From land records in early Granville County, we see Henry Melton, Jr. first appearing as a taxable poll, along with his brother James in 1764. Prior to that, Henry, Senior was counted as a single poll. A son, Benjamin, would also show up in another year, and a Richard Melton was shown simultaneously as Henry Sr. working as an overseer for William House. Richard could have been a brother or other relative of Henry Sr.
There were some recorded land transactions between Henry Sr., William Craig, and a Roland Gooch of Mecklenburg County, Virginia.
My intentions are not to track the source of the Melton family, but to establish a connection between John Sr. of Montgomery/Stanly county and Joseph Melton the first, who served in the War of 1812 and lived in the same area of Stanly County as John in the same era.
There was also a James Melton in early land records, that was most likely John's younger brother, James.
In Granville deed book K, a land transaction involving William Craig in 1773, mentions a tract of land "Henry Melton Senior took up which he obtained of my Lord Earl of Granville agent bearing date 25 June 1761.
There are two mentions of this property and the date and Benjamin Whicker, Jr. living on this land and property. The customs of the times and consensus of prior researchers seem to suggest that Henry was the son-in-law of Benjamin Whicker.
Feb 2 1767, 6 years after obtaining the Granville grant, Henry sells a portion of his property, "on both sides of Howlet's Creek, bordering the properties of Harris, Ester, and Cook, and "also being the land and plantation Benjamin Whicker Jun' lives on" . Witnesses were Veasey Husbands, Thomas Whicker, Benjamin Whicker.
Here, we will stop the timeline and address the lineage as records suggest.
Henry Melton, Sr. may have married Mary Whicker. The Pomphery names is most likely up the family tree somewhere.
1840's style home in Franklin County, North Carolina
Three known sons: Henry Jr. , James, Benjamin.
Henry Jr. married Agnes Sears, daughter of John Sears Jr. and wife Violett.
Descendants of John Sears Jr. were:
William Sears
Anne Sears Barnette
Agnes Sears Melton
Mary Sears Grisham
Elizabeth Sears Harris
Sarah Sears Hester
Temperance Sears Hicks
The surnames of Agnes's sisters are notable as two of her daughters married sons of her sisters. Also, when her sister Tempy died, her two teen-aged sons, Harris and Absolom were bound to Henry to learn the trade if blacksmithing. Henry was a blacksmith and the trade was also noted with Stanly County Meltons, particularly Elbert, who had a brother named Harris.
Children of Henry Melton, Jr. and Agnes "Aggie" or " Haggie" Sears Melton:
Stephen married Elizabeth Puryear
Elizabeth married Jeremiah Frazier
Joanna married Michael Hester
Susanna married Ezekial Jackson
John married Margaret Wilkinson
Sarah married David Harris
James married Elizabeth Pettypool
Pomfrett married Sally Adcock
Henry III
Stephen was likely the oldest son, as he was the dominant member of the family after the death of his father. John would be the next oldest son, as he was an adult at the time of his father's death about 1808. The sisters were all adults, or wives, at least, as none of them were appointed guardians.
The other 3 sons were appointed guardians, and therefore were under age:
Pomfrett - Stephen Samples
Henry - James Smith
James - Davis Harris, his brother-in-law.
Henry was likely the youngest as he recieved special treatment in the 1822 will of oldest brother Stephen.
Timeline after 1770:
1774 Henry bondsman for J. Pomfrett Davis wedding to Lydia Satterwhite.
1783 Henry makes out his will
1789 Joanna marries Michael Hester
Elizabeth 'Betsy' marries Jeremiah Frasier
1796 In Franklin County, Joseph Melton marries Abigail Bass, Goodwin Soloman bm
1799 Stephen Melton marries Elizabeth Puryear
1802 Sarah Melton marries David Harris
1804 John witness to a Williams wedding in Franklin County
1805 Catherine Melton marries Stephen Sandford
1805 Logestine Pettipool marries Letty Wilkerson
1808 Account of sales of Henry's estate
1809 Report of David Harris as guardian of James
1810 John marries Margaret Wilkerson
1810 Sale of Henry Melton's estate
1813 Pomfrett Melton marries Sarah 'Sally' Adcock
1816 Susannah Melton marries Ezekial Jackson
1819 John Melton is in Person County for the wedding of Rhoda Wilkerson, Peggy's sister, to Israel Eastwood, acts as bondsman
John and Peggy went somewhere in Virginia after this, as a few of their older children were born in Virginia.
