Early Life
Gabriel Slaughter was born in Culpepper County, Virginia on December 12, 1767, the son of Robert and Susannah (Harrison) Slaughter. He was educated in the county's public schools and worked as a farmer. In 1786, Slaughter married a cousin, Sarah Slaughter, and the couple had two daughters – Mary Buckner Slaughter and Susan Harrison Slaughter.
Slaughter's father visited Kentucky as early as 1776, and moved to Mercer County permanently in 1789. In September 1791, Gabriel Slaughter sold his land in Virginia, and he and his family followed his father to Kentucky. He became known for his generosity, and his large mansion on the turnpike to Lexington was nicknamed "Wayfarer's Rest" because of the vast number of travelers that he allowed to stay there. Among his guests was future lieutenant governor Robert B. McAfee. Soon after his arrival in Kentucky, however, his wife Sarah died, leaving Slaughter to care for his two daughters alone.
In 1795, Slaughter was appointed justice of the peace in Mercer County by Governor Isaac Shelby. The same year, he was also named a tax commissioner for a district of Mercer County. On a return trip to Virginia in 1797, Slaughter married his second wife, Sara Hord. The couple returned to Slaughter's home in Mercer County, where they had three children: John Hord Slaughter, Frances Ann Hord Slaughter, and Felix Grundy Slaughter.
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