Juice

In the new, National Geographical Channel series TV show "Diggers", it features two men, "King George" Wyant and Tim "Ringy" Saylor, who have fun with metal detectors and get crazy excited when they find an old coin, or other valuable treasure. When the detector signals a significant object, they call it "juice".

National Geographic Channels "Diggers", Wyant and Saylor.

While researching, when I find something, a document or other item, which may lead to answers to some unsolved questions, I call that "juice."

Recently, in my Melton research, I came across some 'juice' while pouring thru records on Familysearch.org, the Mormon Church, Utah site, which is full of ancestral treasure.

It's the case of  The State of North Carolina vs Melton & Bird and its an 1852 court case from Stanly County. I had came across the case already, and had read about its outcome and its historical significance. However, I had not yet read the details of the case, the testimony or the players.

I found these summons:

State vs. Harris Melton and Ann Bird

Supoena for defendants, Rowan County:
James Morphis, D W Honeycutt, John Melton, Charles Reeves and Michael Swisegood to Sept Term 1851. Executed on the 25th of July 1851
note: but D. W. Huneycutt is not to be found in my county. 

To the sheriff of Stanly County:

Commanded to summons: Joshua Hearne, James Boysworth, Jarrett Russell, Fanny Russel, Catherine Kirk, Frances Kirk, Charlotte Melton, William Solomon.

Later another supoena of the same list with the name Aaron Saunders added.


Arrest warrant for Ann Bird, Fall Term 1851. Bonded out by James R Melton

March, 1851, Arrest warrant for Harris Melton, Bond signed by Harris Melton and James R. Melton. 
   An odd date of June 4, 1837 added on near the bottom of this document, near the signatures.

Another Stanly County summons with the names: Henry Marshall, Eben Hearne, and Nelson Hathcock. All of those men were important players in the early politics of Stanly County, serving in offices and general 'movers and shakers' of the community.
Already, I am excited about the juice, awaiting the arrival of original documents from the archives in Raleigh. Just the summons tell me a few things.

1) John Melton, Jr. and wife Nancy Boysworth Melton are found in the 1850 cenus of Stanly County. By 1860, Nancy and her daughter Laura J Gill, are living in the town of Gold Hill in Rowan County.

In land records, Nancy Melton is mentioned twice. Once in the division of lands of Jonathan Boysworth, wherein 7 children are named: Almond, Mary, William, Caswell, John, Elizabeth, all Boysworths, and Nancy Melton. Later, sister Mary will marry David Melton. David is one of the sons of John Melton, Sr.

The second time she is mentioned is in a land record dated January 11, 1878, where Nancy Boysworth  and surviving daughters, Laura J. Gill and Missouri Forrest of Rowan sell their share of the lands, 'including the residence of John Melton, deceased, 78 acres on the West side of the Pee Dee adjoining  Winnie Forrest, Louiza Kirk, J T Forrest and others.

J. T. Forrest, or Jesse Tatum Forrest, was the husband of Missouri. Descendants have her as Missouri Bosworth Forrest, because her name is on a document as such. Bosworth, or Boysworth, was her middle name, apparently, as she was the daughter of John Melton and Nancy Boysworth Melton.

This supoena means that John and Nancy had moved to Rowan County by 1852, and took a few of the sons of Charlotte Melton with them, as well as one of the John Solomon's. Elbert Melton (sometimes shown as Edward), was one of them, as well as a "Calvin". Harris Melton and Ann Bird were living together in Gold Hill in the 1850 census.

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.