1822 Bad year for the family:
Paternal grandfather John Sears, Jr. dies
Stephen Melton makes out his will after serving as bondsman for a number of persons including Peyton Puryear. He favors niece by marriage, Elizabeth Puryear, daughter of Peyton Puryear, and younger brother Henry, in addition to his wife.
1828 Widow Elizabeth Puryear Melton takes family of her husband to court
1830 She gets her dower
1830 John Melton appoints an attorney from Person County, Gabriel Bailey to serve his interest in collecting money from David J Young.
1830 census of Stanly County shows 2 John Meltons, 2 Joseph Meltons and Betsy Melton households. One Joseph is the son of John the elder. His second marriage license to Mary Ann ' Polly' Solomon lists his parents as John and Margaret Melton. Henry shows up in 1840.
Granville County, North Carolina was one of the main stepping stones for families that originated in Virginia and ended up in the Cabarrus/Stanly/Montgomery/Anson County area of North Carolina, and to points beyond. It's one of the Northernmost counties, without being coastal, and borders Virginia.
It was named for John Carteret, Earl of Granville, who had ownership and control of massive sections of land along the Yadkin and Peedee Rivers and their contributaries, and most of the land transactions of the early settlers in this area involved Lord Granville and his grants. Situated directly under Mecklenburg County, Virginia, where a good number of my ancestors were born, old roads led through Granville, which was populated first, into the southwest regions beyond.
But like other counties, land was bought up and opportunites led elsewhere, and for John Melton, Sr., that elsewhere became the section of Montgomery County, North Carolina, along the Yadkin/PeeDee River just below its confluence with the Uwharrie River and above its fork with the Rocky River, on the West Bank, that would become Stanly County.
John Melton, Sr. appears to be the first of his brothers to settle in this area.
But back to Granville:
Starting with the Tax Lists:
1760 Henry Melton 1 0 1
1761 William House 3 taxables
Overseer Richard Melton
Negro Arthur
1761 Henry Melton 1 0 1
July 31, 1762. The foregoing is a Just List of those persons whom I have Summond in Island Creek District to give in their List of Tax for the year 1762, David Clanton, Constable
Henry Melton (included in list of names)
1762 Henry Melton 1 0 1
Will House 4
Rich' Melton
Negros Arthur and Judah
1763 Henry Melton 1 poll
1763 Henry Melton 2 0 2
Benjamin Melton
1764 Henry Melton 3 0 3
sons Henry & James
Land records:
103-322-323 Henry Melton to William Craig 2 February 1767 for 70 pounds proc' money, a certain tract or parcel of land lying in county of Granville on both sides of Howlett's Creek containing by estimation 234 acres, be the same more or less....Harris Line, to Cook's line, then south to a certain number of trees marked, it being the one half of the tract the said Melton now lives on which deed he obtained of my Lord Earl Granville agent bearing date 25 June 1761 and also being the lands and plantation Benjamin Whiker, Jun' lives on. signed Henry (X) Melton
Wit: Veasey Husbands, Thomas Whicker, Benjamin Wicker. Granville County August Court 1767. Acknowledged by Henry Melton. Test Sm' Benton CC,
Puckett Farm, Granville County, North Carolina circa 1900, Tim Buckman photographs, Preservation North Carolina.
William Craig to Roland Gooch 19 April 1773
...a certain parcel of land lying on both sides of Howlett's Creek...it being one half of the tract the said Henry Melton Senior took up which he obtained from Lord Earl of Granville agent bearing date 25 June 1761, and also being the land and plantation Benjamin Walker, Jr. lived on.
Governor Richard Caswell to Edmund Taylor 1 March 1780
....thence running by Rowland Gooches to Melton's line
Governor Richard Caswell to Solomon Davis 24 Sept 1779
....then by Melton's line east
After these land records, I'm including a series of court records that piece together the family of John Melton, who settled in Montgomery County, and his siblings.
Granville County Feb. Session 1810
Sales of estate of Henry Melton, deceased, in account with Stephen Melton, admstr'.
