Notes:

ID: I1981
Name: William Norris
Sex: M
Birth: 1 OCT 1761 in Fauquier County, Virginia
Death: 12 AUG 1833 in Coshocton County, Ohio 1
Military Service: Revolutionary War soldier. Pvt. in Capt. Oldham'sComp., VA
Burial: Millfork Baptist Cemetery, Coshocton County, Ohio
Religion: Baptist
Occupation: Farmer
Reference Number: 1981
Note:
The accounts of William's ancestry contain some inconsistencies. Someof this is due to works based on family lore (see the Knisely andThayer works below). While informative, some of the details recountedare contradicted by other records.

The following is from "The Historical Record of the Knisely-Wolf andNorris-McCoy Families" by J.C. Knisely (1923):
"William Norris, Sr. was a descendant of an old English family whosettled in Virginia, and it is known that he lived in RockinghamCounty, and it is presumed that he was born in that county, and thathe married and raised most his family there before he, with hisfamily, moved to Coshocton County, Ohio, where he died about the lastpart of 1832 or the first part of 1833, at quite an old age. The datesof his birth of his birth and death are not known.
"He was a farmer by profession or avocation. He was a soldier in theColonial army in the Revolutionary War, and was shot through the anklewith a minnie-ball, and the doctors were determined to amputate hisfoot, but he objected to this so much that they finally let him go,and, although this wound crippled him for life, yet it was very muchbetter that his foot was not amputated. His father and one of hisbrothers were in the same war and near him when he fell from thewound, but they went on with the command, and William never again sawor heard from them, and it is thought that both the father and brotherwere killed in this or other battles of the same war. It is reportedthat William Norris was wounded in the battle of Yorktown, but this isnot positively known.
"...His wife's maiden name was Sarah Graves, and it is supposed shewas born in Virginia about 1759 or 1760. She died in Coshocton County,Ohio, about 1841, and at about 82 years of age...."

Place of birth may have been Rockingham Co. instead of Fauquier.

On the 1787 state census for VA, William Norris is in Frederick Co.(List A): 0 white males 16-21, 0 slaves, 2 horses or mules, and 6cattles. **This is likely our William given the below deed record.

In 1790, William Norris appeared in Frederick County, VA court onbehalf of John Graves, Sr. (his father-in-law) in suits againstMarquis Calmies. John Graves was ordered to pay William 100 pounds oftobacco on one occasion and 75 pounds on another for his testimony.

SOURCE:http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.com/~vataxlists/Fauquier/1790-index.htm
Fauquier County, Virginia; Obtained: 14 December 2007; SLJuhl,compiler
Binn?s Genealogy Web Site; Copyrighted; Last updated: 8/31/2002;E-mail: binnsgeno@aol.com
25 March 1790/1800 Virginia Tax List Census Index with photo copies ofactual pages of the census
Name?s Personal Tax List A, B, C Page
Norris, William A 16 (Listed also are his three sons above 16 years of ageadjacent to him as being responsible for their tax, William, Joseph,Samuel.)
Norris, William A 16
Norris, Joseph A 16
Norris, Samuel A 16
Norris, John A 16 (20 March 1790--unknown Norris-unless there is an older sonthat is not accounted for as yet.) All of the Norris individuals arelisted on the same page of the tax census together.

William was among the earliest settlers of Coshocton County. Someaccounts say he had as many as 21 children, but I have learned fromother researchers that this father of 21 was another man named WilliamNorris who settled in Adams Twp. in Coshocton Co., while our Williamsettled in Virginia Twp.

William Norris enlisted in the Continental Army in Winchester, VA onOct 1, 1780, under the command of Capt. Oldham's Company. At the timeof his enlistment, he was living in Fauquier County, VA. William wasshot through the ankle at the battle of Eutaw Springs.
The wound William suffered at Eutaw Springs left him crippled forlife. Family accounts claim William's father and brother were alsoRev. War soldiers and were present at the battle in which William waswounded. He never saw either of them again, and they were preseumed tohave died in the war. This would appear to be incorrect as the serviceof his father and brother are well documented.

William was pensioned on Oct 18, 1818 while living in Coshocton Co.,OH at $8.00 per month.

According to a pension application for William dated Oct. 15, 1832,William renews his pension claiming he has been falsely removed fromthe pensioners list. In this he claims he enlisted as private in 1780at Winchester, VA as a private in Capt. Oldham's Co., under Col.Campbell, he thinks, in the 7th Rgt. (Virginia Line), under thecommand of Gen. Greene for a period of 18 mos. From this applicationhe is issued a pension in the amount of $60 per annum, and adding inarrears payments, his first payment is for $120.
A letter from the War Dept. dated Jan. 18, 1929, says William was bornin 1760, and enlisted in 1780 as stated above. It goes on to stateWilliam fought in the battles of Guilford Court House, Camden, NinetySix, and Eutaw Springs, where he received a severe wound in his leg.He was then sent to a hospital in Charlotte, then to Camden and wasthere discharged, June 3, 1782. His original pension was executed May18, 1818. And William is shown as dying Aug. 12, 1833.

