Son, Husband, Father, Soldier, Teacher, Freemason and Justice of The Peace

The prompt set for this week by No Story Too Small is 'wedding'. The first story that came to mind was that of my great grandparents Rufus and Wille Belle Nall and how they were married in a car garage and then as soon as they said their "I dos" they went to slaughter hogs. But I've already written about them here.

I couldn't recall any other wedding stories so I put out a Facebook request to anyone who might suggest an ancestor for me to write about. My Aunt Diane suggested my 3rd great grandfather Francis Marion Melson. And I think he will fit the bill perfectly.

According to his Civil War service records, Francis Marion Melson was born in DeKalb County, AL on 31 July 1838, to Absalom Patton and Ferbia Melitia (Upton) Melson. Absalom Patton Melson was a member of the House of Representatives for the State of Arkansas.


Francis Marion was the oldest child, followed by a sister, Mahala Kathleen, then a brother James W, sister Jemima, brother Andrew Jackson, sister Sarah and the baby of the family, named after his father, Absalom Patton Jr.

According to a family history, compiled by Andrew Melson, the family made their way from near Rome, GA to Mobile, AL in 1852.  They were said to have traveled in a homemade covered wagon and a team of oxen. At Mobile, Absalom sold most all of his possessions and got on a boat to travel to the mouth of the Mississippi River then to the Arkansas River to Morrison Bluff Landing near Clarksville where they unloaded and traveled up into the mountains about 12 miles NW of Clarksville and settled on a tract of land about six miles west of Ozone, AR or one and half miles SW of what is now known as Log Gap Springs.

In their Civil War Service Records, Francis gave his place of birth as DeKalb, AL and his brother James W gave his place of birth as Floyd Co. GA. Looking at Formation maps of the two states during the time of their birth we can see that these counties are VERY close one another. Absalom gives his place of birth as Burke Co, NC.

On 27 Dec 1860, two days after Christmas, Francis Marion Melson married Mary Emmaline Kinnerly. She was the daughter of John P. and Lucinda (Harbour) Kinnerly.

On 20 February 1862, Mary gave birth to their first child, a daughter, Amanda Catherine. Nearly one year later, on 6 February 1863, Francis enlisted on the side of the Union into Co A, 2nd Regm't of the Arkansas Infantry along with his father, Absalom and brother James W, at Warren, Arkansas. They mustered in on December 7th at Ft. Smith. Absalom was discharged due to disability caused by old age 25 Oct 1864. From the Adjutant General's office there is a record dated 1867 where the charge of desertion is removed from Francis' file and replaced with 'absent without leave' from 25 September 1864 - 1 Dec 1864 . He "deserted" from Lewisburg, AR.  I wonder why he left or where he went? One record shows that he "joined from desertion" Dec 1/1864 Johnson Co. On March 3, 1864 it shows he was "reduced from sergeant to the ranks" no further information is given.

I suspect the answer to Francis' "desertion" and reduction in rank comes from the previously mentioned book, compiled by Andrew Melson. On page 38 it gives the sad story of Francis and Mary's second child, Lucinda Anglin born 6 Jan 1864.

James W. Melson could be called the undertaker. While his brother, Francis Marion Melson was away in the Civil War, he scouted during the night taking care of his family and his brother's family - Mary and two small children. One morning, just before daylight, he went about one mile down on Bear Branch to where Francis had settled before the war when he married. Jim found that his brother's baby, Lucinda, had died during the night. He split out boards and made a box for the baby. He put it on his shoulder, with a pick and a shovel, his rifle in the other arm, and walked about four miles up the head of Bear Branch Canyon and buried the baby the next night himself, out on the mountain in what is now known as Sherman Cemetery.

Lucinda died 6 Feb 1864. I wonder if the right brother was given credit for this story as James W. was enlisted and serving with his father and brother. In his records it actually shows him as "present" for Jan & Feb '64.  I suspect it to have actually been younger brother Andrew Jackson "Jack" Melson that did the scouting and buried the baby, as I have found a few **errors in this book. Jack would've been only 16 at the time of baby Lucinda's death. Between the death of his baby and the lawlessness that plagued Johnson County, I suspect Francis left Lewisburg and went back home to check on his family.

