William Norris (1757 - abt. 1844)

Born 31 Mar 1757 in Johnston, Province of North Carolina

Husband of Nancy (Watkins) Norris — married 6 Feb 1792 in Wilkes County, Georgia, United States

Descendants

Died about 5 May 1844 at about age 87 in Harris County, Georgia, United States

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Biography

Georgia Marriages, 1699-1944 ^[1]

Find-a-Grave

Revolutionary War Veteran. ∼ William was the son of Josiah William and Phyllis Ann Barton, she was born 1732 and died 1804. Josiah is also buried in Harris County. William married Nancy Watkins 17 Feb 1792 in Wilkes County, GA. They had 12 children. The patriot's first enlistment was May 1777 and he served as a Private until 1778 under Capt. Goodman in Malmedy's North Carolina regiment. In the Fall of 1781 he served three months as a Lieutenant under Captain Kingston. He re-enlisted 10 Aug 1782 as a Private in Capt. John Graham's company. He served in the battles of Brier Creek, Georgia, Stono and Camden, SC. From SAR

From a Rigdon descendant:

He had at least one and possibly two other wives (and other children?) Watkins was his 3rd wife. 1st wife was Sarah Rigdon, hence the name of his first son: Rigdon Norris. Sarah was my 8th great aunt.

William and Nancy had the following children:

1. Rigdon b 1793 Wilkes Co. Ga. 2. Olive Norris Morris b 1794 b Oglethorpe Co. 3. Serena Norris Clark b 1796 Oglethorpe Co. Ga. 4. Selina Norris Bankston b 1796 Oglethorpe Co. Ga. 5. Joseph Evans b 1798 Oglethorpe Co. Ga. 6. Young Reece b 1799 Oglethorpe 7. William Hutchinson b 25 May 1800 Oglethorpe 8. James b 1802 Oglethorpe 9. Sarah McElroy Norris Anderson b 1805 Oglethorpe 10. John M. b 1808 Oglethorpe 11. Nancy Holman Norris Cleveland b 20 Jan 1809 12. Harris Franklin b 15 Jul 1812 Jasper Co. Ga.

Pension Certificate #29694 was issued 30 January 1835 for his Revolutionary War service. From GBK

Obituary of William Norris that was published in the Christian Index on April 26 1844:

Another Revolutionary gone. Captain William Norris, of this place, died on the 5th day of April 1844. He was 87 years and a few days old; he had been a worthy citizen through a long life - for the last 42 years, he has been a member of the Baptist Church.

William was born May 31, 1757. He is the son of Josiah Norris and Ann Unknown

He married Nancy Watkins, Feb.6m1792, Wilks,Georgia.daughter of Rhease Watkins. ^[2]

He passed away, April 5,1844, Harris ,Georgia.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Original data: Georgia marriage information taken from county courthouse records. Many of these records were extracted from copies of the original records in microfilm, microfiche, or book format, located at the Family History Library. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/142843:7839?ssrc=pt&tid=150897287&pid=272005708965

   Name: William Norris

   Spouse: Nancy Watkins

   Marriage Date: 6 Feb 1792

   County: Wilkes

   State: Georgia

2. ↑ "Georgia Marriages, 1808-1967", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWZM-LH8 : 12 January 2020), William Norris, 1792.
3. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVR-N1Q3 : 9 June 2021), William Norris, ; Burial, Cataula, Harris, Georgia, United States of America, Rock Baptist Church Cemetery; citing record ID 25638641, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

• Find a Grave, database and images https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25638641/william-norris: accessed 15 August 2022), memorial page for Lieut William Norris (31 May 1757–5 Apr 1844), Find a Grave Memorial ID 25638641, citing Rock Baptist Church Cemetery, Cataula, Harris County, Georgia, USA; Maintained by Michael Dover (contributor 46924123).