Cornelius Slaght Family came over from the Netherlands in the 1600's. The family has been traced back to the  1200's in the Netherlands. Slaghts(Slecht) (Slack), owned land on Staten island and New York. They owned a ferry service that shuttled to the island and back. Slaghts started the city now called Kingston NJ. They also started the Dutch Reformed Church located there and there is a plaque placed in their honor. A Slaght helped row George Washington across the Delaware River. Bought land from WM Penn. We had had some that went to Canada because they were Loyalists and some that stayed to fight the British. That of course split the family.                  Migrated  to Wisconsin in the Grant County area around Beetown, Bloomington, Plattsville as it was called back then. Some of the towns are ghost towns now like Flora Fountain or Slabtown. They came for mining and the rich farmland of SW Wisconson.Slaghts also went south to West Virginia were the name changed to Slack by their Engilsh neighbors. Mining Coal in the south and here in WI it was Lead and Zinc, which of course at that time were very valuable.

 Blackburns came over in the 1800's and sailed to St Louis, Mo and then came by wagontrain to Shullsburg, Layfette County, WI. some went other ways at that time, but many came here to WI, spreading out over the state, including Madison, Wi. Many were volunteers for the Civil War, some were wounded like John Blackburn. Blackburns owned large amounts of land in the Shullsburg area and promenent mebers of society. Some lived in Lancaster, and Bloomington, Grant County, WI. Sarah would have no qualms about taking the horse and buggy by herself the 10 miles to Beetown. Keep in mind there was not a blacktop road at that time. i think it must have been a gravel road when I was a kid living in Beetown, which was better than dirt. We also have Lysle Blackburn who was a coach for he University of Wisconsin Badgers and then went on to coach the Green Bay Packers.

Thorpe and Mott families I am still working on. Frank Walter Thorpe was a miner in Linden and Mineral Point, Iowa County, WI. His dad Charles Benjamin lived in Beetown and farmed, he married Eta Ellen(Ella Mott). Etta's father Richard and her mother Mary Elizabeth Motte were from Ellenboro by Plattsville(now Platteville), Grant County. W. Richard was in Company C of the 7th Infantry during the Civil War.  Charley  and MarieThorpe ran a grocery store at the bottom of the hill coming from Lancaster. I used to go there with a list from my mother with my wagon and picked up supplies.  i was 5 years old at the time! they always had a treat for me. I loved them greatly, they were so nice. My brothers, Bobby and Billy and I loved to stop there to get candy after going to Sunday Scholl at the Beetown Methodist Church, it was  in the early days of Beetown, called the M and E Church, Methodist Episcopal Church. It still is going strong today, it is at the bottom of the hill that goes to the cemetary where many of our relatives are burried. The cemetary is high up on the Bluff. I have pictures posted. Also Vernon Thorpe(Essie and Frank Thorpe) died in WWII in a Japanese Prison Camp in the Phillipines. His cousin, Paul Taylor(mother Cora Thorpe) died also in WWII, the American Legion Post in Beetown is named the Thorpe Taylor Post. It is located in the old brick school house up the road form the  M and E church. My brothers, Bobby and Billy also attend there before we moved ot Cobb, Iowa County, WI. Raymond and Elverson were also in the Army and served in Burma India and Australia. Elverson was Shell Shocked as they calle dit back then, after a shell exploded in his foxhole killing everyone except "AL". He never completely recovered from this horrific event, it always haunted him. 

There were many family members that went to war Thorpe, Taylors, Slaghts, Blackburns,Motts, Woodhouse, Baker, Moore,Barr, Richardson, Hutchcroft,.Marlow are some of the names of family and friends of this family. 

C.W. Butterfield wrote a book on the History of Grant County, WI our families are mentioned in many places through the 900 page book.

Mott and Thorpe

Many Motts and Thorpes including my Great, Great grandfather Isaac W Thorpe on the Civil War Soldier listing through the State of Wis Historical Society.