The best information I have been able to find about the roll of the 2nd Regm't Arkansas Infantry is as follows:

 

Organized at Springfield, Mo., and Fort Smith, Ark., October, 1863, to March, 1864. Organization completed at Fort Smith March 13, 1864. Attached to District of the Frontier, Dept. of Missouri, to January, 1864. District of the Frontier, 7th Army Corp., Dept. of Arkansas, January, 1864. 2nd Brigade, District of the Frontier, 7th Army Corps, to March, 1864. 1st Brigade, District of the Frontier, 7th Corps, to May, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 7th Corps, to December, 1864. 1st Brigade, District of the Frontier, 7th corps, to February, 1865. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 7th Corps, to August, 1865.

SERVICE.--Skirmish at Clarksville December 15, 1863. Affair at Jacksonport, Ark., November 21, 1863. At Fort Smith until March, 1864. Steele's Expedition to Camden March 23-May 3. Prairie D'Ann April 9-12. Moscow April 13. Limestone Valley April 17 (Detachment). Jenkins' Ferry, Saline River, April 30. Duty at Little Rock until July and at Lewisburg until September. Ordered to Little Rock September 10, and duty there until October 18. Escort train to Fort Smith October- November. Moved to Clarksville December 31, and duty there and at Fort Smith until August. Mustered out August 8, 1865.

 

 

Francis' family lived in a notorious place for lawlessness during the Civil War. According to the 'Melson Book',  while Francis and most of the men were gone, Mary helped dig the first two graves in the Oark Cemetery and buried two men who had been found shot by bushwhackers in the road above Oark near a spring in 1863.

After returning home from the war, Francis is said to have taught the first term of school that was taught in Low Gap Township, Johnson County. The school house was a little log cabin about 200 yards north of Low Gap Springs.

Children born to Francis M. and Mary E. Melson after the war were:

Sarah Isabell b. 15 Sept 1865
William Robert b. 21 Dec 1867
Clerica Armindo b. 10 Dec 1869
Mary Elizabeth b. 20 July 1871
John Wesley b. 17 Jan 1874 and died 28 Sept 1875
Alabama b. 27 March 1876
Ida Lee b. 2 March 1878
Francis Elmer b. 9 Jan 1880 and died 10 May 1881
Columbus C. "Bud" b. 18 March 1882
Tennessee Easter b. 13 April 1884
Absalom b. 14 Oct 1886 d. 6 August 1887
Benjamin Harrison (my ancestor) b. 10 Sept 1889



 Back row: Columbus Melson, Benjamin Harrison Melson, Easter Tennessee 'Tennie' Melson. Sitting: Francis Marion Melson, Mary Melson holding grandson George Washington Campbell, whose mother, Amanda Catherine had died during childbirth.

Francis Marion also served as the Justice of the Peace in 1870, where he performed the marriage of his younger brother Andrew "Jack" Melson to Jane Heinsley on 22 Jan 1870. In going through the old marriage records I also found where he married Zecharia Cowen and Polina Wagers on 6 March 1870, as well as J T Sykes and Martha Ann Summers on 11 Sept 1870.

Francis Marion Melson was also a Freemason - as you can see from his headstone.

Francis can be found in the Abstracts from Masonic Records from the Grand Lodge of Arkansas, for the years 1873-1879, 1880-1883 & 1884-1886.

There is one more piece of lore I would like to add to the life story of Francis Marion Melson. My grandfather, Leroy Harrison Melson, has always told of a story involving treasure. Family lore says that during the war Francis discovered or somehow came into some gold and by the end of the war he had enough money to buy all of his children their own homestead. I haven't been able to find much else about this story... but in the mean time here's another Civil War hidden treasure story from not far off in Madison County.

**I want to address that I mean no disrespect in pointing out that the "Melson-Book; 1813-1973" has errors. In fact I have the utmost respect and appreciation for those who put these books together. Most were done before all the easily accessible information we have today. A lot of information that was given was done so by word of mouth and were taken from the memory of those most acquainted with the individuals documented. Mistakes happen. Memories fail. Even today with all the information that can be gathered, mistakes happen. So to Andrew Melson, I am extremely grateful.