Uncle Lote

Uncle Lote (Lathrop E. Slate, Jr) 1818

The True Facts Revealed

The Lord children grew up with a portrait of Uncle Lote and stories of this family character. We all knew about the "high water pants". In our less reverent moments he was "Uncle Load in His Pants". No one paid much attention to his origins or life. He was just there.

Uncle Lote, Lathrop E. Slate, Jr., born in Old Lyme, Ct in 1818, was the son of Lathrop E. Slate , Sr. and Mehitable Reed. He died May 24, 1892 in South Lyme. He was our Uncle Lote because his sister, Mehitable Selden Slate, married William John Lord, our great, great grandfather.

The first evidence we have of Grandfather Slate, (Lathrop, Sr.) is a record in a history of Bernardston, MA stating that Zebediah Z. Slate, born 1756, and Mary Atherton Slate, born 1754, had several children. Among them was Lathrop E. Slate for whom the only notation is that he "went south". No birthdate. Nothing!

Correspondence with the town clerks of Bernardston, Gill and Greenfield and research in History of Bernardston, MA by L.C. Kellogg (1902) yielded the following:

William Slate married Elizabeth Abbey 23 Sep 1702 in Salem MA and then settled in Windham,CT. Their son Daniel Slate was born 30 Mar 1708 in Windham, CT and died 10 Feb 1789 in Gill, Ma.

Daniel married Mary Sabin, daughter of Isreal and Mary (Ormsby) Sabin 23 Sep 1731 in Norwich, CT. Mary Sabin Slate was born 1 Jun 1711 in Norwich, CT and died 10 Aug 1795 in Gill, MA. They had fourteen children.

Their son Zebediah (Zebulon) was born 1756 and died 12 Oct 1833 at the age of 77. On 3 Jun 1779 he married Mary Atherton of Greenfield, MA the daughter of Oliver and Mary (Severence) Atherton. Mary died 17 Jan 1827 at the age of 83. Zebediah married a second time to Rebecca of Halifax, VT.

Zebediah (known sometimes on town records as Zebulon) was apparently known around Bernardston as "Captain Zeb" although there are no records to substantiate his claim to the rank. He was listed as a private in Capt. Wells' Co., Col. Whitcomb's Reg., May 1, 1775. If he applied for a pension the application is on file and may give us some good information.

Mary and Capt. Zeb had six children: Oliver, Mary, Phila, Josephus, Lathrop, and Asahel. No date of birth is listed for Lathrop although it appears he came after Josephus who was born in 1786. Oliver was born in 1779, Mary in 1781, Phila (no date), Josephus in 1786 and then Lathrop.

We know that Grandfather Slate died in 1872 at the age of 86 so we can determine that he was born in 1786. Maybe he and Josephus were twins!

Lathrop Slate, Sr, eventually settled in Old Lyme and married Mehitable Reed, Daughter of Deacon George Reed and Mary Ely Reed, on May 26, 1808. He would have been 22 years old.

Deacon George Reed and his wife, Mary had seven daughters according to notes in "The Lord Papers". Digging around in the Lyme Vital Records I came up with the following children for George and Mary:

Mary (1768),
Ely,
Irene,
Anna (1782),
Lydia (1784),
Mehitable,
Sally (1786),
Betsy.

What do you know--seven daughters!!

So far everything fits together!!

I have not been unable to tie George Reed to any other family of Reeds in Lyme-Old Lyme including those mentioned in the earliest town records. I have searched all the Reed genealogies I can find and sent out queries. I received a response from a woman in California who sent me the same information I had already gathered. Elizabeth Plimpton of Hamburg gave me the same stuff.

So much for the Reeds. It would be nice to make a connection but at present this is a subject for more research in Lyme records.

Lathrop and Mehitable had four children I can find:

Mehitable (1817),
Lathrop, Jr. (1818),
Anne Rachel (1830),
George Reed (25 Mar 1840).

I also remember vaguely a Slyvester Slate whom I think is mentioned in Elizabeth Lord's journals around the time Isabel Ely Lord was born.

The Champion Family Genealogy contains the following information:

Lathrop E. Slate, Jr. married Mary Lavinia Champion, born Dec 26, 1826 in Black Hall, died Dec. 22, 1883, buried in the Champion Cemetery in Black Hall. They had three children: Philanda born Nov 1, 1845, Phebe born October 1847, and Jacob born Sept. 3, 1855.

