GE NE AL OGY O F THE NO R R I S FAM I L Y Two hundred c o pies of this b ook have been printed from type and the type then distributed . This c o py is number NIX O N GROS V E NOR NOR R I S O ATH A 4 ! RA 66 OH 1 97 H E N R Y !J N N , E , J N , FO R W H O M TH I S REC ORD O F H I S ANC ESTRY W ’ A S CO M P I LED A ND TO W H O M I T I S M OST AFFECT I ONAT ELY D ED I CATE D ANCE S TR Y AND D E S CE ND ANTS O F LIE UTE NDE NT JONATHAN AND TAME SIN ARKE NORRIS O F M A I N E I n a re the c o m lete 15 5 0 which given names , and more or less p records , from 1 905 - i to , of about twelve hundred persons , among whom are sixty n ne a - r of their ncestors , nine of their children , forty eight of thei r grandchild en , one hundred and nine of their great a fif of gr ndchildren , and one hundred and teen their great-great-grandchildren B Y THEIR GREAT-G RA NDSO N H E NRY M CCOY NORRI S O F N T O CINCI NA I , HIO T H E GR A F T O N P R E S S GE NE AL O GI CAL PU B L I SH E R S N EW YORK MCM V I LIB RARY of CONGRE S S Two Comes Received MAR 1 9 1906 right C r t 1 906 op y igh , , B Y TH E GR A F TO N E FA PR CE . TH E first Norris of wh o m we have a rec ord as c o ming to America o ne Jo N o who o f 18 1635 is hn rris , at the age , emigrated , in , “ to B a rm oo d es o r o I imba r u ed o e the S mer slands , q in the Truel v ” de Lo nd o n . The fact that he had as fell o w passengers o n this voyage at least three y oung men wh o fo und their way to New England as early as 1643 suggests that he may have go ne there “ ” . Jo N o o with them , and have been the M r hn rris with wh se “ c o nveyances of 400 ac o rs of land and of the 242 ac o rs o f the ” 4000 o ra u nted to o o o f o ac rs g R xbury the General C urt Electi n , o o 23d of 3 m o . held at B st n , the the expressed itself as i f d being s a t s ye . o . o o o o f N o o f Mr . Le nard A M rris n , auth r The rris Family ” a o to o o f N o America , says the tr diti n in regard the rigin ich las “ N of o orris is that he was England extracti n , being a descendant ” f ne of I o o o the English settlers in reland , where he was b rn , and “ ‘ that be was a st o waway in an immigrant ship and arrived in ” America when fourteen years of age . I N o N o o nasmuch as ich las rris named his ldest daughter , Sarah , o o s on o after his wife , and his sec nd ldest , M ses , after his father n- o o o s on Jo i law , it is m re than pr bable that his ldest , hn , was own w — no o o named after his father , hich rec rd having been f und The only other Norris es known to have been in America at this time 2 R ev . were the Edward Norrice his son Edward ( ) and , according to ’ C r Savage , the latter s sister Mary who united with the hurch of Roxbu y in 1 1 5 79 1640 1 639 or 1640 . Edward Norrice ( ) was born in England in and in H is wa s s . a resident of Salem , Mas , at which time he had wife , Eleanor son , Edward was born in 1 61 5 and married Dorothy Johnson by whom he had 1 1 . e . 8 65 7 a daughter Elizab th and a son Edward bapt Oct , The fact “ a that the above Mr . John Norris owned land granted to Roxbury indic tes that he and Mary Norrice of Roxbury might have been members of the same l n - 165 5 fami y , but inasmuch as this Joh was doubtless over twenty one in it is improbable that he was the son of Edward and as neither he nor l w 1 65 7 1660 Mary are mentioned in the wi l of Edward dra n and proved , I led a r am to conclude th t , provided they did not die befo e Edward they if i in ma e must have belonged to a d ferent fam ly , which event they y have be n husband and wife . PR EFA C E . ’ ’ of Nich olas c oming to America— makes it possible that Nich olas o Jo on father and the first ab ve hn were e and the same perso n . The progenitor of the N orris family appears to have been o ne ” Norre s wh o o Alain y , was settled at Sutt n , England , l ong b e o of I I I . N rr f f re the time Henry His descendant , William o eys o ' o o of S ir N orre s wh Sutt n , was the ancest r Henry y o acquired in 131 1 Jo a a u o f o , by marriage with n , d ghter Sir Henry M lyneux , o of . N orre the Man r Speke , in Lancashire This Sir Henry ys had a o N orre s of W o s on N r a descend nt , Th mas y Speke , h se , ich o las No f a o of r . o N o No re s of reys , Esq , T rlet n , was father ich las y Tarlet o n wh ose s o n Nich ol a s N orreys of the sa me place was fa ther of Nich o Norre s of M id dlewo rth o s on N o Norre s of las y , wh se , ich las y Mid dleworth of N o is wh o o was father Henry rr , it is th ught , may have been no very distant relative of the Nich olas N o rris with wh o m this histo ry c o mmences . My excuse for introducing this data is that so me one may wish ’ to to o o extend the line the immigrant s m ther c untry , in which o o o no I h t o . o ow event the ab ve inf rmati n will c me amiss d ubt , o of o o ever , if any am unt searching w uld pr duce a better man to ou r N o of N H . f o . o o head the descent than ich las Hampt n , , wh m enough is kno wn to warrant the statement that he was c o nsider -in- a o o . s on of o o bly ab ve medi crity As law Selectman M ses C xe , a nd father—in- law of Ruth F olsom — granddaughter of Selectman Jo o o J o hn F ls m , udge Henry R bey and Mary Gilman , a member ’ “ o f that family wh om Bell s Histo ry o f Exeter states stood at ” the head of everything that c onstitutes respectability — Nich o las No rris was related to many of the m ost pro minent families o f the o o o c mmunity , and with them did what he c uld t ward the devel m n of o o op e t the y uthful c l o ny in which he settled . That his de s cend a nts have always been pro ud of the surname is evidenced by the frequency with which it appears amo ng the posterity o f the of or daughters the family , either as a first middle name , and it is h oped that the present possesso rs will transmit it as untarnished as they received it “ o to o A go d name , says the Bible , is rather be ch sen than of o o a great riches . An inheritance m ney may be l st and reg ined , but an inheritance of character o nce l ost can never be regained . To c ome of a family which for generati o ns has held the respect of ’ to o o its fell ow men , kn w that ne s father , grandfather , and great - grandfather , and his father , grandfather , and great grandfather ‘ PR I ) F A C E . o o - - o - o bef re him , were gener us hearted , law abiding , c untry l ving ’ z wh o o o fo r fo r f citi ens st d right right s sake , and accepted the h u fets and rewards of life with equal fo rtitude — this is a birthright .