Page 139-141

A pioneer of Livingston county and a resident of Chillicothe township since 1896, A. Slifer has been one of the foremost agriculturist of this section for twenty-five years, during which time he owned one of the most prosperous farms of two hundred and forty acres, of which, however, he has since disposed, giving now his attention tion to fifteen acres of rich and bearing orchard and finding a well earned rest in the lesser duties of tending to this property. Not only is he known in Livingston county but even in surrounding territory, for, during a long period, he was successfully engaged as auctioneer in this part of the state and has earned high reputation in that capacity. Even these occupations, however, do not exhaust the connection of Mr. Slifer with the county, for he served for four years efficiently as the sheriff thereof, making in this important position a record that entitles him to high public commendation.

A. Slifer was born in Sulphur Springs, Crawford county, Ohio, November 3, 1833, a son of John and Magdalene (Wolf) Slifer, and came to Livingston county immediately after the war in 1865. The father, a native of Maryland, was a miller by trade and successful along that line. Both of the parents are deceased, the mother buried in Champaign county, Ohio, and the father in Sulphur Springs, that state, and both were of German origin. The parents were highly esteemed in the communities in which they lived and enjoyed the confidence and good-will of their many friends.

A. Slifer was reared under the parental roof, receiving but a meager education such as could be procured for him in the early days of the settlement of this country. Leaving school at the age of fifteen, he thereafter rented a farm for several years, being so occupied until 1865, when he came to Livingston county, taking up a property of two hundred and forty acres in Sampsell township. He is also well known as an auctioneer, a line which he followed for nearly sixty years with continued and gratifying success. At the same time he gave his attention to the improvement of his farm, upon which he erected a number of suitable buildings, and to the cultivation of the soil of which he paid painstaking and careful attention. In 1892 high honor came to him in his election to the office of sheriff of Livingston county, which position he filled to the great satisfaction of all concerned for four years. In 1896, upon the expiration of his official term of office, he purchased his present property of fifteen acres located on section 21 of Chillicothe township. putting the land to the use of an orchard.

A. Slifer was married in Logan county, Illinois, in 1864, to Miss Sarah M. Carlisle, who passed away after a happy married life of thirty years, in 1894, leaving the following children: Maude, the wife of John Cunningham, of Pawnee county, Oklahoma; and John, who is the proprietor of a laundry in Chillicothe. Missouri. Mrs. Slifer found her last resting place in the Edgewood cemetery.

Politically Mr. Slifer is a republican and, although nearing his eightieth birthday, takes still active interest in the issues and candidates of his party. Having resided in Livingston county for nearly half a century, he has become well known and wherever he is known is highly esteemed for his many qualities of character which entitle him to distinction. Usually one thinks of old age as a period when mental as well as physical powers weaken, but there is an old age which grows stronger and brighter as the years go by and gives out of its rich store of wisdom and experience for the benefit of others. Such has been the life of A, Slifer, who is not only one of the most venerable but also one of the most honored citizens of Livingston county, respected wherever known.

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