Calvin Burnham Champion, Mary's brother, married Anne Rachel Slate, daughter of Uncle Lote on June 30, 1846. Calvin was born Sept. 21, 1824 and died Aug. 3, 1876. Calvin and Anne had four children: Calvin born 1851, died 1874, Frederick born Sept. 25, 1854, died Aug. 17 1858, Edith born 1870, died 1886, and Edward born 1872 died 1899. All their children died before they reached their 28th birthdays! These dates, except the dates for Frederick, are on a stone in the Champion Cemetery.

So--two of Lathrop, Sr.'s kids married into the Champion family which isn't surprising since they all lived in the same neighborhood.

An interesting sidelight is that I believe that Lathrop, Jr. lived in the gambrel-roofed house located on the shore road that passes the Old Lyme town beach just to the east of the Champion Cemetery. This comes from the 1868 Beers map of Old Lyme that Betsy and I both have.

Two of Lathrop, Sr.'s kids married Champions and Mehitable Selden Slate married William John Lord connecting us to the Slate family.

Lathrop E, Slate, Sr.'s death was recorded by both Henry Sill Lord and Elizabeth Ely Lord in their journals.

Henry Sill Lord's journals contain the following entry:

Jan 24, 1872 - Centerbrook today, Grandfather Slate died this AM. aged 86. took Libby and Mary down to the train, Libby came back.
Jan 26th - Attended Grandfather's funeral today 10 o'clock Baptist Church. Came with Wayland on the 3:10 train to Center Brook. Mother and Father came over with the team.

Elizabeth Ely Lord's journals contain this entry for 1872:

Fri Jan 26 1872 - Received letter from Henry. His Grandfather (Lote) died Wednesday morning in Black Hall. aged 86.

Grandfather Slate is buried in the Rogers Lake Cemetery in Old Lyme where his gravesite was discovered by Parker and I in December of 1991. Buried in the same plot are George and Mary Reed, grandfather Slate's father and mother-in-law and his sister-in-law, Mary Reed.

Uncle Lote died May 24, 1892 at the age of 76 and is buried at Hatchett's point on a small knoll overlooking a small pond and Long Island Sound. I remember many years ago hearing that Uncle Lote was buried at Hatchett's Point and one Sunday afternoon we went searching for his grave with no success.

While researching family history at the Phebe Noyes Library in Old Lyme, CT, I came across a booklet of Hatchett's Point history by David Sargeant. From the book I learned that the land for the Hatchett's point colony was purchased in 1881 by a group of four investors among whom was our great grandfather, Henry Sill Lord.

The book also contained a picture of Uncle Lote and a picture of his gravestone! Correspondence with David Sargeant ended with Parker, Betsy and I visiting Uncle Lote's grave in August of 1991.

A newspaper article published a week after Uncle Lote's death reported a visit to his grave by members of the Hatchett's Point Club:

Among the Memorial Day incidents none is more touching than the visit of the members of the Hatchett's Pont Club to the grave of Lathrop E. Slate, who died at Hatchett's Point a week ago, aged 76. A stroke of paralysis was the immediate cause of "Uncle Lote's" death. The remains were interred on a small knoll a few rods west of the Hatchetts' club-house, the Rev. J. C. Galvin officiating. "Uncle Lote" was one of the characters of the town, full of quaint wit and always having a good story to illustrate an idea.

For some years he had been in charge of the Hatchetts' Point clubhouse, at South Lyme. "Uncle Lote" loved everybody thereabouts, and he commanded great respect where he was known. A few weeks before his death he remarked that his stay would be short, and so great was his love for the Sound he requested that his body be buried on the knoll within a few yards of the clubhouse in which (he always said) he had spent the happiest days of his life. He was a great lover of children, and they loved him. As a fairy story teller he would hold their closest attention by the hour.

Monday being the annual meeting of the club, members visited his grave in a body, and many were the moist eyes when the kind words and acts were beng retold of "Uncle Lote" at his last resting place by the sea and the spot he loved so well.

