husband of Stella Lee Raley Henley.

Thomas Melvin Henley was the first child to be born after the death of his brother, five-year-old Thomas Jefferson Henley. It is evident that Thomas Melvin was named after his brother. Thomas Melvin Henley was born May 18, 1886, and was called by his second name of Melvin—probably to distinguish him from his brother who had been called Tommy.

Most of his working life, Melvin farmed and worked in the saw mills around the Florala area. He married Stella Lee Raley, daughter of John Raley and Amanda Brown on November 12, 1911. They settled on a farm north of the Red Oak Baptist Church and Melvin commenced farming. When the Horseshoe Lumber Company at River Falls was destroyed by fire a second time on May 19, 1925, Melvin quit farming and went to River Falls and helped to rebuild the mill. This was a large milling operation that employed seven to nine hundred men to produce the 100,000 feet a day quota for the mill. Convicts were also utilized as part of the work force. Melvin was an experienced searight (?) and helped to install the new equipment and get it in good working condition. When this work was finished Melvin moved his family ca 1928 to the Barnhill place north of Baker, Florida, where he sharecropped for about eight years. In 1936 the family moved again to the Melton place and continued to sharecrop here.

Thomas Melvin Henley was one of the Henley brothers who loved to play the fiddle. He visited often at the Kersey home where he and his nephew, O. C, would fiddle together. He loved tobacco and was a familiar sight with his cigar. Contrary to current statistics smoking did not injure his health, as he lived to be ninety-four years old.

Five children were born to Melvin and Stella Henley while they were living in the Red Oak community. These children were Gaston Henley, Mary Edna Henley, Grover Lee Henley, Orie Lavada Henley, and Minnie Esther Henley. It was after the family had moved to the Melton place ca 1936 that another baby boy was stillborn. Stella suffered a stroke following the birth of her baby and was in a wheelchair the rest of her life. Melvin took care of her for about thirteen years before her death.

During the years his wife was an invalid, Melvin did some carpentry work and his youngest son, Grover, helped with the farming. The daughters, Orie and Minnie, kept the house and helped with then mother. After his wife's death, Melvin worked for about two years for Congressman Bob Sikes. He was the caretaker for the Sikes' farm while the Congressman was busy with his congressional duties. During this time Melvin met Miss Essye Turner and they were married December 12, 1953.

After Essye passed, he lived alone in the home he had shared with Essye until he suffered a stroke and was placed in a convalescent home at Crestview, Florida. For a time he shared a room with his brother, Dolph, until his brother died. Melvin died two years later. At the time of his death, Melvin was still a member of the Live Oak Baptist Church at Crestview where he was the senior deacon.

Melvin Henley was a favorite with his grandchildren. He knew how to tell a good story, and he relished nothing better than a good audience. Judging from some of the tales spun by later generations, that story telling ability he had inherited was passed along to others in the Henley family. When his grandchildren were small he chanted a little poem about Humpy the horse, as they sat on his knee or rode his foot. All of the children adored then grandpa and his humor.

(Thomasson Traces, Narrative of the Thomasson Family 1677-1995) Volume II By Curtis H. Thomasson and Marjorie B. Malloy)