I am looking for info on my g-g-g-grandfather and my g-g-g-g-grand
faher'
Samuel Norris, Sr. (no info)
Samuel Norris, Jr. born around 1818
died 1-5-1886, married Elizabeth
Vance born around 1825 died 11-17-1892. They had 7 children
Abraham Lincoln, Sarah, John, Mary
Alice, Kansas, and Estelle
Abraham Lincoln Norris-(1861-1932) married Amanda Catherine Harmon
(1860-1951) They had 6 children;
James, John S.,Murry Delbert,
Moses, Mary Belle, and Dora.
Murry Delbert Norris
married Amy Pounds (1882-1964)
They had 9 children: Wilbur,
Estel Warren, Samuel, Velma,
Irene Isabell,Alfred, Orville
Audie and his twin (died at birth)
Bennie Edgar
My mother was Irene Isabell (Dolly)
who married William Herbert Akers
married Elizabeth

I am decended from three Samuel Norris's born 1693, 1714 and 1734. The one born in 1734 had a son Samuel born 31 Mar 1763. He was a twin. He is not in my direct line of decent so I don't know if he may have had a son named Samuel since it seemed to be the thing to pass that name on.

He was born in 1750 and died in 1844. He was married to a Deloware indian by the name of Pretty Hair

There are an awful lot of Samuel's in the history. Without more information such as parents or place of birth I can't pinpoint him. Do you have any other info on him? Becky

I may be related to you. A family story is that an ancestor of my 3 g's greatgrandfather Samuel Mullen had married a Native American. His family was from the MD-VA area in the late 18th century. Thanks for posting.

I am searching for Info on a Samuel Norris in Tallapoosa Co. AL. in 1850. He doesn't show up in 1860, so I assume he died. He is showing age 62 in 1850 & wife Elizabeth age 56, both born in SC. Arena/Irena age 23 in 1850 married a James Carpenter in 1848 in Troup County Ga & James died before 1850 so she & her daughter are in the household with Elizabeth Norris in 1860 as a Carpenter. Cornelia age 20 in 1850 married a Mark Griffin by 1860 & is also in the same household. Any info is appreciated. Lisa

Kathy,

I have your Samuel. He was born in Colerain Township, Hamilton County, Ohio in 1818, the son of Caleb Norris (1789-1860) and Letitia Liming (1796 - ?).

Samuel was likely named after his maternal grandfather, Samuel Liming (1753-1834), a Revolutionary War Veteran, or perhaps after an uncle who bore same name.

I have nothing on Elizabeth Jane Vance aside from her name and the date of her marriage to Samuel, April 10, 1851, in Shelby County, Indiana. That is where the Norrises emigrated in 1837 after receiving an inheritance from the sale of land belonging to Caleb's father, Gershom (1745-1830), another Revolutionary War Veteran who moved to Ohio ca. 1811.

Please feel free to respond and I'll add what other details I have.

Hi,
I saw your post that includes Gershom Norris and that he was father of Caleb. Do you happen to have Gershom's will? Or, how did you prove the relationship? I am looking for any and all information on that family. I am descended from Desire Norris (daughter of Gershom) and Oliver Crane/Crain. Their daughter, Hester (aka Hetty) Crane married William Rice. They were my GGGG-grandparents.
Thanks for any leads,
Amy Schneider

Amy,

How wonderful to hear from you!

Caleb is named in Cincinnati-based probate abstracts as a leader of an 1835 probate dispute with the executrix of Gershom Norris' will. Detailed records of this dispute have not yet been uncovered, but the abstract suggests that Caleb and his siblings wanted Gershom's extensive land holdings sold by his executrix, Margaret Norris. One speculates that Margaret was the wife of Gershom. At length, the land was sold and the proceeds presumably divided among Gershoms' heirs, who soon departed for points west, where they each purchased land of their own.

Further evidence of a family relationship is that Gershom, Caleb, John, and Eliphalent Norris are listed next to one another in the census of 1820, indicating that they lived near one another.

