William Melton[1]

Male 1761 - 1836  (74 years)


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  • Name William Melton 
    Birth 31 Jul 1761 
    Gender Male 
    Residence 1786-1810  Greene County, GA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Residence 1810-1821  Putnam County, GA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Census 1830  Walton County, GA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Residence 1821-1836  Walton County, GA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Military Revolutionary War Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Death 6 Jun 1836  Walton County, GA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Patriarch & Matriarch
    Robert Melton   d. 1759, Orange County, NC Find all individuals with events at this location  (Grandfather) 
    Nancy  (Mother) 
    Notes 
    • 1830 -- Census, Walton County, GA Page 149
      William Melton
      (60-70) 1M
      (50-60) 1F
      (10-15) 1M
      Slaves
      (36-55) 1F
      (10-24) 1M
      (0-10) 2M 2F
    Person ID I02951  Moore County Wallaces
    Last Modified 1 Sep 2023 

    Father Nathan Melton,   b. Bef 1739   d. Bef 27 Oct 1806 (Age ~ 67 years) 
    Mother Nancy 
    Family ID F11410  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Polly Bates,   b. 24 Apr 1762   d. 29 Jan 1781 (Age 18 years) 
    Marriage 1 Feb 1780 
    Children 
       1. Male William Melton,   b. 29 Jan 1781   d. 9 Feb 1781 (Age 0 years)
    Family ID F0976  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Lucy Allen,   b. 22 Feb 1762   d. 13 Nov 1815, Putnam County, GA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 53 years) 
    Marriage 3 Jul 1783  Edgefield County, SC Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F19761  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 1 Sep 2023 

    Family 3 Rebecca Thompson,   b. 25 Dec 1778 
    Marriage 9 May 1816  Putnam County, GA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F0977  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 3 Jul 1783 - Edgefield County, SC Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - 1786-1810 - Greene County, GA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 9 May 1816 - Putnam County, GA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - 1810-1821 - Putnam County, GA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - 1830 - Walton County, GA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - 1821-1836 - Walton County, GA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 6 Jun 1836 - Walton County, GA Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Sources 
    1. [S1250] Vera Michael Leisure, Coming to America: The Melton/Milton's [ http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/l/e/i/Vera-M-Leisure/index.html ].
      William Alexander Melton, Sr. COL. was born July 31, 1761 in Haw River, Orange Co. N.C., and died June 06, 1836 in Walton County, Georgia. He married (1) Rebecca Polly Bates January 01, 1781 in Edgefield District, SC, daughter of William Bates. She was born April 24, 1762, and died January 29, 1781 in Edgefield District,SC died in child birth. He married (2) Lucy Danielle Allen July 03, 1783 in Edgefield Co, SC, daughter of Robert Allen and Elizabeth West. She was born February 22, 1762 in 96th Dist, SC, and died November 13, 1815 in Putnam Co, GA. He married (3) Rebecca Thompson May 09, 1816 in Putnam Co, GA, daughter of Seth Thomspon. She was born December 25, 1778 in Rutherford, NC, and died Abt. 1864 in Meriweather, GA.

      Notes for William Alexander Melton, Sr. COL.:
      ******NOTE*******
      I have seen William's name as both William Alexander Melton and as William Allen Melton.
      I have photocopy land deeds of William's son William Allen Melton and it is stated as JR. on the deeds.

      If anyone can clarify this, one theory is William's first son who died at child birth was named William Alexander Jr. Melton. Perhaps when he lost his wife and child,(according in his letter to his son William Allen) only 28 days after marrying her and his son nine days later, it was to much and he went by his nickname Allen, short for Alexander. Perhaps.
      **************************************************
      1. William b. 31 Ju. 1761 md. 1)Polly Bates d/o Wm.; 2) Lucy Allen Williams; 3) Rebecca Thompson Boren d/o Seth Thompson. (Lists children)

      Transcript from MELTON FAMILY HISTORY
      By James R. Wilson
      1963
      Children of Nathan Melton
      1. William Allen Melton

      (The 1800 Census of South Carolina shows that Nathan had at least two other children other than William)

      William Allen Melton was born July 31, 1761, on the Haw River in NC, the son of Nathan and Nancy Allen Melton, and died June 6, 1836, in Walton County, Georgia.
      The Meltons were living on the Little Saluda River in South Carolina when the Revolutionary War began. William served in the SC Militia as a sergeant, enlisting on May 8, 1778, at the age of 17.
      In May 1780, the militia of SC was surrendered and received paroles in obedience to the British ultimatum: "Surrender, or have your homes destroyed and all your property confiscated." A year later, the British released the Americans from their paroles and ordered them into British service. William describes this in his pension file: "Here were trying times. The old Whigs, still loyal to their country and regardless of the threats and mandates of Britain, flew to their arms and determined on Freedom or Death."
      During the period the Americans were under parole, the British seized a large amount of rebel property. In order to keep their Negro slaves from falling into British hands, William Melton's fellow officers gave him the slaves to hide from the British and their Tory spies. He kept them concealed for about a month until he was sent word to bring them to Wadmalaw Island, which is just below the city of Charleston. To do this, he had to make a trip of about 130 miles through country infested with British and Tories. He successfully accomplished this journey.
      William served in several missions against the British and Indians in northern Georgia and along the Savannah River before the close of the war.
      In 1783, William Allen Melton went to Greene County, Tennessee, in what was then the independent state of Franklin. Here he was a commander of a troop of horse, but in 1786, shortly before the rapidly dissolving state of Franklin was subjugated by a United States military force, William moved to Greene County, Georgia. Arriving in November of 1786, he lived in Greene County for 24 years.

