Gilbert Norris (abt. 1780 - aft. 1870)

Born about 1780 in Ashe County, North Carolina

Ancestors

Husband of Rachel (Chambers) Norris — married 1799 in Ashe County, North Carolina

Descendants

Died after 1870 after about age 90 in Oak Hill, Overton County, Tennessee

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Biography

Gilbert Norris was a farmer and a self-taught stone mason. Although it was not proven, his wife, Rachel, was one-fourth blood Cherokee. According to Wilma (Hedrick) Martin, and family legend, he was called "squawman" by the white neighbors in the area. They lived and farmed in Wilkes County, North Carolina, for many years. All eleven of their children were born there. In late 1835, the family emigrated to Overton County, Tennessee. Gilbert bought a homestead near Matthew's Creek Branch off the Roaring River, near the community of Oak Hill. He purchased the 180 acre farm of Samuel Finley January 24, 1839. His closest neighbor being a William Oakley. Rachel (Chambers) Norris died in 1846. Gilbert was married second to Emmaline Hammoc about 1847. They had two children, Gilbert and Martha. In October, 1869, a Robert Oakley was appointed guardian of Gilbert and Martha in the estate of William Oakley, deceased. According to notes found in the possession of a descendant, Herndon Norris, Gilbert lived to be 94 years old. He was living in the 1870 US Census for Overton County, Tennessee, in the Fifth District with his daughter, Martha. He was buried with his wives in unmarked graves in what is now called the Wells Cemetery near Oak Hill. The cemetery was described by a granddaughter of Martha Norris England, Vallie England Dishman in 1993: "I have been to a real old cemetery in Oak Hill, Tennessee, where my grandma Martha D. Norris is buried. The sons of hers use to keep a little house built over her grave for years but it rotted away. Each time I go, more stones are missing each time. Some were the tent-type (cairns) and a lot at first time I went but last time it had been sowed in grass seed and cattle roamed about. Its on top of a hill, a beautiful spot once you get up to it and about 6 or 8 oak trees are among the graves. They are getting old and limbs were falling."

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.2.1/9388-7BD

Second Spouse
Emmaline Hammoc
birth: about 1817
Virginia
death: about 1865
Oak Hill, Overton County, Tennessee

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.2.1/9388-CSK

Father
John Norris
birth: 20 October 1750
Lunenberg County, Virginia
death: from 1835 to 1845
McMinn County, Tennessee

Father and Mother of John Norris above
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.2.1/9388-DQ1
John Norris , Jr.
birth: 1710
death: from 1776 to 1777

Jane Unknown (Cammell?)
birth: from 1716 to 1726
death: from 1791 to 1792

Alt info (from Norris-1675):

birth location: Wilkes County

death date: about 1874 ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 13 December 2020), memorial page for Thomas Gilbert Norris (1780–1873), Find A Grave: Memorial #46679501, citing Wells Cemetery, Oak Hill, Overton County, Tennessee, USA ; Maintained by Bobby and Carol Babin Estes (contributor 46900498).

See also:

• Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed May 21, 2017), "Record of John Norris", Ancestor # A084413.