller Co, AR From "The Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas," Published 1890 by Goodspeed. Chicago, Nashville, and St. Louis: The Goodspeed Publishing Co. 1890 Submitted by: Becky Hargett ====================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation. ====================================================================== Stephen Thomas Slay. Sulphur Township is indebted to Georgia for one of its most extensive planters, Stephen Slay, who was born in De Kalb County, that State, on December 19, 1842. He is the fifth of nine children, six of whom are still living, born to the marriage of Noah Slay and wife, nee Nancy Cruse, both of whom were natives of South Carolina. They came to Arkansas from Georgia, in 1858, and chose a home in Miller County, where they resided until the death of the father, which occurred in February 5, 1886, in his seventy-eighth year, while in Atlanta, Tex., on a visit. His widow still survives, and makes her home in this county with her children. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, as was her husband and is now in her seventy-eighth year. The father was a democrat. The school days of our subject were spent in his native State. On December 19, 1862, at the age of nineteen years, he joined the fifteenth Arkansas Confederate Infantry, and was in the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. He was taken prisoner, and after being retained at Camp Butler, Ill., for seven months and sixteen days, he was returned to his command at Jackson, Miss. He was again taken at Port Hudson, but was paroled. Afterward he joined the Sixth Louisiana Calvary (which was afterward dismounted), in which he served until the close of the war, and during all his term of service was not wounded once. After the surrender he returned home and commenced to farm for himself, and since then has met with wonderful success. He started out without means, and now owns 1,050 acres of good land, 720 of which lie in one tract, 240 in another, and eighty acres in a tract lying near Texarkana. Two hundred acres or more are under cultivation, and yield excellent returns on the husbandman. On July 13, 1865, Mr. Slay was united in marriage with Miss Polly, daughter of Baldwin Evers, of this county. She was born near Vicksburg, Miss., on January 1, 1847. Early in life she united with the Missionary Baptist Church, and is now a much esteemed member of that body. Mr. Slay affiliates with the Democratic party in his political views, and socially is a Royal Arch Mason. He is one of the enterprising planters of this county.