Wilson Advance, 25 February 1897.

A “tom thumb” is a sausage made with pork shoulder, sage, and red pepper, heavily salted and stuffed into a hog’s stomach.  The resulting large lump is either smoked or dry-cured and is a delicacy found — with decreasing frequency — in Virginia and the Carolinas.

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On 7 January 1886, John Melton, 28, married Lucey Farmer, 29, at Tobey Farmer‘s in the presence of Thos. Ruffin, J.H. Lassiter and Robert Melton.

In the 1900 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: John Melton, 42, wife Lucy, 45, sons John, 16, and Samuel A., 13.

In the 1910 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: John Melton, 51, wife Lucy, 55, son Johnnie Jr., 24, boarder James Dudley, 20, and grandson Sam Melton, 12.