The Melton/Milton Family in the 1850 and 1860 Census

Tying all of the individuals from a small local family together is like a puzzle that wants to be assembled. To do so, one must gather all of the evidence possible, see what fits and what doesn't, then try to make sense of it all. Some mysteries will never be solved. Others are just waiting to be discovered.

Looking at the Melton/Milton family in the 1850 and 1860 census records, and then comparing that to the land records and court records, you can see a few possibilities begin to take shape. Some individuals that show up in one record, do not in another, that is why I've decided to put these two together and then, by using information in the deeds and court proceedings, try to identify the individuals in the census records.

1850
Henry H Melton 29 NC Carpenter b 1821 This is Henry Harrison Melton, from Land records, son of John Melton, Sr. 
Martha  21 His wife Martha Kirk Melton 
Robert S 21 Carpenter Son of Mary "Polly" Melton, sister of Henry H. 
Julia A 1  Must have been firstborn daughter who died as a small child. 
Mary Melton 46 From deeds, older sister of Henry H. and daughter of John Sr. 

1860
H H Melton 39 b NC
Martha 30
Houston 10 Samuel Houston Melton, became a prominent citizen and judge
Jane E 8  Only appears in this census.
Louisa 6  Sarah Louisa, married John H. Swaringen, moved to Cabarrus County
Mary F 4  Married 1st cousin Atlas D Melton, son of Joseph. 
John 4 months old

1850
James R Melton b 1821 NC
Mary Ann 24  Mary Ann Kirk
Davidson 1  married Sophronia Hearne


1860
James R Melton 40  Grocer
Mary A Melton 32
Davidson H 11  Davidson Hearne Melton- moved to High Point
Ellen Douglas 9 Married I. W. (Buck) Snuggs
Wm Thomas 7  Migrated to Texas, married Isabelle Myers 
Eliza C Kirk 19 Sister of Mary Ann
John Williams 40 Tailor Brother of Clementine Williams Melton - 
next house
Charlotte Melton 62  Some researchers have her as second wife of John Melton Sr. who died in 1845. Marriage license for John Melton and Charlotte Byers in Rutherford County. Rutherford County had large population of Meltons. Stanly County court records has her mother of illegitimate son Elbert Melton, to be brought to court to be bound out. 

1850
William Valentine 31 Blacksmith (mulatto)
Elbert Melton 25 Blacksmith (mulatto) Court records state son of Charlotte Melton

1860 Gold Hill Rowan County, NC
Elbert (Edward) Melton 38 House Carpenter
Houston Valentine 18 Day Laborer Perhaps son of William Valentine? 
Ann Melton 28
Mather Melton 10
Christian Melton 7
Tamar J Melton 2



1850 Census of Albemarle, in town of..

House 832  Henry H Melton and family
House 833  David Austin family
House 834  Blacksmiths: William Valentine and Elbert Melton both mulatto
House 835  Daniel Lowder family
House 836  Wiley Hutson and wife Sarah Melton Hutson, and family. Daughter of John Melton, Sr.
House 837  James R Melton family (named oldest son Davidson Hearne Melton).
House 838  Davidson Hearne family

Census records do not show an exact layout of a community as we do not know the path of the enumerator or the way the residences were situated. They can, however, be taken as general proximity.

1850 Robert S Melton, 21, living with Henry H. (see above). Son of Mary per Stanly County court records, Sent to court to be bound. Illegitimate child. 

1860 R. S. Melton 31 Master Mechanic, Camden, Ouchita, Arkansas.
Mary E.

1850
Elisha Melton 10  Married Frances Marbry March 13 1862. Civil War Casualty. Widow later married Ervin Whitley.
Living in the family of John F Stone
along with Damaris Palmer  aka Damaris Baldwin Palmer Russell

Note: There were several Melton children living with various families near other members of the Melton family. I am looking into the possibility that they were siblings of deceased parents related to the other Meltons.