The following is affidavit of Rev. War service sworn to by WilliamNorris in Coshocton County, OH Dec. 7, 1830 for purposes of pensionapplication (this record found in the DAR data file for William):
"I William Norris of the County of Coshocton in the State of Ohio, dohereby declare that I enlisted in the armies of the United States inthe Revolutionary War, in the Virginia Line at Winchester on the firstday of October A.D. 1780, under Capt. Oldham.
After receiving training at Winchester, we marched to Charlotte wherewe joined Colonel Campbells Regiment under General Green.
Then we marched to attack Cornwallis at Guildford Court House, where,after a severe engagement we retreated; in a few days, however, weattacked him again and drove him from that part of the country. Wethen marched to Camden, where we had a general engagement with LordBowden, in which the British gained the field. We marched next to Ft.Ninety-six and beseiged it for about three weeks. We attacked it, andafter a day's hard fighting we had to retreat, because the enemy got areinforcement to come on our rear.
A few days after this we followed the enemy to Eutah Springs, where wehad another general engagement; and were victorious; taking upward offour hundred prisoners. Here I was severely wounded having one of mylegs shivered to pieces, which disables me to this day. In theevening, when my stocking was cut off my wounded leg, three pieces ofbone stuck to it. In this battle, my Colonel and Captain were killed.My Lieutenant, Ensign and Drum Major were wounded. The battle beganabout 8'clock A.M. on the 8th day of September, 1781.
After I was wounded I was taken off the field and carried about 10 or12 miles to a church, where I was laid under the green trees for thenight. It was raining. The next morning, I was carried into the housewhere I lay three days and three nights without anything to eat, noreven having my wounds dressed. I was then taken to a general hospitalat Charlotte. The morning after, five doctors came in and wanted tocut off my leg, to which I did not agree, because I had seen manyothers have their legs cut off and die afterward. I was in thehospital at Charlotte until the middle of February, when I was takento the general hospital at Camden. Every day the doctors were pullingout pieces of bone from wound, until the middle of March, they got thelast pieace out. It was more than three years before the wound healed.
I remained at Camden until the 3rd of June when I started for home ina wagon via Charlotte where I got into another wagon, which brought mewithin 100 miles of home, which distance I walked on my crutches,arriving home on the 26th of June. I got my discharge when at thehospital at Charlotte from Capt. Dewitt, who took command of ourcompany after our officers were killed.
Signed, Wm. Norris, Dec. 7, 1830"

"The Lineage of William Norris and Sarah Ann Graves" by Daniel Thayer,et all contains the following:
"William Norris, Sr. was among the earliest settlers of CoshoctonCounty. Coming here in 1809 with some of his sons. He was born in thestate of Virginia and was a soldier in the Rev. War. He was the fatherof 21. No mention of any except those who were with him in 1809. [theWilliam Norris with 21 children was a different William Norris whoalso lived in Coshocton Co.]
"He died in Adams Townshiip on Aug. 12, 1833. Some of his Descendantsstill live there."
[The Thayer book goes on to give some details of William's ancestry.It claims his father, William Norris was born Dec. 21, 1739 and wasthe son of Thomas and Arvilla Norris. This differs from the researchconducted by others, but it is unclear which is correct. William, theelder, according to Thayer, enlisted in the Rev. War in Farquier Co.,VA with his sons Joseph and William (b. 1760), and that the youngerWilliam was wounded at the battle of Eutah Springs.]

From "The 1985 History of Coshocton County, Ohio" (Taylor Publishin,1985):
This portion from the early founders of Virginia Twp.:
"Other early settlers were Joseph Wright and his father-in-law, JosephMcCoy, 1806; James Norris, 1807; and his brother, Joseph, Daniel,William and his father, William, Sr., in 1806. All of the above camefrom Virginia."
This portion appears under the heading "Norris" is the family historyportion of the book:
"William Norris was born in Fairfax County, Virginia in 1752. Hisancestry can be traced back to Thomas Norris, an immigrant, who wasborn about 1608 in Congham County, Norfolk, England, and came toVirginia about 1630.[1]
"William, a Revolutionary War soldier, served in the Carolinas in the7th Virginia Regiment under Captain Oldham, Colonel Richard Campbell,and General Nathaniel Greene. He fought in the battles of GuilfordCourthouse, Ninety-Six, Hobkirk's Hill, and Eutaw Springs, where hewas wounded. Prior to 1783, he married Sarah Ann Graves, daughter ofJohn Graves of Virginia. In the early 1800s, they migrated to Ohio,and about 1809, settled in Coshocton County, where he engaged infarming. He died 12 August 1833. Sarah survived him and died 20 April1842. Their graves in the Millfork Baptist Church Cemetery werededicated at a DAR ceremony on 22 September 1981..." [sketch then goeson to name William's children]
[1]This part is incorrect, and the compiler, Joseph W. House, appearsto be basing his information of the oft reported claim that Williamwas the son of William Norris and Hannah Bell. We know, see below,that this is not true. While William may descend from the Thomasmentioned above, we cannot know for sure until his father is firmlyidentified. The sketch also mentions William was born in Fairfax Co.,VA. I have not seem this claim before, and cannot speak to itsvalidity. I have seen Frederick Co, Rockingham Co, and Fauquier Co, VAlisted as birthplaces, any of which are close to where William livedbefore coming to OH.]

