(I) William Slade, founder of the family in this country, is said to have been born in Wales, and was the son of Edward Slade. The family appears to have been but temporarily located in Wales, as it was long identified with Somersetshire, England. William Slade appears at Newport, R. I., in 1659, when he was admitted a freeman of the colony, and became an early settler in the Shawomet purchase, included in that part of Swansea, Mass., which became the town of Somerset in 1690. As early as 1680, when the first record of the town begins, Mr. Slade was a resident of Swansea, and the meetings of the proprietors were held at his house after their discontinuance at Plymouth, in 1677. He was a large landholder, his domain including the ferry across Taunton river, which has ever been known as Slade's Ferry, and this ferry remained in possession of the family until the river was bridged in 1876, at which time it ws operated by William L. Lawton and Jonathan Slade. William Slade married Sarah, daughter of Rev. Obadiah Holmes, of Rehoboth. (NOTE) The Holmes coat-of-arms is as follows:

Arms--Barry wavy of six or and azure on a canton gules a lion passant of the first.
Crest--Out of a naval crown or, a dexter arm embowed in armor, holding a trident proper, spear gold.
Motto--Justum et tenacem propositi.

Slade Homestead

Children of William and Sarah (Holmes) Slade: 1. Mary, born May, 1689. 2. William, born 1692. 3. Edward, mentioned below. 4. Elizabeth, born Dec. 2, 1695. 5. Hannah, born July 15, 1697. 6. Martha, born Feb. 27, 1699. 7. Sarah. 8. Phebe, born Sept. 25, 1701. 9. Jonathan, born Aug. 3, 1703, died aged about eighteen. 10. Lydia, born Oct. 8, 1706.

[Page 211] (II) Edward Slade, son of William and Sarah (Holmes) Slade, was born in Swansea, Mass., June 14, 1694. Hew was a member of the Society of Friends. He married (first) in 1717, Elizabeth Anthony, who bore him one son, William, born September 25, 1718. He married (second) December 6, 1720, Phebe, daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Sherman) Chase. He married (third) Deborah Buffum. The children of second marriage were: 1. Samuel, mentioned below. 2. Elizabeth, born April 29, 1723. 3. Joseph, born Nov. 16, 1724. Children of third marriage: 4. Edward, born Nov. 11, 1728. 5. Philip, born April 19, 1730. 6. Phebe, born July 4, 1737. 7. Mercy, born in 1744.

(III) Samuel Slade, son of Edward and Phebe (Chase) Slade, was born November 26, 1721, in Swansea, where he lived and received from his uncle, Captain Jonathan Slade (who died without issue), the ferry previously alluded to as Slade's Ferry. Beside conducting the ferry he also engaged in agriculture and blacksmithing. He married Mercy, daughter of Jonathan and Mercy Buffum, born July 3, 1723, in Salem, Mass., died November 18, 1797, in Swansea. Children, all born in Swansea: 1. Jonathan, mentioned below. 2. Robert, born Oct. 7, 1746. 3. Henry, born Aug. 20, 1748. 4. Edward, born Sept. 27, 1749. 5. Samuel, born Jan. 20, 1753. 6. Caleb, born June 24, 1755. 7. Buffum, born May 31, 1757. 8. William, born Oct. 18, 1759. 9. Benjamin, born March 14, 1762.

(IV) Jonathan Slade, son of Samuel and Mercy (Buffum) Slade, was born August 13, 1744, in Swansea, where he passed his life, and died November 16, 1811. He married Mary, daughter of Daniel and Mary Chase, born 15th of the 12th month, 1746, in Swansea, died there September 7, 1814. Children: 1. Jonathan, born 10th of 2nd month, 1768, died 8th of 12th month, 1797. 2 Mercy, born 31st of 6th month, 1770. 3. Mary, 15th of 4th month, 1772. 4. Anna, 20th of 1st month, 1775, died 19th of 5th month, 1805. 5. Patience, 5th of 5th month, 1777, died 26th of 10th month, 1798. 6. William, mentioned below. 7. Nathan, 10th of 2nd month, 1783. 8. Phebe, 15th of 5th month, 1785. 9. Hannah, 18th of 1st month, 1788, died 23rd of 5th month, 1805. 10. Lydia, 3rd of 4th month, 1791, died 26th of 10th month, 1804.

(V) William (2) Slade, son of Jonathan and Mary (Chase) Slade, was born June 4, 1780, in Swansea, and resided in that part of the town which became Somerset, where all his children were born, and died September 7, 1852. He was an influential and active citizen of the community, and filled many offices of trust and responsibility. In 1826 he began the operation of a horse boat at the ferry, and in 1846 adopted steam as a motive power. In 1812 he was one of the purchasers of the land upon which was built the Pocasset Company's mill, one of the first two mills in what was then the town of Troy, now the city of Fall River. These mills were the subsequent pioneers in the cloth-making industry, established in 1813. Mr. Slade was one of the original stockholders in the Fall River Manufactory, and in 1822 was one of the eight corporators of the Pocasset Manufacturing Company, which gave great impetus to the cotton manufacturing industry in Fall River. He was also an original proprietor of the Watuppa Manufacturing Company.