1850 Freemans Township Stanly County

John Melton b 1804 Virginia  46
Nancy (Boysworth) Melton 46 (Moved to Gold Hill, opened a hotel)
Missouri 20 (had already married Jesse Tatum Forrest by then. Counted twice in the census. Must have been visiting her parents. Born prior to Nancy's marriage to John Melton. Alternately Boysworth/Melton)
Laura J 17 (married a Gill, moved to Gold Hill with mother)
Eliza 17 (married Franklin Cauble in 1851)
Caroline 16 (married James Mabry 1856 in Stanly County)
John Solomon 20 (also in census twice, son of Nancy Solomon)

Next to:
David Melton 28 Farmer
Mary 30 (Boysworth, Sister of Nancy. Both daughters of Jonathan Boysworth and Martha Almond Boysworth
Eben 4  Civil War casualty. Married Tabitha Morgan. 1 child Henry T. 
Davidson 2  (Davidson Alexander Melton. Moved to Roane, Tennesee)
Sarah Boysworth 18 (niece of Mary. Remained single and became favorite Nanny to children of Ellen D. Melton Snuggs, daughter of James R Melton).

Neighbors: Swaringen, Forrest, Bosworth, Shankle

1850

Whitman Milton 15 more research needed. Possible brother of Elisha H. Melton?

Living with Thomas Biles, Jr. family next to Dosey Boysworth family.

1850  House 698

John Perry  43
Margaret 45
Lewis C 22
Silva 19
Caswell 18

Margaret Milton 8 shown in court records as bound to John Perry in 1841. Married R. G. Hiram Huneycutt.
Henry Milton 6  bound to John Perry in 1847

Elijah Perry 70
Elizabeth 85

1860

John Perry 51
Margaret Perry 53
Caswell 26
Henry 15  apprentice (Henry Melton)



1850 Albemarle
James Hinson 48
Nancy Hinson 47 Nancy Melton Hinson, daughter of John, Sr. 
Sarah 21
Adeline 19
George Milton 7 married Elizabeth Crawford 1863. Served in Civil War
Margaret Hinson 5
Rebecca Hinson 3
Robert Blalock 50
Nancy Blalock 30

next to

William Melton 28 migrates to Missouri by way of Arkansas.
Mary 22 (Mary Hinson)
Martha F. 1
John Lilly 18 nephew, son of Frances Melton (deceased) and John Hogan Lilly

next to Lydia Brown 28

James Solomon  45
Frances Solomon 44

Henry Bird 44
Mahaley 43
Jackson 18
Martin 16
William A.
Benjamin Later living with one of the Melton's
Marah
James
Frances

Frances Kirk

Dr. F J. Kron


1850 Gold Hill, Rowan, NC
Harris Milton 26  This couple is mentioned in a Superior Court case in Stanly County that makes the history 
Ann Bird 28         books. At the time they are in Stanly County/

1860 Gold Hill

Ann Melton 40 Housekeeper

1860 Salisbury

William Melton 11
Living with A. W. Northern family son of Harris Melton and Ann Bird



1850 Montgomery County  Joseph Melton and family have to be included in the Stanly County listing although they lived in Montgomery County. Joseph was a son of John Melton, Sr. and Margaret Wilkenson. He lived just across the PeeDee River from what was then Allenton and today is near present day Norwood, in between there and Mount Gilead. 

Joseph 32 b 1818 NC
Clementine 30
Susan 12 marries Joseph Mabry
Ann Jane 10
Green 8
Atlas 5
Delphina 4
Sarah Ann McRae 6
Mary Ann McDonald 0

1860 Albemarle
Clementine Melton 45 She is living near James R Melton and Charlotte Melton
Atlas 15
Preston 8

Joseph D Melton and older son Green are MIA for this census. He remarries to Mary Ann "Polly" Solomon in 1868. Both Joe and his sons Green Jackson Melton and Atlas serve in the Civil War.

The Melton's Come of Age: 1841

I ended the last post with the Melton's who were shown in the 1840 census of Montgomery County, North Carolina: John the elder, John the younger, Joseph the elder, Joseph the younger, and Henry, making his first appearance as' Head of Household'. Betsy, who was in the previous two census records, and most likely a widow, had disappeared.

In 1841, the part of Montgomery County that had been known as "West PeeDee" became Stanly County.
Between 1840 and 1850, a great deal had happened in the Melton family. Members of the younger generation had reached the age of majority and the older ones had passed away. Land and court records can help clarify some of this change.

A road order was issued during the August 1841 Session of Court in the newly formed county. "Ordered by the court that Quisenberry Kirk be appointed overseer of the road from George Kirks' ferry to the Russell('s) old field and Jonathan Bell and hands, William Rush and hand, Gilbert Noble, James Melton, Jesse Pritchard, Henry Melton, Joseph Melton, Jr., Thomas Biles Senior hands, Thomas Biles, Jr. & Pleasant Biles work on said road. ".

