Life History

Notes

• In 1850, we find Sylvester Norris with his second wife Rebecca Arminda in Mason County, Illinois.
  
  1850 Federal Census, Mason County, Illinois, 5 November, page 335/170, Hse/Fam #370
  Sylvester Norris 31 M Farmer born Kentucky cannot read or write
  Rebecca A Norris 22 F born Illinois cannot read or write
  Henry N Norris 5 M born Illinois
  George W (Jackson] Norris 3 M born Illinois
  Mary E Norris 6 months born Illinois (b abt April 1850]
  
  Two doors away I found a Norris family, headed by Samuel H Norris, age 25, born in Kentucky.  This seems to be Sylvester's brother.  He is 6 years younger than Sylvester.  His wife is Elizabeth age 23, born in Tennessee, and they have two children Jonathan age 3 and Luella age 2, both born in Illinois.  The family tie seems to be confirmed when we find this group without Samuel living next door to Sylvester and Arminda.
  
  1850 Federal Census, Mason County, Illinois, 5 November, page 335/170, Hse/Fam #372
  Saml H Norris 25 M Farmer $500 Real Estate b Kentucky [b abt 1825]
  Elizabeth Norris 23 F born Tennessee [b abt 1827]
  Jonathan Norris 3 M born Illinois [b abt 1847]
  Luella Norris 2 M born Illinois [b abt 1848]
  
  Most of the Norris genealogies report on only certain children whose lines that particular genealogy follows.  I later found one that reports Samuel H Norris as a child of Henry and Catherine Hatler Norris.  It was not complete but provided some helpful details:
  
  Samuel H. NORRIS Sex: M Birth: 24 JAN 1826 in Kentucky Death: 9 DEC 1857 in Illinois
  Father: Henry NORRIS b: 1790 in Kentucky
  Mother: Catherine (Caty) HATLER b: 14 JUN 1795 in Kentucky
  Marriage ELIZABETH [No Details]
  --  http://awtc.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=*v06t4483&id=I380>
  
  In 1860 Sylvester and his wife Rebecca Arminda are still living in Mason County, Illinois, where they were married.
  
  1860 Federal Census, Mason County, Illinois, 11 September, Township 20 Range 7, PO Walkers Grove, page 205, Hse/Fam #1420
  Sylvester Norris 44 M Farmer $2000 Real Estate $900 Personal born Kentucky [b abt 1816]
  Rebecca A Norris 31 F born Illinois [b abt 1829]
  James F Norris 9 M born Illinois [b abt 1851]
  Charles Mc [sic] Norris 6 M born Illinois [b abt 1854]
  William R Norris 2 M born Illinois [b abt 1858]
  Lewis Ishmael  22 M Farmer No Real Estate $250 Personal born Ohio [b abt June 1838]
  
  Next door to them in Hse #1419 is a household of young Norrises.  An anomaly here is that Elizabeth is reported as 14.  But otherwise she matches the wife of Samuel we met in 1850.   Ages of Jonathan an Luella match the children of Elizabeth.  But Elizabeth should be 34, not 14.  These names of the children in the house next door do not appear in the spotty family genealogies I have seen.  It is interesting, though, that Elizabeth is born in Tennessee, while the others are reported as born in Illinois.  Her birth in Tennessee matches the other factors to enable us to confirm an enumerator error and declare that this is Samuel's widow and the two children we see in 1850.
  
  1860 Federal Census, Mason County, Illinois, 11 September, Township 20 Range 7, PO Walkers Grove, page 205, Hse/Fam #1419
  Elizabeth P Norris 14 [should be 34] F Farmer $720 Real Estate $460 Personal born Tennessee [b abt 1846]
  Jonathan H Norris 13 F born Illinois [b abt 1847]
  Luella Norris 12 F born Illinois [b abt 1848]
  
  I am puzzled about the lack of a listing here for George W, age 3 in 1850.  He shows up again later, as seen in the 1870 census below.
  
  Sylvester's son Henry New Year Norris, whose mother was Mary Teter, is living nearby in the household of Francis and Harriet Norris, in Range 7 of the same township.  This may be an older brother of Henry, but the name Francis doe snot appear in any genealogy information for Sylvester Norris.
  
  There is one child shown in the genealogy below that do not appear here in the census, Mary born in 1850.  Mary may have died early, or might be living with relatives like her brother Henry.
  
  By 1870, it appears they have moved to a new location, since the Township is named Cane Creek, but the PO has also changed, now to Mason City.  Note that Sylvester Real estate wealth has increased notably to $5000.
  