Between 1815 and 1824 William deeded 50 acres each to his children,William, Daniel, Polly (actually to her husband Alexander Slaughter),Samuel, and Joseph. No records of any land given to James, Sarah, orNancy.

On the 1820 US Census for Washington Twp., Coshocton Co., OH (p. 30A),William Norris, Sr., is living next to his son William, Jr., and twolistings away for his son Daniel. There are 4 people in the household.Males: 16-18 = 1, 16-26 = 1, Over 45. Females: 10-16 = 1, Over 45 = 1.Two people are working in agriculture.

On the 1830 US Census for Virginia Twp., Coshocton Co., OH (p. 011),William Norris, Sr. is a head of household with 3 people in the home.Those listed are 1 male 20-30, 1 male 60-70 (William), and 1 female60-70 (Sarah).
Within a few listings of William are his sons James, William, Jr.,Joseph, and Daniel (on the following page), and there are a number ofsurnames like Graves, Ogle, Slaughter, and Wright which figure intothe Norris family tree.

Please note: that William Norris, Daniel Norris, Joseph McCoy, aswell as William and Joseph's sons are shown on the 1820 census asliving in Washington Township in Coshocton County, Ohio, but are allin Virginia Twp. in 1830. This is due to boundary line changes. Whenthe families first settled in Ohio (c.1807-1808), the land wasactually in Jefferson Township of Muskingum County. Coshocton Countywas not formed until 1811, and the area in which the Norris and McCoyfamilies lived was in Washington County, Ohio. In 1828 a separatetownship was formed and called Virginia in honor of the home state ofmany of its settlers.

Coshocton deed records show William disposing of 250 acres of landover a period of nine years, all for "love and affection" to hischildren. On June 21, 1815, 50 acres went to Joseph and Patty Norris.On July 4, 1818, 50 acres went to Alexander Slaughter (husband of MaryNorris). On Jan. 19, 1819, 50 acres went to Daniel Norris. On Dec. 5,1820, 50 acres went to William Norris, Jr. On Sept. 9, 1824, 50 acresto Samuel Norris.

William Norris's will, filed in Coshocton Co. on Oct 28, 1833, Williamleft his entire estate to his wife Sarah Norris. She signed the finalpapers in Aug 1835. The executor of the will his son, Daniel Norris.

The works by Daniel Thayer, et al, say that William and Sarah wereburied in a now abandoned cemetery SW of Coshocton, OH. Mary Corder,as reported on World Connect, claims they were buried in Mill ForkCemetery, Coshocton County, Ohio. What apparently occurred is thegraves were moved at a later time. I am looking for data on this move.

William and Sarah were buried in a small cemetery that becameabandoned over the years. In 1981 their graves were located on thefarm of Merle Cox. Then a group of Norris descendants organized arelocation. William and Sarah's gravestones were repaired and moved tothe Millfork cemetery with a dedication being held in Sept. 1981.
_____________________________

A Discussion of William Norris's lineage...

From this point and backward in the Norris tree, I am a bit suspect.Many researchers put the parents of William Norris (husband of SarahAnn Graves) as William Norris and Hannah Bell. The only problem withthis is that it does not fit the story in the Thayer & Knisley booksas mentioned. Also the DAR Patriot Index lists the elder WilliamNorris's birthplace as England. This would go against the data which Ihave received from others and which is out there on the web. It isquite possible this is the correct line, but I have yet to find aresearcher who can reconcile the very glaring problems with this line.I include the date here for investigative purposes only. I have askednumerous other researchers for some definitive documentation for thisconnection, but no one has provided any. This makes me a bit dubious.It seems everyone want to accept this connection, and no one wants itquestioned. I would welcome any material which could prove or disprovethis link once and for all. To the contrary, I have actually receiveda number of messages from individuals with proof that our WilliamNorris was NOT the son of William Norris and Hannah Bell

The DAR Application of Eulalia Compton Hamilton (#461322) shows thatthe William Norris, father of the William Norris that married SarahAnn Graves, was born Dec. 29, 1739 in Baltimore Co., MD. Just toconfuse matters more.

