Finding Frank

It's always a good idea, and saves time and trips, when searching for one bit of information, or a surname, to also glance back for some of the other surnames one has been seeking out of their family tree.

Such double-backs can sometimes lead to a bit of surprise, and welcome, information.

It happened today. While looking through old marriage records of  Montgomery County, North Carolina, I found this treasure:

"James F. Milton and Mary M. Luther. Bond 10 January 1866. Bondsman: Allen Jordan
Witness: C. C. Wade
Married on January 14, 1866 by James B Ballard, Elder"
-These are the Bonds that Tie: Montgomery CO. N. C., Marriage Bonds, 1842-1868  by Debbi Blake  Archivist, Reference Unit, North Carolina State Archives. 

I had been researching J. Frank Melton/Milton in my previous post: Falling From the Sky: Who was James Frank Melton?
Frank Melton's tombstone gave quite a bit of information, such as his date of birth and death, and the fact that he was a Confederate Veteran. He is buried at Randall's Church, one of the oldest churches in Stanly County, NC (formerly a part of Montgomery County), along with several of the Stanly County Meltons, yet no trace of him can be found prior to his marriage to local girl, Dockie Jane Simpson. Census records indicated that he had been married previously and that Dockie was his second wife.

So, I found out the identity of the first wife: Mary M. Luther. But who was she and where were this couple in the 1870 and 1880 censuses? And the ones prior to their marriage, 1850 and 1860?

First, I looked to see what I could find on bondsman Allen Jordan. Did he have a connection to the bride or groom?

Allen Jordan certainly drug his boots through the sand:

Name: Allen Jordan Residence: Montgomery County, North Carolina, North Carolina Occupation: Lawyer Age at enlistment: 32 Enlistment Date: 1 Mar 1862 Rank at enlistment: Sergeant Enlistment Place: Montgomery County, North Carolina State Served: North Carolina Survived the War?: Yes Service Record: Enlisted in Company F, North Carolina 44th Infantry Regiment on 03 Apr 1862.Promoted to Full Sergeant.Promoted to Full Priv.Mustered out on 27 Nov 1862. Birth Date: abt 1830 Sources: North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster Confederate Military History Biography: Allen Jordon, of Troy, N. C., was born in Montgomery county in 1829, the son of John and Sarah (Butler) Jordon. On the parental branch he is descended from Welsh ancestry. In youth he was educated in the schools of his native county, then engaged in teaching school, after which he entered upon the study of law, and gaining admission to the bar, began the practice of his profession in 1857. This vocation he promptly abandoned, however, upon the call of his State, and enlisted as a private in a volunteer organization, which was assigned as Company F to the Forty-fourth regiment, North Carolina State troops, Pettigrew's brigade. He was elected to a lieutenancy in Company F, but through a misunderstanding did not receive his commission. Subsequently he was appointed sergeant and was transferred to Company H. He was identified with the service of his regiment until the fall of 1862, when, having been elected county attorney of Montgomery county, he was honorably discharged that he might assume the duties of that office. Since then he has devoted himself to the practice of his profession, in which he has attained a gratifying eminence, and to the discharge of those public duties to which he has frequently been called. He was elected to the legislature in 1864, 1867, 1872, 1878 and 1887. He was also chosen as a delegate to the constitutional convention which was to have convened in 1871, and being reelected in 1875, held a seat in that body. He has merited honorable mention by his sympathy and efforts for the survivors of the Confederate army and his part in the restoration of good government. By his marriage, in 1857, to May Horton, of Chatham, he has one child, Mary O. Source: Confederate Military History Vol. V p. 582

Name:	Allen Jordan
Age:	21
Birth Year:	abt 1829
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Montgomery, North Carolina
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	387
Household Members:	Name Age John Jordan 47 Sarah Jordan 45 James Jordan 22 Allen Jordan 21 Thomas Jordan 19 Calvin Jordan 17 Caroline Jordan 16 Martha Jordan 14 Laura Jordan 12 Jane Jordan 10 Messouri Jordan 7 John Jordan 3

1860

Name:	Allen Jordan
Age in 1860:	31
Birth Year:	abt 1829
Home in 1860:	Rocky Springs, Montgomery, North Carolina
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Pekin
Value of real estate:	View Image
Household Members:	Name Age Allen Jordan 31 Mary A Jordan 35 Delphina Jordan 2

1870

Name:	Allen Jordan
Age in 1870:	41
Birth Year:	abt 1829
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1870:	Troy, Montgomery, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Troy
Value of real estate:	View Image
Household Members:	Name Age Allen Jordan 41 Mary Jordan 46 Mollie Jordan 4