He married Phebe, daughter of William and Abigail Lawton, born August 21, 1781, in Newport, R. I., died March 18, 1874, in her ninety-third year.

The Lawton coat-of-arms is as follows:

Arms--Argent on a fesse between three crosses crosslet fitchee sable as many cinquefoils of the field.
Crest--A demi-wolf salient reguardant argent, vulned in the breast gules.
Motto--Liberte toute entiere (Liberty unfettered).

	Click image for a larger size of the chart,  click here for an even larger (350kb) version.
Phebe (Lawton) Slade	Ancestral Chart - Slade

(VI) Hon. William Lawton Slade, son of William (2) and Phebe (Lawton) Slade, was born September 6, 1817, in Somerset, and was reared upon the homestead farm, attending the common schools of the section, and later the Friends' School at Providence. He continued to operate the ferry, and was an extensive farmer, acquiring in his lifetime several fine farms. In 1871 he purchased the ferry property of the Brightmans, lying on the east side of Taunton river, and in company with his brother, Jonathan Slade, was the last to operate the ferry which had been in the family more than two centuries, and was discontinued on the construction of the bridge in 1876. He early became interested in the manufacturing concerns at Fall River, and was a member of the first board of directors and later president of the Montaup Mills Company, organized in 1871 for the manufacture of duck and cotton bags, then a new industry in Fall River. He was one of the promoters in 1871 of the Slade Mill, the first of the group of factories erected in the southern district of the city, built on a Slade farm, of which he was director and president. He was also a member of the board of directors of the Stafford Mills, and held stock in several other manufacturing industries of Fall River. In 1860 he was made a director of what subsequently became the Fall River National Bank.
 

William Lawton Slade  A picture taken when younger is here.	Mary Sherman Slade

For many years he served as a selectman of the town of Somerset, his long continuance in this office testifying to his efficiency. In 1859 and again in 1864 he represented the town of Somerset in the General Assembly of the State, was a member of the committee on agriculture during his first term, and on public charitable institutions in his second, and was a member of the committee of arrangements for the burial of Senator Charles Sumner. In 1863 he was a member of the Massachusetts Senate, in which body he served as a member of the committee on agriculture. His political affiliations were with the Republican party, but he was never an office seeker, and accepted public service as a part of his duty as a good citizen. He was often called upon to engage in the settlement of estates and served as a commissioner for that purpose. In him the cause of temperance ever found a staunch and energetic supporter. He was a lifelong member of the Society of Friends.

He died July 29, 1895, and two days later the board of directors of the Slade Mill testified to his character and services in the following resolution, which was entered upon their records:

William Lawton Slade was one of the originators of this company; and has been its president since the [Page 212] date of its incorporation in 1871. He has always identified himself with its interests, and its welfare has been his constant care. He gave freely of his time and thought to the business of the corporation. Every subject presented to his attention received from him calm consideration and mature deliberation, and his judgment was universally respected. He was broad in his view, farseeing in his suggestions and looked not alone to the present, but to the future.

He was a man of noble presence, high character, sound judgment and unswerving integrity. He was pleasant in his manner, and was universally esteemed and respected.

This corporation has lost in him a firm friend, a wise counsellor and a sagacious adviser, and its directors, each and every one, feel a keen sense of personal bereavement.

It is resolved that we attend his funeral in a body and that copies of this record be furnished to his family and for publication.

HENRY S. FENNER, Clerk

(VII) Caroline Elizabeth Slade, eldest child of William Lawton and Mary (Sherman) Slade, was born January 3, 1846, in Somerset, and became the wife of Hezekiah Anthony Brayton, of Fall River. (See Brayton VII).

NOTE: A big THANKS to J. Slade who provided the following information.

Sarah Holmes is NOT THE DAUGHTER OF OBADIAH HOLMES: as stated in many genealogies,
but the Granddaughter. Her father was Jonathan, mother Sarah Borden.

Obadiah Holmes bapt. March 8, 1607; Manchester, Lancashire, England son of Robert Hulme/ Holmes and Katherine Johnson;

children:
Jonathan Holmes: married Sarah Borden
Lydia Holmes: married John Brown son of William
Mary Holmes; married John Brown son of Rev. Chad
Martha Holmes: married John Oldin
Samuel Holmes married Alice Stillwell
Obadiah Holmes married Elizabeth/Hannah Cole
John Holmes married Frances Holden
Hopestill Holmes married Mr. Taylor
a son Joseph Holmes died young
a son John died in infancy

Jonathan Holmes and Sarah Borden Holmes had 9 children:
Lydia
Sarah
Mary
Obadiah Catherine
Martha
Joseph
Samuel
Jonathan