I received the following correspondence from a woman named JulieBroaddus of Virginia. Julie has no stake in the lineage of WilliamNorris. She lives in an old historic home near Warrenton, VA, andresearched the origins and history of the home in which she lives. Thefollowing is from her email:
"Hello, I read on rootsweb about your confusion about William Norris(husband of Sarah Ann Graves). I do not believe he is the son ofWilliam Norris and Hannah Bell. William and Hannah lived in our housein Fauquier County Va near Warrenton. In William's 1802 will he refersto his son William as follows: "It is also my desire that my sonWilliam should live with one of my children, and that my executors seethat he is treated with good and humane treatment else to remove himto some of my other children that will use him well." His portion ofhis inheritance was put in trust for him. He could hardly have beenthe father of 8 children - including twins in 1803 - just one yearafter this will was written. I believe that the William Norris whomarried Sarah Ann Graves is a completely different William Norris fromthe one who lived in Fauquier County Va. son of William Bell andHannah Norris."
Julie subsequently sent me a copy of the will in question and itproves that our William was not the son of this William Norris. Theyounger William in this will appears to be an invalid or handicappedin some fashion, certainly not the man who would settle with his ownfamily in Ohio.
**I will leave this discussion in my database until I can prove thereal parentage of William Norris. This information may be useful toothers sucked in to the same false assumptions.

Father: William Norris
Marriage 1 Sarah Ann Graves b: 18 AUG 1768 in Frederick County,Virginia
Married: 1783 in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia
Children
James M. Norris b: 11 SEP 1783 in Rockingham County, Virginia
Joseph Norris b: 7 FEB 1786 in Rockingham County, Virginia
Nancy Norris b: 1792 in Rockingham County, Virginia
Daniel Norris b: 10 JAN 1795 in Rockingham County, Virginia
William Norris , Jr. b: 3 MAY 1797 in Rockingham County, Virginia
Mary Norris b: 30 JUN 1799 in Rockingham County, Virginia
Samuel Norris b: 1 MAY 1803 in Rockingham County, Virginia
Sarah Norris b: 1 MAY 1803 in Rockingham County, Virginia
Sources:Title: US Rev. War Pension Records

William married Sarah Ann Graves in 1783 in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia. Sarah (daughter of John Graves) was born on 18 Aug 1763 in Frederick County, Virginia; died on 20 Apr 1842 in Coshocton County, Ohio. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
Name: Sarah Ann Graves
Gender: female
Birth Place: VA
Birth Year: 1763
Spouse Name: William Norris
Spouse
Birth Place: VA
Spouse Birth Year: 1752
Marriage State: VA
Number Pages: 1
Source Citation: Source number: 24.000; Source type: ElectronicDatabase; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: ELW. Yates Publishing.U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line].Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004.

Notes:

NOTE: The information gathered below is believed to be as close tothe actual known information on the family that is fairly accurate.

SOURCE: BOOK: HISTORY OF COSHOCTON COUNTY, OHIO: ITS PAST AND PRESENT 1740--1881, COMPILED BY N.N. HILL, JR., NEWARK, OHIO: A.A. GRAHAM &CO., PUBLISHERS 1881, PAGE 611, PARA. 5; CONTRIBUTED BY, JOAN SHEETSOF COSHOCTON COUNTY, OHIO THROUGH PERSONAL MAIL CORRESPONDENCE TO THISCOMPILER-SANDRA LEE ELKINS JUHL OF ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, ILLINOIS ONWEDNESDAY, JULY 30TH, 2008: "James Norris, also from Virginia, camein 1807, and settled upon the southwest quarter of section 14. Thenext year his brothers, Joseph, Daniel and William, and his father,William Norris moved out. The latter settled upon the southeastquarter of section 14. Joseph occupied lot 16, just above. Josephand James had married sisters of Joseph Wright, in Virginia. Danieland William Jr., married daughters of Joseph McCoy. These threefamilies, the Wright's, Norrises, and McCoy's, have intermarried inthis township to a considerable extent, so as to render it impossibleto determine the various relationships to each and every other memberof the three families. The families are still numerously representedin the township. William Norris, Sr., was a soldier in therevolutionary war." [Transcribed 07 August 2008, SLJuhl, Compiler;sljuhl1234@yahoo.com]

William married Martha Middleton in 1750 in Maryland. Martha was born about 1725 in Unknown; died in 1775 in Berkley County, Virginia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

*John married Ann Wheatley in 1717 in Maryland. Ann (daughter of John Wheatley and Elizabeth Unknown) died in 1766 in Possibly Virginia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]