The youngest of nine children, Stephen Decatur Melton was born and reared near Ozark, Missouri. He moved to Shell Knob when he was around 45 years old and in 1927 to Ponce De Leon, where he continued his practice of medicine. Dr. Melton was a physician in Southern Missouri for over 50 years. He practiced in Barry and Stone Counties. He delivered all sixteen of his children - nine with his first wife, Lucy Ann, and seven with Minnie. His daughter Lucy recalled one of his more interesting cases was treating a tornado victim. Doc Melton had to remove about twelve nails that the tornado had embedded in the man's body.
His first wife died within nine months of the birth of his ninth child. Within the next year, he married Minnie Harp, who was younger than he by 21 years. His older brother, Rev. Green B. Melton, performed the ceremony at their sister, Allie (Melton) Meadow's home.
Doc Melton maintained two households, with children from his first marriage living next door to those of his latter marriage. He died in his home after an illness of nine months. Funeral services were conducted in the Baptist Church at Highlandville and burial was in the cemetery there. He professed faith in Christ at an early age, and united with the Prospect Baptist church.
At the time of his death all of his 16 children were still living and he had twenty grandchildren. His grandchildren from Idaho recalled that he painted their throats before they left for Europe. A retired lawyer, also named Melton but no relation, recalled that Doc Melton delivered his wife in 1924 and a great niece remembered being treated for "tick fever" by her Uncle Steve as a young child. Ruby Hale recalled that Dr. Melton took over a Dr. Kelly's practice in Viola. The American Medical Association stated that they had no record of him ever having had any formal training and his great-grandson, Kenny Melton, stated that he was trained as a herbal doctor by his brother, Reuben Melton.