🧬 Monthly Genealogy Spotlight — April 2026

Matilda “Tillie” Patricia Carlson Slater (1876–1915)

Cousin on Paternal Side

Matilda Patricia Carlson was born on September 2, 1876, in Norway, to Ole Andreas Karlsen and Fredrikke Martine Jakobsen. Both of her parents were young, just beginning their lives in a country many were preparing to leave behind. Matilda would become part of that movement.

By 1891, she was living in Vestfold, Norway. Within a year, her life changed dramatically. In 1892, at only 16 years old, she was living in Seattle, Washington. Crossing the ocean at such a young age suggests a family willing to take risks in search of opportunity.

On March 13, 1896, at age 19, Matilda married Harry Grant Slater in Seattle. Their marriage marked the beginning of a life defined by movement, hard work, and family. Over the next 17 years, Matilda gave birth to nine children.

Matilda “Tillie” Carlson and Harry G. Slater, circa 1890s

Photographs from early in their lives, around the time of their marriage in Seattle on March 13, 1896.

Just two years after their marriage, new opportunity began to draw Americans north. In 1898, the Homestead Act was extended to the Alaska Territory, offering land to those willing to settle there. Around the same time, gold discoveries in the Yukon brought waves of people hoping for a better future.

The promise of land and opportunity sounded appealing, but Alaska was not easy to claim. Harsh winters, poor soil, isolation, and dangerous conditions made daily life difficult. Few settlers stayed long enough to meet the requirements needed to secure land.

Matilda and Harry were among those who went anyway.

By 1900, they were living in Douglas Island, Alaska, a mining town shaped by the gold boom. Life there required resilience. Supplies were limited, winters were long, and raising a growing family added constant pressure. Still, families like the Slaters helped build these early communities.

Douglas Island, Alaska, around 1900

Harry G. Slater on deck, Tillie peering out the first window.

Tillie and Harry Slater during their years in Alaska

After their time in Alaska, the family moved once more, eventually settling in Longmont, Colorado. This move likely offered more stability after years of frontier life. By then, Matilda had spent much of her adult life raising children and adapting to constant change.

The Slater family
Clarence, Harry, Myrtle, Elmer, Ada, and Tillie holding baby Verna

Matilda’s life was full, but it was not long. She died on December 15, 1915, at the age of 39. Like many women of her time, especially those who bore large families and lived through physically demanding conditions, her life was shortened by the realities of the era.

Slater family headstone, Longmont, Colorado

Her story reflects a larger history. From Norway to Washington, north to Alaska, and finally to Colorado, Matilda’s life followed the path of many immigrants who helped shape the American West. She adapted again and again to new places, new challenges, and new responsibilities.

She did not live long, but she lived a life marked by courage, movement, and endurance. Her legacy remains in the family she raised and the path she helped carve across a changing world.