Nov. Term 1829 Petition of Elizabeth Melton against David Harris and wife Sarah, Steven Sandford and wife Sarah, Stephen Sandford and wife Catherine, Ezekial Jackson and wife Susanna, John, Pomfrett, James and Henry Melton, the children and heirs at law of Elizabeth Frazier, deceased, states that she, Elizabeth Melton, is the widow of Stephen Melton, who died intestate in 1828, possessed of 769 1/2 acres bounded by Maurice Smith and the heirs of James Smith, deceased, Allen T. Wilkerson, William Ellison and others, which is the land whereupon Stephen Melton lived and died. He is survived by sisters and brothers and their issue, namely Sarah, wife of David Harris; Catherine, wife of Stephen Sandford, Susanna, wife of Ezekiel Jackson, sisters of Stephen Melton, all of Granville County, North Carolina, N.C, John, whose residence is unknown (the words 'Mont. Co.' was scribbled in), Pomfrett Melton of Granville County, James Melton who resides in Tennesee, who are brothers of Stephen Melton, deceased; the children and heirs at law of Ann Hester, deceased, who was a sister of Stephen Melton, and who are all of age, but place of residence unknown, and the children of Elizabeth Frazier, deceased, who was a sister of Stephen Melton, who are of full age and reside in foreign parts; petition to have dower of 1/3rd and dwelling house set off to her as widow of Stephen Melton. She was given 256 1/2 acres Feb. 16, 1830.
Farmhouse, 1990, oil on panel, 30"x 40" , Bob Donahue collection, whereabouts unknown
- Inventory of estate of Stephen Melton, deceased by Elizabeth Melton, Aug. 13, 1829 to Feb Court, 1830.
=Inventory of estate of Stephen Melton, deceased, Aug 13, 1829 (testator died June 20, 1828), including negros and debts due the estate, taken by Elizabeth Melton, admstrx. ; rendered Feb. court 1830.
Nov. 15, 1830 John Melton of Montgomery Co. N.C. appoints Gabriel Baily of Person Co. N.C. attorney, to collect from David S. Young all he owes me as my agent. Witnesses: John Bailey, John T. Forrest. (shows early involvement between Melton family and Forrest family).
August Term, 1830 Petition of David Harris and wife Sarah, Stephen Sandford and wife Catherine, Ezekial Jackson and wife Susanna, James Melton, John Melton, Pomfret Melton, Henry Melton, James Currin and wife Lucy, Michael Hester and his children: Sally, Henry, Stephen, James, John, Nancy; John Lile and his wife Agnes; William Johnson and his wife Elizabeth, Julius Strickland and wife Ritter; David S. Young and Demetrius Young against Jeremiah Fraizer and his children states that Stephen Melton died in 1828 without leaving any children and had at time of death 513 acres of land after all the widow's dower had been laid off, and they are brothers and sisters,nieces and nephews of said Melton. Jeremiah Frazier married Elizabeth, a sister of Stephen Melton, and had a number of children besides Lucy Currin, who resides with her father outside the State, and Elizabeth Fraizer, their mother, is dead. They ask that Jeremiah Frazier be notified and ask division of the land. David S. Young has bought the shares of Stephen Sandford and wife and of John Melton; he is due a part since he is descended from Jeremiah Frazier or thru his wife. The land was surveyed and divided but since the names of the children of Elizabeth Melton Frazier cannot be learned, then David Young and Demetrius Young are given the share that would have gone to Elizabeth had she lived.
Granville County Court House circa 1900 courtesy of North Carolina Collection
Nov. 26, 1832
Israel Eastwood and wife Rhody (formerly Rody Wilkerson) of Person County, NC., John Melton and wife Peggy, (formerly Peggy Wilkerson) of Montgomery County, N. C. appoint John Buckannon, attorney, to sell property inherited by us from our late father, David Wilkerson, deceased, who died 1825. Wts. Richard Springfield.
Signed Margaret Melton, John Melton, Isreal Eastwood, Rhoda Eastwood.
Other pertinent Court Records:
Nov 7, 1775 Harris Hicks, aged 14 and Absalom Hicks, aged 12 years, bound to Henry Milton to become blacksmiths.
