The Melton Family, Winn Parish, Louisiana Submitted by Greggory E. Davies 120 Ted Price Lane Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** The Melton Family, Winn Parish Pioneers The Meltons were among some of the original pioneer settlers of Winn Parish, Louisiana. They migrated from England to Virginia, South Carolina, and lastly Georgia. Jefferson "Jeff" Melton was the son of Elbert and Jennie Walls Melton, born in Houston County, Georgia in 1827. Jeff was the first Melton to have visited Winn Parish in about 1850. He traveled along the El Camino Real (Harrisonburg Road) from Natchez and stopped at the Albright's Prairie settlement, where some other friends from Georgia had already settled. After liking what he saw in good potential farm and livestock raising land, he settled near what used to be the Iatt fire tower, about four miles north of Albright's Prairie in the "Hungry Hills". In the early part of 1858, Jeff went back to Georgia mainly to get the gold, from the sale of slaves and land, he had left for safe keeping. In the latter part of that same year Jeff led a caravan of 29 southwest Georgia families (Teddlie, Bailey, Milling, Swafford, Shumake, Williams, Hearn, Durham, and Killen, to name a few familiar to Winn Parish) from Cuthbert, Georgia back to Winn Parish. They arrived on February 15, 1859. Jeff had persuaded his brother, Madison McKinney "Quin" Melton to also make the trip back with him. A couple of years later, Jeff was killed for his gold near Mt. Lebanon. He was brought back by his wife a couple of his slaves and buried in the northwest corner of Winnfield City Cemetery. Jeff fathered only one child, who died as a result of an accident at home. Madison M. "Quin" Melton served in Co. K, 28th Louisiana Infantry, C. S. A., enlisting May 17, 1862 at Monroe, Louisiana. He was paroled as a prisoner of war, June 20, 1865 at Alexandria, Louisiana. During a short term of Madison's military service, he was listed as absent without leave. Several men in the outfit had learned that the cook was poisoning the troops and Madison was selected to solve the matter, which he did. He fled his unit and a bounty was offered for his arrest and return to the army to face court martial, but when officers learned that Madison had probably saved the entire company from death, he returned for the duration of the war. All Meltons from Winn Parish are descendants of Madison Melton. Madison married Susan Caroline Swain, July 10, 1849 in Marion County, Georgia. To this union, eight children were born. These were Sarah F. (b. 1851 in Ga., married J. D. Moore), Runion L. (b. 1854, Ga.), Elbert Madison "Mac" (b. 1856, Ga.), William Derrell (b. 1858, Ga.), James Edgar (b. 1861, Winn Parish, La.), Marion Monroe (b. 1864, Winn Parish, La.), Emma E. (b. 1868, Winn Parish, La., married Isaac E. Wise), and Anna Melinda (b. 1871, Winn Parish, La., married Ollie Till). The remaining descendants were all born in Winn Parish, Louisiana. Elbert "Mac" Melton and Laura Tison had ten children, which were: Kate (b. 1878), L. Bell (b. 1879), William Jefferson "Bud" (b. 1881), Ples T. (b. 1883), Molie (b. 1885), Woody W. (b. 1887), Ben E. "Walker" (b. 1889), Allen Vinge (b. 1891), Ruby (b. 1895), and Onna Orpha (b. 1897). Elbert was an owner of a grist mill and cotton gin. William Derrell Melton and Nancy Venizue Wright had eleven children, three of which died at birth, the eight others being were: Eddie Cleveland (b. 1885), Riley Clinton (b. 1890), Wright Spencer (b. 1893), Bill Tom (b. 1896), Lee J. (b. 1898), George Cranford (b. 1901), Anna Mae (b. 1906), and Jewell (b. 1909). William Derrel was a farmer, Winn Parish Surveyor, and a timber manager for the Pardee Land Company. James Edger Melton and Alma Jordan had nine children: Charlie (b. 1888), Florence (b. 1890), Luther (b. 1893), Lou Anna (b. 1897), Myrtle Beatrice (b. 1899), John (b. 1901), Marvin and Arvin (b. 1904), Alma (b. 1908), and Sam (b. 1910). James Edger was a farmer. Marion Monroe Melton and Caroline "Donnie" McIlwain had nine children: Ida (b. 1890), Alma (1893), Claude (b. 1895), Flora (b. 1896), Volena (b. 1898), Audie (b. 1902), Fletcher (b. 1904), Clifford (b. 1907), and Iley (b. 1911). Marion was a sawmill man and operated a hotel at the Atlanta sawmill. The Melton Cemetery is located near where Jeff and Madison Melton first settled. The annual Melton reunion and cemetery working is held the Saturday before the third Sunday in May. (The majority of the above article was written by Winn Parish Deputy Sheriff Morris Wayne Melton, and his permission was granted for submission to the Louisiana Gen-Web Archives. Some additions were made to the above article by the submitter, Greggory Ellis Davies, Winnfield, Winn Parish, La.)