Among Gershoms' heirs are Robert and Matilda Moorehed and William and Hetty Rice (per Abstract of Book 3, Probate Record, 1829-1834, Hamilton County, Ohio, p. 519). Until your note I did not know that Hetty was the daughter of Dsire and Oliver Crane. I had presumed that Hetty was Gershom's daughter, suggesting a man vigorous enough to father children when in his late fifties. Were Desire and Oliver dead by the time Gershom died in 1830? Or might there have been a falling out between them and Gershom such that grandchildren were named as heirs?

Gershom was taxed in New Jersey at late as 1810. But son Caleb fought with an Ohio-based regiment in the War of 1812, suggesting that the family came west perhaps about 1811.

You may already be aware that Gershom's grave, in New Burlington, Ohio, is well preserved. It is located in the yard of a small church off Springdale Road. The small, frame church building is said to date from 1816.

His tombstone is similar to others close by in terms of size, stone, and style, but it bears more extensive carving than others from that era. It includes, for example, a draped, lamplike device (perhaps a censor) at the top. The tombstone reads:

SACRED
To the memory of
GERSHOM NORRIS
Who departed this life
Sept. 24th 1830
Aged 85 years & 29 days

I would be grateful to learn what your records and family lore have to say.

Rob Norris

Hi Rob!
I don't know whether to be happy that I provided you with a small piece of information (since I haven't found much on this family yet) or if I should apologize for bursting your bubble....that Gershom did not father Hetty in his late 50s! Of course, I'm sure he was STILL vigorous enough to have done so!
I have an obit on Hetty from another researcher, but I do not know in which paper it appeared. Basically it says that she was born in 1806, and while very small, her family moved to McKeesport, PA. Her mother Desire Norris Crain died when she was six (about 1812). When Hetty was 17 (about 1823) she, with her ONLY BROTHER and several sisters, came to Cincinnati where her father had provided a home for them. (All of that is important to me in determining which other Crains in the area are her siblings. Because the Clermont County Crains and the Hamilton County Crains all seem to have come from NJ together, used the same names, and lived in both counties.) It also infers that Oliver Crain, her father, was here prior to her arrival. This is also important because there are two Oliver Crains in Hamilton County by the 1820 census....One was in the Montgomery area or Sycamore Twp., but when using the 1830 census also, this one appears to have been a little young to have been her father. The other was in Cincinnati Ward 2, but doesn't have a daughter her age with him. The obit's comment could explain that. But until I prove definitively which Oliver is her father, I cannot say when he died, but it may very well have been before Gershom's will. Of course, even if it was after, he was not the son, but the son-in-law, so with Desire already dead, it would be understandable to bypass the son-in-law and bequeath directly to the married granddaughter.
The following I have proven:
Hetty married William T. Rice in about 1828 and they had 9 children. One daughter was named Matilda (married John W. Hunt), so I am wondering if Matilda Moorehead was Hetty's sister, but have not found anything on her. The other children were Elvira (my line), William O., James H., Laura, Harriet, Mary, Holeman and Edwin. Hetty and William lived in Hamilton County for a number of years, but were in Clermont County by 1850. They both died in the 1890s and are buried in Mt. Moriah Cemetery.
As for the Norris line, I have not learned anything beyond Gershom. And, in glancing over other researchers' work, a case can be made for him being from two different lines. I have seen his grave and noted those buried with him, but did not know their relationships. I speculate that Eliphalet is his son. In some reading, I see that somebody mentioned that Elizabeth Norris (Eliphalet's wife) also had a maiden name of Norris. Do you know if that is true? If so, do you know how they relate? That is why I was afraid to assume too much...maybe just like the Crains, there are two mixed up Norris lines that moved together.
The only other clue I have on the Norris side may be just a family legend. It was transcribed from notes from now dead relatives....it said that she (Hetty) was one of the heirs of a what was known as the Norris Claim on Long Island, which was a grant of land from King George to her grandfather, G. Norris. I find this hard to believe since her grandfather Gershom was a Revolutionary War veteran for the American side. I figure that IF there was a land grant from King George, it would HAVE to be to an earlier generation.
I hope something here provides a clue. If I find any more, I will let you know and would appreciate it if you could do the same! If you would prefer to contact me directly by email, use ALZS@aol.com. I do have a photo of Hetty Crain and William T. Rice from about 1888 if you would like to have a digital copy.
Thanks for your help,
Amy Schneider