This is the first appearance of James the younger in records. He was apparently not head of his own household yet in 1840. This also shows James working in conjunction with Henry and Joseph the younger, whom I know were brothers. In the Rowan County public library, in the family folders, I came across a flowery and boastful family tree of a descendant of James R Melton of Stanly County. He had his ancestor, the son of James, correct, and had the correct parents, James R. and his wife Mary Ann Kirk, but after that, this gentleman had went off into outerspace with James R having no connection to the local Meltons and descending instead from a Revolutionary War soldier named Thomas and to the poet Milton and other grandiose claims. While I can not dispute that the Stanly County Melton/Milton family may have biological connections to the poet, I do know that they also have much closer relations to each other.

This road order also refers to Joseph as Joseph, Jr. , meaning Joseph the elder was most likely still alive in 1840, and so they referred to Joseph D. Melton as "Jr.". To those unfamiliar with genealogical research, it may seem like the term "Jr." should mean "son of". It does now, but 'back in the day', it simply meant 'the younger' and not necessarily 'the son of'. The younger man could be a nephew, a cousin, a grandson, or simply no relation at all, just residing in the same general area with an older man of the same name.
The Milton/Melton family (the name is shown interchangeably in early records) also show a close interaction to the Bosworth (later Boysworth) and Forrest families, and to some extent, the Biles and Kirks.

The 1841 tax list records the following Meltons and where their properties were located.

John Melton Sr.      100 acres on Mountain Creek, no poll
John Melton Jr.        75 acres on Vickory Branch, one poll
Henry Melton      no property mentioned, just one poll
Joseph Melton    no property mentioned, just one poll.

James was apparently not old enough yet to qualify as a poll. John Senior was too old., and by the time the tax man came around, Joseph Sr. had apparently deceased.

There was an older James Melton who lived in Montgomery County, before she was split in half in 1841 as evidence by land transactions: Montgomery County, NC Land Warrants and Surveys 1833-1950

4612  Sally (Sarah) Curtis 25 acres warrant 7263 issued Jan. 16, 1815 by Will Stone to Sally Curtis......joins Moses Curtis, deceased and includes part of William McGregor's old place on Yadkin River, entered October 15, 1814, surveyed by D. Cochran for Sarah Curtice, on West Side of Yadkin River; border begins at William McGregor deceased's upper corner willow oak of "the" old "plantation" tract on the river bank and joins Bennett Soloman; Bennett Soloman and James Melton chain carriers.
Now, here is where a working knowledge of the history of the county might help a little bit. If I am not mistaken, the William (or Willm) McGregor referred to in the above reference, was probably the Rev. McGregor whom the reknown Dr. F. Kron from Prussia, whose home is restored in Morrow Mountain State Park, purchased his property from. The Rev. McGregor founded a very early church in these parts called "The Mouth of the Uwharrie Baptist Church". According to legend, Rev. McGregor is buried still on the property now known as the Kron place, in Morrow Mountain State Park, and passed away about a decade before this land transaction took place.

The name Bennett Soloman is also an important one, as Soloman's pop up in Melton records later on. I have not nailed it down yet, but I believe a Melton daughter married a Soloman son.

4748 James Melton 12 acre warrant 7800 issued May 7, 1818 by D McRae to David Miller for 12 ac joins Moses "Kertis" & Thomas Huckabee; entered Feb 7, 1818; 12 ac surveyed Oct 23, 1818 by D. Cochran, on Yadkin River border; begins at William McGregor deceased's upper corner willow oak on the river bank and joins Thos Huckabee; Parham Kirk & Stephen Kirk, chain carriers;

This transaction was 3 years after the Sarah 'Curtice" transaction and seems to be in the same area, the Rev. McGregors willow oak. But James Melton did not show up in the census records.... More acutely, he did not show up in the 1810 census, but was here or nearly an adult, by 1815. There was no 1820 census for Montgomery County. It was destroyed. He probably would have shown up in it. There was an 1830 census with John, Joseph and a female head-of-household, Betsy. In all likelihood, but without possibly any proof due to the series of Courthouse fires, Betsy (Elizabeth), was the widow of the elder James Melton.

Courthouse fires have been the scourge of researchers for centuries. 

What will the 1850's hold for the Melton family and will records shed light on who is who and how they got there?