Feb 2, 1783 proved May court 1794 - Henry Melton (Milton) wills to wife all estate real and personal as long as she is my widow and then, in that case, to all my children. Exrs. Wife 'Hagia" and Thomas Hicks or Ricks. Witnesses: John Evans, Bar Wright, Alin Grissum.
Mar 1 & 2, 1808 Acct. of sales of estate of Henry Melton, deceased; Stephen Melton and John Melton bought negros, Sussannah Melton bought produce - sold by Stephen Melton, admin.
Feb. Court 1809 -Accounts of David Harris, guardian to James Melton.
Feb Court 1810: Sales of estate of Henry Melton, deceased, in account with Stephen Melton, admstr.
Sept. 10, 1822 - proved Feb. court 1823 - John Sears wills to wife Violette the plantation whereon I live and all rest of my property for her lifetime' to son John, after death of my wife, the plantation whereon I now live' all perishable goods, household and kitchen furniture be sold and divided between Anne Barnett, Agnes Milton, William Sears, May Grisham, Elizabeth Harris and Sarah Hester; to the children of Temperance Hicks, an equal share in all perishable goods, household and kitchen furniture and tools; to Temperance Hicks, $1.00 Exr. John Sears, Sr. Wts. James Ellis, Richard U. Lemay.
Marriages of Meltons and other involved parties: All Granville County, North Carolina unless otherwise noted.
23 Dec. 1774 Davis, Joseph Pomfret & Frances Satterwhite, Henry Melton, bondsman. Sherwood Harris , wit.
9 Feb 1789, Hester, Michael & 'JoAnney Melton', William Moore, bondsman, A. Henderson, witness.
19 Oct 1789 Frazier, Jeremiah & Betsy Milton, Henry Melton, bondsman, Henry Potter, witness.
19 Oct 1796 Franklin County, NC: Milton, Joseph & Abigail Bass, Goodwin Solomon, Bondsman
25 Oct 1799 Melton, Stephen & Elizabeth Puryear, Thomas Puryear, bondsman.
5 Dec 1802 Harris, David & Sarah Milton, Stephen Milton, bondsman, P. Bullock Witness
13 Dec 1804 Franklin County, NC: Elisha Williams to Elizabeth Driver, John Milton, bondsman, G Hill, witness.
4 Feb 1805 Sandford, Stephen & Catherine Melton (it was noted that she was the sister of Stephen Melton). Logostine Pettypool, bondsman.
18 Jul 1805 Pettypool, Logustin & Letty Wilkerson (short for Letitia), Thomas Knotts, bondsman. (As Logustin Pettypool was very involved with the Melton family, I've included this one marriage. He was the brother of Sarah Pettypool Wilkerson, mother of Margaret (Peggy) who married John Melton.
25 Dec 1810 Melton, John & Margaret Wilkerson, David Harris bondsman. (This is John 'of Montgomery, from whom most of the Stanly County Meltons are descended, along with the descendants of his daughters Nancy Melton Hinson, Sarah Melton Hutson, Mary Melton, and Frances Melton Lilly.
6 Feb 1813 Pomphrett Melton & Sally Adcock, David Adcock Bondsman, W. W. Sneed wit.
1 Dec 1816 Jackson, Ezekial & Susan Milton, D J Young, bondsman, Step. K Sneed witness. (D. J. Young is mentioned in the lawsuits concerning the estate of Stephen Melton as a relative of this couple. Susan is Sussanah Melton, youngest daughter of Henry and sister of Stephen).
2 Dec 1816 Halliburton, John & Lydia Puryear, Stephen Melton, bondsman, Step. K Sneed witness. (Stephen must have stayed in town for these two weddings, his little sister and then his sister-in-law. Lydia was his wife Elizabeth's sister.)
13 Oct 1819 Person County, NC Eastwood, Israel & Rhoda Wilkerson: John Melton, bondsman, witness: John Holloway.
(Rhoda or 'Rhody' was the sister of Margaret "Peggy" Wilkerson Melton, John's wife. Both were daughters of David Wilkerson and Sarah Pettypool.
17 Apr 1821 James Melton & Elizabeth PettyPool; James Sandford, bondsman, John P Smith, wit.
27 June 1822 Blackwell, Fleming & Mary Edwards, Stephen Melton bondsman, David J Young, witness. (Unknown the relationship of Stephen Melton to this couple, if any, but likely as David J Young was a relative of Stephen through his sister and brother-in-law.)