      (National Archives Military Card File)
      William Melton, Lt. Col. Melton's Regiment Georgia Milita, Greene County, 1793-1794.
      Teagle Melton/Melson, Private, 1st Regiment Cavalry, Georgia Milita, Washington County, 1793-1794
      Robert Melton, Dragoon, Georgia Milita, 1793-1796

      At this time in Georgia, there was danger of an Indian uprising and a militia was maintained to protect the settlers from raids by the Indians. William received a commission in the State Militia and from May 28, 1787 until May 9, 1793, he served as the Captain of the Fifth Company, Greene County Regiment of Militia. He received a new commission on May 9, 1793 and from then until September of 1804, he served as a Lieutenant Colonel, commanding the First Regiment, Greene County Militia.
      William was elected to a term in the Georgia House of Representatives from Greene County in 1800.
      In March 1800, he moved to Putnam County, Georgia where he lived until December of 1821, when he went to Walton County, Georgia. He lived there until his death in 1836.
      In what is now Saluda County, SC, on February 1, 1780 William Allen Melton married Polly Bates who was born on April 24, 1762. The story of their marriage is related in William Allen Melton's family Bible:
      "...Wm. Melton, son of William Melton and Polly, his wife, was born the 29th day of January, 1781. Wm. born two o'clock. The above Polly died the same day about six o'clock. William deceased ninth day of February of the same year." Thus William lost both wife and son in the space of ten days.

      On May 9, 1816 in Putnam County, Georgia, William was married to Rebecca Thompson. She was born December 25, 1778. The date of her death is not known; however, she was living in 1853 when she applied for a pension as the widow of William Allen Melton. She was then living in Meriweather County, Georgia.
      **************************************************
      William Melton wrote the following to his son W.A. Melton and sent it to him in Alabama from Georgia.

      Letter dated August 19, 1835.

      "A history of the age and life of William Melton. He was born 31 of July 1761 in North Carolina near the Hawfield on Haw/river and in his 7 year of his age his farther Nathan Melton moved from that place to South Carolina then Edgefield District (lived here 15 years and in my 19 year of age I married on 1 day of Jan. 1781 Polley Bates dau Wm. Bates and she departed this life 29 of Jan. 1781 and on the 3 of July 1783 married the widder Williams dau of Robert Allen. We moved from 96th. Dist. on the 9 of Oct 1783 to Holston River now East (not plain but is Tennessee) from thence on the 16 of November 1786 to State of Georgia, Green County. We continued there upwards of 24 years to the 10 of March 1810, we moved from Green Co., to Putman Co. and on 13 of Nov. 1815 my wife Luccy departed this life. We lived together 32 yrs. We had 13 children, 10 now living with 103 grandchildren. I then on the 9 of May 1816 married the widder Boren, dau of Seth Thompson. We had 2 chn. We moved from Putman to Walton Co. on the 31 of Dec. 1827 where we now live.

      To my family as a soldier and an officer, in my 17 yr. of age I turned out as a vol. soldier in the American service in the Florida Expedition on the 8 of May 1778. Served until the 28 of Aug. following and on the 2 of Sept. I took my farthers place as a soldier in an Exped. to the frontier of Georgia an cont. in his place and on my own in the American Servias two yrs. 6 mo. and 10 days in the R. Ware until peace with Great Briton for which the United States allowed me as my pention during my life $80.83 annually. I was in 7 battles against the British, 6 running fights and one general Battel at Stone Perry on the 20 of June 1779. On the 5 of Jan. 1787 I was elected Capt. on the fronters of Georgia and on the 28th of May 1787 the Creeke Indians came into the district I commanded, killed Ezekiel McMichel and Wm. Jones. Now begins the Creek Ware. I commanded as Capt. of the district and 4 troops of hors until Jan. 1793 held the command for 15 yrs. I ware in 13 battles with the Indians, was at the burning of the Indian Viallage on the Chatehucha River above West Point. We arrived at the river before day. None knew we where the fouerd ware...two men vollentered their servises to serch out the ffouerd to wit David Adams and Mr. Cribes. After a long search Cribs returned but no Adams. At length Adams went into the town, took an Indian pony which was tide came to the river, found the foured, pilotted 87 men across the river, then we went to the town which was a 1/2 mile, burnt the town, held a grate many indians, took 9 prisoners and returned with out a loss of a man at that place."
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      More About William Alexander Melton: src; "Allens of the Southern States", "Gone to Georgia", "Twenty-One Southern Families".
      military: Revolutionary War Veteran, served with SC Militia as a sergeant in May 08, 1778 than as a Captain of Cavalry in the GA Militia, Indian wars
      William served in several missions against the British and Indians in North GA.



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