Jacob Slate, son of Lathrop, Jr. was appointed by the court as executor of his father's estate. Old Lyme town records tell us that when Uncle Lote died his estate was valued at $333.91. However his estate expenses were $339.25 leaving his estate bankrupt by about six dollars! (This information is from the Old Lyme Town Records and I need to go back and verify the dates. I'm not sure whether Jacob handled Grandfather Slate's estate or Uncle Lote's. Uncle Lote's I'm guessing).

Jacob Slate was later a cause for concern among the Old Lyme townspeople who finally got him committed to the Norwich Hospital for the Insane on May 1, 1908! Old Lyme town records contain the whole sordid story including the facts that Jacob "entertains delusions and hallucinations regarding his neighbors and possessions and has on several occassions threatened them with personal violence."

Dr. Edward Atkinson noted that he was "confused, erratic. Delusions of suspicion freely expressed. Stated that his food has been poisoned and that his actions were continually being spied upon."

So Jacob got sent to Norwich. He is far enough removed from us that we can safely ignore him if we choose.

Lyme Land Records in the Lyme Town record some activity by Grandfather Slate that confirms the Slate/Reed connection:

Jan 15 1820 - Lathrop Slate sold a certain blacksmith shop situated in South Lyme near the House of John Reed for $35.93 to John L. (??)
Feb 19 1820 - Lathrop E. Slate sells to Lodwick and Sterling Bill for $60.00 a half acre with a new dwelling house bounded by the Turnpike and Gerge Reed's land on the south, north by George Reed's land, west by Moses Marvin. Located in First Society of Lyme.
Dec 23, 1841 - Quit Claim to Lathrop, Jr. all the real estate of the late George Reed in Lyme. This being land that Mehitable had inherited from George Reed her father.

Wanna bet the land contains that gambrel-roofed house on the shore road near the Old Lyme Town Beach?

A final note. In the Lord Papers notes from Aunt Mame Jones is the following tidbit about Grandfather Slate:

Grandfather Slate learned the blacksmith's trade at Sag Harbor, and while there, forged the copper bolts that went into the Robert Fulton.

I found a another grandfather Slate story on a scrap of paper that Parker gave me. He found it among Aunt Isabel's stuff at Gray Ledges. This story says that Grandfather Slate's father was named Zebulon Slate and that at the time he was 80 years old he lived in Bernardston, MA. During his 80th year he walked from Bernardston to South Lyme in a very short time. When he went back "Spot", grandfather Slate's dog, went with him but came back home alone. The same piece of paper also mentions that Zebulon Slate married a woman whose name was Atherton. She was from Massachusetts. They had four children: Lothrop, Rufus, Asel, and Celbras (??).

I remember Grandma Lord telling the story of Uncle Lote and the high water pants. Uncle Lote set out for Block Island, or was it Fisher's Island, in his motor launch which leaked meaning there was water constantly sloshing about in the bottom. During the voyage the bottom's of Uncle Lote's pants kept getting wet and as they got wet they stretched and got so long he would trip over them. Periodically he would take out his knife and cut several inches off the bottom of each leg. This happened several times during the journey. When they reached whichever island they were going to Uncle Lote stepped up from the boat to the dock. As he did so he stepped into the crotch of his pants and fell flat on his face.

There is no doubt in my mind that those high water pants are the same ones Uncle Lote is wearing in the famous portrait.

During our visit to Hatchett's Point in August 1991, we saw a photograph of Uncle Lote standing beside a team of horses and a wagon loaded with people. The Uncle Lote in the photo bears a strong resemblence to the Uncle Lote in the portrait suggesting that the portrait is either an enlargement of the photo or was drawn from the photo. Several photographs were also made from the portrait.

There still unanswered questions about Uncle Lote and Grandfather Slate. I expect that Lyme/Old Lyme Records and census records will help us fill in the gaps. Where is Mehitable Reed Slate buried? What happened to George Reed Slate? How many cousins do we have named Slate or Champion? Why is it that Uncle Lote and his family are rarely mentioned in Henry Sill's and Elizabeth's journals? Who is Uncle Sylvester Slate? How is George Reed connected to the other Lyme/Old Lyme Reeds? Is Mary Ely Reed a relative on the Ely side? Why does the American Legion put a veterans flag on Uncle Lote's grave at Hatchett's Point?

Updated February 25, 2001

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Uncle Lote (Lathrop E. Slate, Jr) 1818

The True Facts Revealed

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