  1870 Federal Census, Mason County, Illinois, [no date], Cane Creek Township, PO Mason City, page 16, Hse #103, Fam #100
  Norris, Sylvester 51 M W Farmer $5000 Real Estate $100 Personal born Kentucky [b abt 1819]
  Norris, Rebecca A 40 F W Keeps House born Illinois [b abt 1830]
  Norris, James F 18 M W Home born Illinois [b abt 1852]
  Norris, Charles M 16 M W Home born Illinois [b abt 1854]
  Norris, William 14 M W Home born Illinois [b abt 1856]
  Norris, Abraham 12 [should be 9] M W born Illinois [b abt June 1858, actual 1 Jan 1861]
  Norris, Rhoda M 6 F W born Illinois [b abt 1864]
  Norris, Nellie B 2 F W born Illinois [b abt 1868]
  
  Living next door to them is George W Jackson, who is Arminda's (Rebecca A's) son from her first marriage to James A Jackson (see details in Notes for Rebecca Arminda Baird Estep.)  This is apparently the child who was reported in the Norris household in 1850 as George W Norris.
  
  1870 Federal Census, Mason County, Illinois, [no date], Cane Creek Township, PO Mason City, page 16, Hse #104, Fam #101
  Jackson, George W 22 M W Farmer  No Real Estate $600 Personal born Illinois [b abt 1848]
  Jackson, Frances R 22 F W Keeps House born Illinois [b abt 1848]
  Jackson, Ettie M 3 F W born Illinois [b abt 1867]
  Shelton, James 24 M W Farm Hand born Kentucky [b abt 1846]
  
  In 1880 we find a grandson, Arthur, who would be Charles' son.  This census tell us Charles has been widowed.  So Charles was married, had this one son, and his wife died, in the ten years since 1870.  I have not found the name of his wife.  The 1880 census reports that Sylvester's parents were both born in Kentucky and Arminda's in North Carolina.
  
  1880 Federal Census, Mason County, Illinois, 9 June, Cane Creek Township, District 131, page 7, Hse #47, Fam #48
  Norris, Sylvester  W M  61   Farmer  Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky [b abt 1819]
  Norris, Rebecca A  W F  51 Wife Keeping House Illinois NC VA [b abt 1829]
  Norris, Charles M  W M 24 Son  Widowed  Farm Laborer Illinois Kentucky Illinois [b abt 1856]
  Norris, Rhoda M  W F 15 Dau  At Home Illinois Kentucky Illinois [b abt 1865]
  Norris, Nellie B  W F 12 At Home Illinois Kentucky Illinois [b abt 1868]
  Norris, Arthur S  W M 1 Grandson Farm Laborer Illinois Illinois Ohio [b abt 1859]
  
  I note that there are two Estep families enumerated on this same page with the Norrises.  The men are of an age to be the (foster-adoptive) brothers of Arminda:  G W Estep age 56 born Illinois, parents NC-VA and J M Estep 60 also Illinois North Carolina and Virginia.  After checking names in an Estep genealogy, it appeared that these two men are indeed brothers of Arminda.  G W is George W Estep (1823-1884), and J M is James Madison Estep (1819-1904).
  
  Sylvester and Arminda are found in Kansas in the state census of 1885, with their daughter Nellie.
  
  1885 Kansas State Census, Crawford County, 1 March, Pittsburg, page 70 (205), Hse/Fam #543
  Sylvester Norris 66 M W Laborer b Kentucky, moved to Kansas from Illinois [b abt 1819]
  Arminda Norris 56 F W b Illinois, moved to Kansas from Illinois [b abt 1829]
  -- page 71 (208) --
  Nellie Norris 17 F W b Illinois, moved to Kansas from Illinois [b abt 1868]
  
  A genealogy gives us details about Sylvester Norris.  In this and other family sources we learn that Sylvester died in 1887 in Scammon, Cherokee County, Kansas.
  
  ---------------
  Sylvester NORRIS
  Birth: 28 APR 1819 in Kentucky, Death: 25 JAN 1887 in Scammon, Cherokee Co., Kansas
  
  Father: Henry NORRIS b: 1790 in Kentucky
  Mother: Catherine (Caty) HATLER b: 14 JUN 1795 in Kentucky
  
  Marriage 1 Mary TETER b: 1 SEP 1823 in Illinois
  Married: 18 NOV 1840 in Illinois
  
  Children
  Jane NORRIS b: 22 AUG 1842 in Mason Co., Illinois
  Isaac (G ,T, Or I) Norris b: 31 OCT 1843 in Mason Co., Illinois
  Henry New Year NORRIS b: 1 JAN 1845 in Crane Creek, Mason Co., Illinois
  
  Marriage 2 Rebecca Arminda Estep JACKSON b: Unknown
  Married: Unknown
  Children
  Mary E. NORRIS b: 16 MAY 1850 in Mason Co., Illinois
  James Franklin NORRIS b: 26 APR 1852 in Columbus, Cherokee Co., Kansas
  Charles Monroe NORRIS b: 1 JUN 1855 in Mason Co., Illinois
  William Robert NORRIS b: 14 FEB 1859 in Illinois
  Abraham Newton NORRIS b: 26 JAN 1861 in Illinois
  Rhoda Martha NORRIS b: 3 APR 1865 in Illinois
  Nellie B. NORRIS b: 21 NOV 1867 in Illinois
  --  Norris Family, http://awtc.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=*v06t4483&id=I087
  ---------------
  
  There is an additional child, George W, who appears in the 1850 census as the first child of Sylvester and Rebecca Arminda.  This is likely George W Jackson, even though reported in 1850 with the family name of Norris.  Arminda had one child with her first husband James A Jackson.  George W Jackson was born in 1847-8.  This child in the Norris household matches George W Jackson who is living next door to them in 1870.  This is clearly Arminda's son with James A Jackson.
  
