A Melton at the Alamo

Texas State Cemetery Honor

First, let me say how proud I am that the State of Texas has honored me with space in Statesmen Meadow at the Texas State Cemetery. It is a deep honor to be afforded a final resting place where so many Texas heroes now rest. I will forever be grateful for that honor. I will also try to carry myself in a dignified manner worthy of that designation.

I know the Melton family is proud as well. Many may know that there is at least one other proud Melton whose spirit is connected to that sacred ground, along with the 181 others who paid the ultimate price at the Alamo on March 6, 1836.

This short essay is meant to honor the name of Melton and the service given to the state we love. Specifically, I am writing today about Lieutenant Eliel Melton, who fought alongside Crockett, Travis, Bowie, and the other defenders of the Alamo. He was a notable officer and defender who served as quartermaster of the Alamo garrison. His life and death offer a meaningful glimpse into the personal stories behind the siege.

Eliel Melton was born in Georgia around 1798. He later moved west to the Texas frontier, registered as a single man in 1830, and worked as a merchant in Nashville-on-the-Brazos. He fought in the initial Siege of Béxar from October to December 1835, then remained in San Antonio on the staff of Lieutenant Colonel James C. Neill, carrying out the crucial supply duties of quartermaster for the Alamo garrison.

Before the 1836 siege, Melton married a local Tejano woman named Maria Juana Francisca Losoya. That marriage connected him not only to Texas by duty, but also by family. Members of his extended family were inside the Alamo during the siege, making his story even more personal and more deeply tied to the sacrifice made there.

On March 6, 1836, Lieutenant Eliel Melton died during the final Mexican assault. He was 38 years old. Fellow survivor Susanna Dickinson later referred to a defender she identified as “Milton,” believed to be Melton, who was killed after vaulting over the lowest part of the ramparts as the Mexican army breached the compound.

As I have researched the Melton name, I can proudly say that it has long been connected to service, sacrifice, and loyalty to Texas. From the Alamo to the Texas State Cemetery, the name Melton carries a history that deserves to be remembered with humility and pride. I am grateful to share that name, proud of what it represents, and honored that our family’s service to the State of Texas continues to be recognized.