5 Nov 1822 Puryear, Peyton and Frances Amis, Stephen Melton, bondsman, James M. Wiggins, witness
In the next installation corcerning the early Melton's, I will be doing a timeline and tying all of these facts together.
The deeper I dig into the Melton/Milton family of Stanly and Montgomery Counties, the more the family weaves in to other families and the more the color lines of the 19th and earlier 20th century are blurred. Some of the family lines seem to be timeworn and well-established Virginia families that made their way to Granville, Person and Franklin Counties, in NC, before dropping into the lap of Stanly. Others are more intangible.
In this section of map from the ncdcr.org, you can see the path from Virginia, through Granville and Person, into Franklin and then southwest, probably through Chatham and Orange, before ending up in the Stanly and Montgomery County areas.
I will be getting into it in later posts, but found that John Melton, born in Virginia and raised in Granville County, married Margaret "Peggy" Wilkenson, daughter of David Wilkenson (or sometimes seen as Wilkerson) and Sarah Pettypool. The name Pomfreit (or variations of it), an odd name, runs through the early Meltons, John having a brother named Pomfriet Melton (or Milton). They were sons of Henry Melton of Granville and as I mentioned, I will cover all of that in a later post. David Wilkerson was a Jr., son of David Wilkerson, Sr. He had a brother named William, who married Martha "Patsy" Pettypool, daughter of John Pettypool and Sarah Sanford. A descendant of William, Joseph Pomfrey Wilkerson, born in Granville, also married into the Pettypools by taking Martha, dauther of Stephen Pettypool and Margaret Haliburton as his wife.
All this is to lead back to Joseph D. Melton, Sr. Joseph was definately a son of John Melton, Sr. as proven by land records. His first wife was named Clementine. They are shown together in Montgomery County in 1850, then Joseph disappears and Clementine is shown living in Albemarle near James R. Melton in 1860, with their two youngest sons. Where were Joseph and the older son?
Clementine must have died before 1868, because a marriage record exists in Stanly County for September 3, 1868 between Joseph D Melton, son of John and Margaret, and Polly Ann Solomon, daughter of Elizabeth Solomon, no father mentioned, but the service performed by William Solomon.
Joseph D and Mary Ann (or Molly or Polly, as she is alternately seen), have their own family in Montgomery County. They lived not far from the Stanly County line and the forks of the Yadkin and Rocky Rivers, in between the present towns of Norwood and Mt. Gilead, as Joseph donated a portion of his farm for a church in 1876 and the the church still exists.
The marriage of Joe and Polly was not the only interaction between the Solomans and Meltons. A James and Fannie Soloman were neighbors of some of the Meltons in the Swift Island area and their land was bought out by Joseph's brother Henry H. Melton in 1851.
A young man named John Soloman was living with John Milton, Jr. in 1850.
John E. Soloman of Rowan County, Gold Hill, bought and sold some land on the Yadkin River to James F. Kirk. He was probably the same John E. Solomon who was ordered to be brought to court in 1841 in Stanly County, and was described as a colored boy 'now living with Edmund Lilly'.
Several Meltons ended up moving to Gold Hill. One of them was Nancy Boysworth Melton, the widow of John Melton, Jr. Another was Elbert, son of Charlotte Melton, who was also ordered to be brought to court in the early days of Stanly County. Elbert was also described as 'colored', while his mother, who is found living with James R. Melton in Albemarle in 1860, and very close to Clementine and her sons, is enumerated as white. Then there is Harris Melton, who is found living with Ann Bird in Gold Hill in 1850. This couple is sited in a Stanly County lawsuit that made it to the Federal Courts, their marriage being described as illegal, as Ann Bird was white and Harris Melton is described as not, however, they sued because they said the law did not apply to Indians and that Harris Melton was part-Indian, not black, and the court determined after evidence was presented, that he was indeed and Indian. All of this deserves further investigation, that is to come, but the point was that a number of members of the Melton family had relocated to Gold Hill.
Mary Ann "Polly" Soloman was much younger than her husband. Her marriage license lists no father.
In 1850 in Stanly County, a bastardy bond was taken out against James Middleton for the maintenance of a baseborn child begot on the body of Elizabeth Soloman.
