Abigail Slaughter was born in North Carolina sometime in the 1730s. In 1757 she married Jasper Charlton, a prominent judge and lawyer in the Edenton area. The Charltons were active members of the Patriot cause, and Abigail took the first signing spot on the a nonimportation agreement that later became known as the Edenton Tea Party Resolves in 1774. Jasper later represented Chowan at the Third North Carolina Provincial Congress. The Charltons later moved to Bertie County, where Abigail died sometime after 1787.