Untangling the Melton's Pt I

In attempting to discover what became of the children from Stanly County born in "Shades of Gray", first, I wanted to find out who they were exactly. Who were their mothers, and how were the persons of the same surname,  and the men they were bound to, connected to the children or their mothers.

The first family I am looking into is the Meltons or Miltons. The name is shown inter-changeably in records.

The Meltons in Stanly County were a singular family. Land transactions have helped to connect a few of them together. They seem to have been a small family in the beginning, related to the Lees, Boysworths, Kirks and Perry's, with overlapping generations. A few of the Melton brothers, as in the comparable Murray family, seemed to have been dominant, Henry H. and David.

I started with the court records that listed the children. These are the children listed and any adults associated with them.
1841
-Allen Melton, age 18, bound to William Boysworth until 21.
- Robert, son of Polly Melton, brought to court to be bound.
-Elbert, son of Charlotte Melton, brought to court to be bound.
1845 Elisah H Milton bound to William Boysworth.
1846 Mary Caroline Milton bound to Benjamin L. Whitley until age 18.
Margaret Melton bound to John Perry until age 18.
1850 George Milton age 7, living with James Hinson and Nancy Milton Hinson.
1847 Henry Melton bound to John Perry.



There were court actions involving adult Meltons in the 1841 to 1850 court proceedings, as well, that show connections to each other and other families:
-Henry Melton on the Insolvent list
-William Boysworth (land transaction) to William Davis - proved by John Melton.
-Joseph Melton - Insolvent.
-Last Will and Testament of James Cox proved by Joseph Melton.
-Special Letters of Administration granted to John G Forrest on Feb. 16, 1846 on estate of John Melton, Sr.
-John G Forrest, appointed administrator of the estate of John Milton, Sr. William Forrest and Alpha Swaringen, standing bond.
-H. H. Melton - juror
-James Melton -patrol
Mary Melton - land transaction to David and William Melton.
Joseph Melton- land transaction to David and William Melton.
Stephen Foreman, defendant, with Henry Melton, Roland Forrest, Robert Melton and SFL Morton.
Joseph Melton allowed to prove attendance.
 1850 District 1 Captains for Patrol: R. Melton, H. H. Melton.

There were several instances of Melton's or Milton's being called for jury duty or serving as bondsmen.
These adult Milton's were as follows: David, William, Robert, Joseph, James R., John Sr., John Jr. and Henry H or H. H.

The Stanly County Register of Deeds office also offered a great source of information on the Meltons. Some transactions seemed to be regular sales or transfers of land from neighbor to neighbor, or a sale to move. Others offered indication of relationship, especially creating a list of  the 'heirs of John Melton'.

-June 25 1847 Mary Melton "a single woman" to David and William Melton "my brothers".

-Feb.  1, 1847 Joseph Melton to David and William Melton, land on Mountain Creek, "which is the lands of John Melton, Sr., deceased and Joseph being lawful heir of deceased."

-Feb 20, 1846 James Hinson and Nancy Hinson to David Melton and William Melton "which are part of lands of John Milton, Sr. being heirs of John Melton". ..being located on Mountain Creek.

- May 13, 1851 John Boysworth to David Melton - Almond Boysworth's corner, William Davis's line, John Meltons corner, 150 acres.

-Nov 8, 1854 H.H. and R. S. Melton to E. Hearne and J. R. Melton. Henry H. and Robert S. securities in the Salisbury branch of the Cape Fear Bank in the sum of $750.00.  .....on the waters of Jacob's Creek, H. H. Melton resides adjoining William Forrest and W. F. Nash. 100 acres on the PeeDee River known as the William Davis tract.


Book 34 Page 438 - Division of the lands of Jonathan Boysworth: 1) James 2) Almond 3) Mary 4) William 5) Caswell 6) John 7) Elizabeth 8) Nancy Milton.

In the marriage records, most of the marriages are of members of the younger generation, children of the adults mentioned in the court records. The court records and deeds seem to indicate a Mr. John Melton Sr., who had the following heirs: John, Jr.,  Joseph, James R., Henry H., David, William, Mary and Nancy Hinson. A Robert was named as the son of Polly in the P's and Q's. The Robert mentioned in the land records could have been a different Robert, or the same. Polly was a nickname for Mary in those days, so the Mary, heir of John Melton Sr., was probably the Polly, mother of Robert. Next I'll look at the census records and see if they can pull some things together.