Revolutionary Pay Vouchers of My Ancestors

Today while taking it easy (all I seem to do anymore) I came across another record collection on Family Search; North Carolina Revolutionary Pay Vouchers 1779-1782  (Remember these records are free. All you have to do is create an account- for free).

I thought I would do a quick post sharing what I found on my North Carolina Revolutionary War Ancestors -- I have a ton.

*Remeber to click on links for more information where I have blogged about them before.

I'll start with my Irish ancestor General Griffith Rutherford and also his son James Rutherford who died in the Battle of Eutaw Springs. This is a paternal ancestor that I get to from my Mammy's side. Her mother was Lurie Myrtle Rutherford. From there you can trace a straight paternal line back to James and then his father Griffith. (James Walter, Thomas Franklin, Thomas, David, James, Griffith).





Bradbury Teal is another ancestor stemming from my Mammy's side. Her father was John Arthur Jones. His Father was John Calvin Jones. His mother was Mattie Teel and from here you go two more generations to get to her grandfather Bradberry Teel who ended up getting into severe legal troubles over counterfeit money.



Robert Lemond/Lemmond/Lemmon also on my Mammy's side. Thomas Rutherford (from above) married Margaret Adaline Lemmond. She was the daughter of James McCullough Lemond who was the son of Robert Lemmon.

I couldn't find a single record for my maternal line ancestor George Upton in these records but he was a Revolutionary War Veteran from Alabama (not North Carolina). 


George Horner is on my maternal side. My great grandfather Obie Zearl Melson, his mother Julia Bohannon, her mother Oma Boen, her mother Zilpha Horner, her father Spencer and his father George.



James Stepp is a maternal ancestor going four generations back from my great grandfather Newell Stepp. His father was James Jonathan, his father William and his father James and his father was James (this line has several James Stepps going even further back).



Thomas McKie/Mackey/ is another Irish ancestor, on my mother's side. My great great grandmother, Rebeccca Merrill Stepp, her mother Martha Young, her father William Young, his mother Rosanna Hemphill, her mother Mary McKey, her father Thomas Mckie/Mackie/Mackey.



Thomas Hemphill was the above Thomas Mackie's son-in-law, married to his daughter Mary. He was also a Captain in the Revolutionary War.




Robert Patton is my 6th great grandfather on my maternal side. My great great grandmother Rebecca Matilda Merrill's mother, Martha Young, her mother, Rebecca Edmondson, her mother Sarah Patton and her father Robert.



And last but not least, another Irishman, George Cathey, the father-in-law of the above Robert Patton.



** Interesting Tidbitt on my PATTON line** I can trace my maternal and paternal lines back to Robert's grandfather William. And I have copies of records where my paternal ancestor Griffith Rutherford gave testimony on a land survey belonging to my maternal ancestor George Cathey.

Small world.

Until next time,
Becky

Unusual Sources -- Westward Expansion

When it come to genealogy research I rarely leave home. Actually, I think I have researched exclusively online. What a great time to be a genealogist! Lately I have felt a little run dry though and decided to do a google search for unusual genealogy sources and came across this article from Family Tree Magazine.

I have also been struggling with some dystonia related issues that have kept me pretty sedentary. Honestly, dystonia, and dealing with a lot of down time, is what caused this genealogy habit to thrive. Anyway, yesterday, while delving into some of those websites I found several documents and articles on a few ancestors that I hadn't seen before. Today I am going to share two of those finds with you.

George Washington UPTAIN/UPTON is my 5th great grandfather. My line to him is Obie Zearl MELSON, his father, Benjamin Harrison MELSON, his father, Francis Marion MELSON, his mother, Ferbia Melita UPTAIN/UPTON then her father, the subject of this post.

If you head over to Digital Public Library of America and search for George Upton you will eventually come across these two documents, one of which includes his signature!

Affidavit of Georg Uptain (also George Upton) and Richard Ellison of Jackson County, Georgia, dated May 17, 1817. Uptain and Ellison testify that John Camp, also of Jackson County, is living with his family over the boundary line on lands near the Alcovy River, designated as Indian hunting grounds. They provide information regarding Camp's improvements on the land and indicate that he has lived there twelve months. The statement was sworn to before James Strawn, Justice of the Peace.

Affidavit of George Upton, Issac Awtrey, and Francis Ellison, dated May 17, 1817 in Jackson County, Georgia. The three men report that James Morris and his family are living across the boundary line near the Alcovy River on lands designated as Indian hunting grounds. They testify regarding his improvements on the land and state that he has lived there twelve months. The statement was sworn to before James Strawn, Justice of the Peace.

Census records place George UPTAIN in Walton County, Georgia in 1820. Walton is a neighboring county that was created from CREEK lands in 1818.

Until next time,
Becky

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.