  This genealogy reports the middle name of the child Abraham, who was reported with this family only in the 1870 census, as well as the middle names of most of the others
  
  I found Arminda in the 1900 census, as a widow living in the home of her daughter Nellie, who has married Ivan Mills.  They are living in Osage County, Kansas.
  
  1880 Federal Census, Osage County, Kansas, 20 June, Agency Township, District 110, page 10-11B, Hse #275, Fam #277
  Mills, Ivan  Head  W M  Dec 1860  39  Married 13 years Indiana Ohio Ohio  Farmer Owns
  --  page 11B --
  Mills, Nellie Wife W F Nov 1867  32 Married 13 years  6 children/5 living  Illinois Kentucky Illinois
  Mills, Oliver  Son W M Feb 1888  12 At School  Kansas Indiana Illinois
  Mills, Orval  Son W M Sept 1893  6 At School  Kansas Indiana Illinois
  Mills, Harold  Son W M Nov 1895  5  Kansas Indiana Illinois
  Mills, Myrtle  Dau W M Apr 1897  3  Kansas Indiana Illinois
  Mills, Frank  Son W M Nov 1899  7mos  Kansas Indiana Illinois
  Norris, Araminta  Mother [of Nellie] W F  May 1829  71 Wife Keeping House Illinois TN TN
  
  Note that now Arminda's parents are reported as born in Tennessee, not North Carolina and Virginia.  Note that in 1880, the birth sates of her parents match those of the two Estep men found nearby.  This may indicate she reported her adoptive parents' birth states in 1880, rather than her birth parents.  In 1900 perhaps the change indicates that both her Baird birth parents were both born in Tennessee.

Sources

• 1. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
• 2. 1870 Federal Census, Mason County, Illinois
  • [no date], Cane Creek Township, PO Mason City, page 16, Hse #103, Fam #100
• 3. 1850 Federal Census, Mason County, Illinois
  • 5 November, page 335/170, Hse/Fam #370
• 4. 1880 Federal Census, Mason County, Illinois
  • 9 June, Cane Creek Township, page 7, Hse #47, Fam #48
• 5. Ancestry Trees
  • Norris Family, http://awtc.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=*v06t4483&id=I087
• 6. 1885 Kansas State Census, Crawford County
  • 1 March, Pittsburg, page 70 (205), Hse/Fam #543
• 7. 1860 Federal Census, Mason County, Illinois
  • 11 September, Township 20 Range 7, PO Walkers Grove, page 205, Hse/Fam #1420
• 8. Email Sources
• 9. Ancestry Trees
  • Norris Family, http://awtc.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=*v06t4483
• 10. 1860 Federal Census, Mason County, Illinois
  • 3 September, Township 20 Range 8, PO Bath, page 190 (scan 547), Hse/Fam #1361
• 11. Ancestry Trees
  • Norris Family, http://awtc.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=*v06t4483&id=I039
• 12. 1900 Federal Census, Parker County, Texas
  • 6 June, Justice Precinct 7, District 78, page 3B, Hse/Fam #52
• 13. 1920 Federal Census, Parker County, Texas
  • 7 January, Aledo Township (Justice Precinct 7), District 76, page 3A, Hse/Fam #50
• 14. 1910 Federal Census, Parker County, Texas
  • 28 April, Justice Precinct 1, District 65, page 7A, South Main St [no house address], Hse/Fam #102
• 15. Gravestone of Henry and Lucinda Griffith Norris, Brown Cemetery, Aledo, Parker County, Texas
• 16. Ancestry Trees
  • Norris Family, http://awtc.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=*v06t4483&id=I088
• 17. 1885 Kansas State Census, Cherokee County
  • 1 March, Mineral Township, PO Columbus, page 41, Hse/Fam #208
• 18. 1900 Federal Census, Cherokee County, Kansas
  • 6 June, Scammon, District 29, page 6A, Keith St, Hse #105, Fam #110
• 19. 1880 Federal Census, Mason County, Illinois
  • 9 June, Cane Creek Township, District 131, page 7, Hse #47, Fam #48
• 20. 1900 Federal Census, Osage County, Kansas
  • 20 June, Agency Township, District 110, page 10-11B, Hse #275, Fam #277
• 21. Illinois Marriages, 1790-1860
  • Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, Microfilm 1313033