Mahala B. Slaton was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Her death certificate says that she was the daughter of Joseph Slaton and Mary E. Bell. Joseph Flippin Slaton was the son of my fourth great grandparents William Slaydon and Susannah Flippin. Joseph Slaton married Elizabeth Bell on 9 Jun 1859 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Elizabeth Bell and Mary E. Bell were the same person, namely Mary Elizabeth Bell.
The 1860 census shows Joseph Slaton with no wife and with a daughter M.E. Slaton age 1/12. Mahala's death certificate says she was born 2 Aug 1861. If the birth date from the death certificate is correct, then the infant M.E. Slaton was not the same person as Mahala B. Slaton. But if the birth date from the death certificate is off by a year, then M.E. Slaton and Mahala B. Slaton were probably the same person.
I think the truth is a little more subtle than that. Mary Elizabeth Bell's father was Uriah Bell. In the 1860 census, Uriah Bell was in dwelling number 1830, Thomas Fielden Slaton (Joseph's brother) was in dwelling number 1831, and Joseph Flippin Slaton was in dwelling number 1832. Mary Elizabeth Bell was listed in the home of her father Uriah as M.E. Bell age 22. It would make sense that Mary Elizabeth Bell would have had her baby in the home of her parents. It is curious, but not inexplicable, that the baby herself was not listed in the Uriah Bell household. But I think that the census entry for Joseph Slaton should have listed Joseph age 35, his wife M.E. Slaton age 22, and his daughter M.B. Slaton age 1/12. It's easy to see how the entry for the household of Joseph Slaton could have become a little confused.
At the time of her death, Mahala B. Slaton was the widow of Ezekial Harrison Williams.
State of Tennessee
State Board of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Certificate of Death #17742
1. Place of Death
County Jefferson Reg. Dist. No. 163
Civil Dist. 1
Village Dandridge Primary Reg. Dist. No. 1st
or
City RFD
2. Full Name Mahala Williams
3. Sex F
4. Color or race White
5. Single, Widow
married,
widowed,
or divorced
6. Date of birth Aug 2, 1861
7. Age 67 yrs., 11 mos. 23 ds.
8. Occupation Home
9. Birthplace Tenn.
10. Name of Joseph Slaton
Father
11. Birthplace Tenn
of Father
12. Maiden Name Mary E. Bell
of Mother
13. Birthplace Tenn.
of Mother
14. Informant Jake Thomas
Address Dandridge, T
15. Filed Aug 10, 1929 C.A. Rossa?
16. Date of death July 25, 1929
17. I hereby certify that I attended deceased from
July 23, 1929 to July 25, 1929
that I last saw her alive on July 25, 1929
and that death occurred on the date stated above at ___
The cause of death was
Cerebral Hemorrhage
Signed: T.R. French
7/27/1929, Dandridge
18. Length of residence
19. Place of burial or removal -- Schraders
Date of burial -- 7/26, 1929
20. Undertaker -- J.W. Vance
Dandridge
The informant Jake Thomas was Mahala B. Slaton's brother-in-law, having married Mahala's half-sister Maggie A. Shurbutt. Joseph Flippin Slaton was born in Virginia, almost certainly in Pittsylvania County. There is a slight chance that he was born in North Carolina. There is almost no chance that he was born in Tennessee as stated on the death certificate.