Archelous Melton (abt. 1756 - aft. 1840)

Born about 1756 in England

Husband of Mary (Brown) Melton — married about 1822 in Chesterfield District, South Carolina [uncertain]

Descendants

Died after 1840 after about age 84 in Tennessee

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Biography

Archelous Melton was born in England about 1756. He emigrated to the Darlington District, South Carolina around 1772. There he married his first wife, name unknown, and had three sons: Daniel, Louis, and Alexander and five daughters (names unknown).

After the death of his first wife, shortly after 1820 Archelous married Mary Brown in South Carolina. Although he was an older man, age 73, by the account of his grandson, Thomas Morgan Melton, when his first son was born, he and Mary had at least two sons (George Thomas and David Randolph) and five daughters (names unknown). Archelous and Mary moved from South Carolina to Cocke County, Tennessee around 1830 and then to Bradley County, Tennessee before 1840, where Archelous is presumed to have died after 1840.

Sources

• Letter from John Morgan Melton to Samuel Grundy Melton This document is a letter concerning their paternal line written in 1912 by John Morgan Melton (born in 1853) to his younger brother Samuel Grundy Melton (born in 1863). As such it is a secondary source probably relying on family oral tradition. Since the father (George Thomas Melton) of John Morgan and Samuel Grundy died in 1867, the older brother had more time with his father to hear and remember his stories. As a recounting of family oral tradition many years after the events, it is likely that there are some errors, but most like also has a considerable degree of accuracy.

There are some census documents that support the basic facts outlined in the letter. Mainly, there is an Archelous Melton of the right age in the 1810 (p. 298) and 1820 (p. 126) Chesterfield District, South Carolina, US Censuses and an Archibald Melton of the correct age in the 1800 Chesterfield District, South Carolina, US Census (p.104). These records indicate that Archelous was born between 1755 and 1775, that he and his first wife also had five daughters in addition to the sons named in the letter, and the first wife was still living in 1820, though her death was probably soon thereafter. The Archelous Melton household next shows up in the 1830 Cocke County, Tennessee, US Census (p. 263) with 1 male under 5 and 1 male 60-70 and 4 females under 10 and 1 female 20-30. In 1840, this household was in the Bradley County, Tennessee, US Census (p. 36) with 2 males 5-10 and 1 male 70-80 and 5 females under 20 and 1 female 30-40. This indicates a birth date for Archelous Melton between between 1760 and 1770 and for Mary Brown Melton between 1800 and 1810. The data also indicate the birth date for their first child (daughter) between 1820 and 1825, suggesting a marriage date in the early 1820s.