Eunice (Shinn) Norris (abt. 1780 - 1870)

Ancestors Descendants

Contents 1 Biography 2 Research Notes 3 Sources 4 Acknowledgments

Biography

Eunice Shinn was born in Surry County,North Carolina, on January 5, 1780. She was the daughter of Samuel Shinn and Anna Branson.^[1][2][3]

She was married about 1805 to William Simon Norris,in Wilkes County, He was the son of John Norris and Anne Gilbert. ^[1]

The family lived in the Meat Camp area of Watauga County for many years,^[2]

Eunice passed away February 15, 1876, in Meat Camp, Watauga County. She was buried in the Meat Camp Baptist Cemetery, in Meat Camp, Watauga County.^{[1] [3]}

Research Notes

In an e-mail from Beverly Horttor 20 Nov 2007 she writes:

"Mr. Allen L. Poe of Lenoir, North Carolina, did research on the Shinn family. He disagreed with the author of the Shinn Genealogy on some points. This author seemed unaware of the Wilkes County, North Carolina Shinn family. Mr. A. Poe says Samuel was the only Shinn who lived in Wilkes County, and they lived neighbors to the John Standley family. Mr. Poe knows that section of North Carolina as a farmer boy would know the old wood lot, and he knew the descendants of Eunice Shinn, who was Rebecca's sister. Mr. Poe sent the following anecdote of Eunice Shinn, the younger sister of Rebecca Standley.

'Eunice Shinn was a younger sister of your Rebecca. William Norris was a young mountain farmer of some property. He lived on Meat Camp Creek in Ashe (no Watauga) County. When Samuel Shinn and his family including Eunice, migrated to Tennessee in the autumn of 1801, their path took them over the mountains through the Meat Camp section. As they passed the Methodist meeting house on Meat Camp, they found a funeral in progress, and stopped to attend. The deceased was Hannah Case, wife of young William Norris. She had died after only a few years of marriage, leaving an infant daughter. According to the story, William Norris made the strangers welcome, and when his eye fell on Eunice, he vowed to himself that here was his next wife. He is supposed to have explained the matter immediately to Eunice, telling her that he required a wife to take care of his house and his baby daughter, and proposed on the spot. Eunice accepted, and six weeks later William Norris went to Tennessee and brought Eunice back as his ride.'

This story may sound far-fetched, but it was vouched for by Eunice's grand-daughter, Mrs. Rebecca Tester, who was a grown young woman when Eunice died, and had the story direct from her. Eunice died at 96, Mrs. Tester at 99. Thus it was possible for the story to come to me only sec:ond-hand, in spite of the lapse of a century and a half."

NOTE: While “Roy Norris Travels to Wilson in Search of Family Tree” by Carrena Wilson states that Samuel Norris’ mother was a full blooded Cherokee princess, it was actually another sister-in-law, (Rebecca Chambers-Norris).

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 12 September 2020), memorial page for Eunice “Unicy” Shinn Norris (5 Jan 1780–15 Feb 1870), Find A Grave: Memorial #37908096, citing Meat Camp Baptist Church Cemetery, Meat Camp, Watauga County, North Carolina, USA ; Maintained by Harvey Norris (contributor 47136459)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} U S Federal Census - 1850. 1860, 1870
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} North Carolina Historical Record Survey; Cemetery Inscription Card Index 1700-2018; birth 1/8/1780; burial Meat Camp Baptist Cemetery 2/15/1876

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 12 September 2020), memorial page for Eunice “Unicy” Shinn Norris (5 Jan 1780–15 Feb 1870), Find A Grave: Memorial #37908096, citing Meat Camp Baptist Church Cemetery, Meat Camp, Watauga County, North Carolina, USA ; Maintained by Harvey Norris (contributor 47136459)
• Census 1850 Watauga County, North Carolina; Age: 69-70
• Census 1860 Meat Camp Township, Watauga County, North Carolina Age: 79-8
• Census 1870 Meat Camp Township, Watauga County, North Carolina; : Age: 89-90

Acknowledgments

• Profile Shinn-497 was created through the import of 8gd725_7494185825b708dfa1ur4x 1-12-13update.ged on Jan 12, 2013 by Russell King.