In 1850, Mary was 2. She is shown in the household of Nancy Soloman born 1786 in Virginia, with Elizabeth, 35, a John W. Soloman 21, Henry Clay Soloman 10, James A. Soloman 9, and then Mary.
In 1860, Nancy 75, born in North Carolina, 1785, Betsy 41, Henry 21, Allen 19 (James Allen Solomon), John 31 and Mary 11.
Mary Ann Solomon Melton died on September 19, 1916 in Montgomery County, NC. Her death certificate states that she was born in 1851 in Stanly County (but she was in the 1850 census as 2), and that she was the daughter of John Solomon and Elizabeth Wilkerson.
Her husband Joseph was the son of Margaret Wilkerson Melton and Mary Ann was the daughter of Elizabeth Wilkerson Solomon. Were they related?
But back to John W Solomon, who was he? And how was Elizabeth related to the head of household, Nancy?
Also, in 1841, a John W Soloman was ordered to be brought to court to be bound out, but unlike John E. Soloman, he was not described as colored.
In the Stanly County marriage records, in 1869, John Solomon, son of John Bruster and Nancy Solomon, marries Martha Tolbert, daughter of Thomas and Nancy Tolbert.
The next census, 1870, shows John Solomon, 35 and Martha Solomon, 26 living in Stanly County, having been married in July. (Note: Since this post was published in July, a descendant has came forth and objected to my referring to John W. Solomon as illegitimate, so I have removed this statement. Let it stand that the marriage document states only that John Bruster was listed as the father of the groom and Nancy Solomon was listed as the mother of the groom. Both living and that Thomas and Nancy Tolbert were given as the parents of the bride. John W. Solomon went by his mother's surname. Also, a John W. Solomon was ordered to be brought to court to be bound out in 1841. The John Solomon who married Martha Tolbert would have been about 6 or 7 in 1841, which was the typical age for this to happen, according to a historian I have spoken with. Also, that John E. Solomon, the other John Solomon living in Stanly County between 1840 and 1850, was living in Rowan County by 1850 and married to "Eliza". He and Eliza were together in Rowan in 1850 and 1860 and moved to Iredell to be together in the 1870 and 1880 census. They do not appear to have had any children. John E. Solomon could not have been the John to marry Martha Tolbert in 1869 as he was already married to Eliza and was still with Eliza in 1870 and 1880,)
In 1850, there was also a James (44) and Fanny Solomon and William (48) and Tabitha Soloman living in the same area of the county as Nancy.
Granville County marriages show a Benjamin Solomon and a Nancy Hide marrying on May 20, 1819. While William Solomon married Penny Bird on January 11, 1804.
Could that be Nancy of the Yadkin River, Montgomery and Stanly County area?
Was Elizabeth living with Nancy, Elizabeth Wilkerson Melton and had she been married to a John Soloman at some point? There was a gap between the ages of the two sons, Henry Clay Solomon and James Allen Solomon, so I decided to look into them to what I could find.
Takes me back to my research on Albert Murray, son of Mariah Murray, his marriage certificate listed his fathers name as a Henry Wilkerson, and the only known Wilkerson in the county at that time, as an adult head-of-household was Jonathan. Albert Murray and his siblings also balanced precariously on the color line.
Also, a William Soloman marrying a Penny Bird, was not the only connection between the Solomans and Birds as well. A 20 year old BF Bird was living with David Melton in 1860 and Henry Bird was the Melton's neighbor along the Yadkin for several decades.
Both Henry Clay Solomon and his brother, James Allen Solomon, served in the Civil War. After that, their paths parted, and took them both into strange territory. Henry Clay Solomon's last census proved a puzzling piece to an already unfamiliar web.
Situated directly under Mecklenburg County, Virginia, where a good number of my ancestors were born, old roads led through Granville, which was populated first, into the southwest regions beyond.
The deeper I dig into the Melton/Milton family of Stanly and Montgomery Counties, the more the family weaves in to other families and the more the color lines of the 19th and earlier 20th century are blurred. Some of the family lines seem to be timeworn and well-established Virginia families that made their way to Granville, Person and Franklin Counties, in NC, before dropping into the lap of Stanly. Others are more intangible.