The following clip from The Carolina Watchman, a ancient and invaluable publication from Salisbury, NC, was included in a column entitled, "Albemarle and Stanly County".
It informs of an illness that was sweeping the community. I include it due to its genealogical value. Sometimes, descendants can find a tombstone or record that tells when an ancestor died, but never knowing how or why they died, especially if they were young.
In the article, members of the community, including Howell Harwood, have taken ill with symptoms of a disease mimiciing typhoid fever. This article was from the October 14, 1908 issue.
Mr. Harwood, a Civil War vet, and son of Absalom Harwood and Dovey Burleson, survived this illness and passed away at the ripe old age of 83 on September 5, 1925
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
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:
ChristopherCWade
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.
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
(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.
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.