1880

Name:	Allen Jordan
Age:	57
Birth Year:	abt 1823
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1880:	Troy, Montgomery, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Self (Head)
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Mary A Jordan
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Occupation:	Lawyer
Cannot read/write: Blind: Deaf and dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane:	View Image
Household Members:	Name Age Allen Jordan 57 Mary A Jordan 56 Mollie O Jordan 14 B.F. Simmons 46 M A Smith 41 Oscar J Spears 28 Ella T Spears 22 R T Rush 36 J E Suits 25 Ben Currie 20 Harriete Simmons 50 Jane Simmons 13 Isham Simmons 30

1900

Name:	Allen Jordan
Age:	71
Birth Date:	Apr 1829
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Troy, Montgomery, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Mary A Jordan
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	View on Image
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Allen Jordan 71 Mary A Jordan 76

He was a lawyer, a soldier, a Gentleman and a Hotel Operator, who only had one child, a daughter.

And in turn, witness: "C. C." or Christopher Columbus Wade, was also an easy find and also a Civil War Veteran, like James Franklin Melton and Allen Jordan.

Name:	Christopher C Wade
Residence:	Montgomery County, North Carolina,North Carolina
Age at enlistment:	24
Enlistment Date:	27 May 1861
Rank at enlistment:	Private
Enlistment Place:	Montgomery County, North Carolina
State Served:	North Carolina
Survived the War?:	Yes
Service Record:	Enlisted in Company C, North Carolina 23rd Infantry Regiment on 27 May 1861.Mustered out on 03 Feb 1862.
Birth Date:	abt 1837
Sources:	North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

Name:	Christopher C Wade
Age in 1860:	22
Birth Year:	abt 1838
Home in 1860:	Mount Gilead, Montgomery, North Carolina
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Mount Gilead
Value of real estate:	View Image
Household Members:	Name Age H S Wade 45 Elenor Wade 46 Christopher C Wade 22 Thomas Wade 19 Sarah J Wade 18 Mary Wade 15 James H Wade 11 Martha F Wade 4 Joseph T Wade 2 William Knight 35

Name:	Columbus C Wade
Age:	62
Birth Date:	Sep 1837
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Troy, Montgomery, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Sarah M Wade
Marriage Year:	1866
Years Married:	34
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	View on Image
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Columbus C Wade 62 Sarah M Wade 50 Oliver M Wade 32 Dora Wade 28 Josephine Wade 2 MO* A Wade 28 Ella E Rush 27 Ulnah D Rush 4 Wiley Rush 2 Margarete Rush 4/12 Ben T Wade 24 Dora Wade 22 Frederick H Wade 21 Mattie M Wade 17 Bonnie B Wade 14 Albert D Wade 10 James Lemmons 27

From birth to death, he also, never missed a census, had death records, tombstone records, etc. 

But James Frank Melton and Mary M. Luther Melton did not leave a trace besides their marriage bond....or did they?

There is this James and Mary M. Melton from Moore County, a neighboring County of Montgomery.

Name: James Milton [James Melton]  Age in 1870: 21 Birth Year: abt 1849 Birthplace: North Carolina Home in 1870: Bensalem, Moore, North Carolina Race: White Gender: Male Post Office: Curriesville Value of real estate: View Image Household Members: Name Age James Milton 21 Mary M Milton 21 Jessa S Milton 2 Anoker E Milton 4/12

View Original Record View original image

This James was a son of James and Temperance Horton Melton of Moore County. The Moore County Melton's were very likely distant relatives of the Stanly County Meltons. Could it have been a mere coincidence that James Frank Melton was buried in the same section of the cemetery with the descendants of David Melton, son of John Melton, Sr.? 

And then, looking for any information on the children in the above census record, I found my answer, James Melton, born approximately about the same time as our James Franklin Melton, in Moore County, was not the same James Melton. 

A bout of Typhoid Fever had hit the family in the summer of 1879, and was reported in the mortality schedules of the 1880 census. 

James Melton, age 33 , Widowed, Jul 1879  Typhoid Fever

Jesse Melton, age 12, Single, July 1879,  Typhoid Fever

Oscar Melton, age 10, Single, July 1879, Typhoid Fever

iew Updates

6

James Melton

33

abt 1846

Male

White

Widowed

North Carolina, USA

(In looking at the actual census record for 1870, 'Anoker' Milton was actually spelled "Ausker" Melton. The census taker was likely going on sound instead of spelling in recording the name.

But, obviously, sadly, the entire family had been wiped out. James was recorded as being widowed, meaning his wife had died sometime prior to the typhoid outbreak. He was also recorded in younger days as "James W. Melton". Not our Frank. 

So, James F. who married Mary M. Luther, was not James W. from Moore County. The search continues.

Who were you Frank?