Norton, Miller, McNeil, Cook, Bartle, Hosford, CT>OH>MO
The following is the introduction transcribed from a document left with my wife's family, and recently discovered. The entire document is online at http://genealogytrails.com/mo/pettis/family_norton.htmhttp://genealogytrails.com/mo/pettis/family_norton.htm
It is titled:
Jottings of the Norton's and his own life by William D. Norton, Sedalia, Mo., written in 1907 and 1908.
In the year 1820, my Father (Ebenezer Miles Norton) having had a spell of sore eyes, and not feeling robust attended one or two terms of school at Litchfield Highschool, Connecticut, and while there Judge Holmes was seeking somebody to assist him in surveying some land he had bought in Ohio, and as Father was anxious to see the West, (as Ohio was then called the West) he thought it a good chance to go. When he told Captain Norton (his Father) he was going to Ohio, grandfather said, it would be better for Father to stay and finish his education, and at the sane time he could look after the old farm, and his Father proposed he would go in Father's place, and if grandfather liked the country, he could sell out the old farm, and all go to Ohio; so as proposed grandfather went instead of Father.
In about 1822, grandfather had come back from Ohio, sold the old Litchfield Connecticut farm, and in company with my Father and his brother Frederick, started for Ohio. Uncle William D. Norton, my Father's oldest brother, was then with his uncle, David McNeil, in Vienna, now called Phelps, New York, and also a younger brother, Isaac McNeil Norton, was there, clerking for his Uncle, David McNeil Their Uncle, David McNeil was engaged with Bartle in the manufacturing of axes, and finally in the transportation of goods. They owned a steamboat which they decided to sell, and Uncle William D. Norton went down to Albany and after selling the steamboat, was found the next morning, dead in bed at a hotel (supposed to have been apoplexy). His Uncle, David McNeil, died soon after and he was found to be insolvent and his property was sold at a sacrifice. In the meantime, my father with his brother Frederick, and their own Father had gone on to Ohio, where they found their log cabin built and five acres of land cleared, as had been previously arranged by our Grandfather.
That same fall, 1822, Grandfather went back to Connecticut and completed the arrangements. On the first night of their arrival, they stayed with Thomas Cook who lived about a mile from their home. Thomas Cook had looked after the building of this house and the clearing of the five acres of land and had the logs piled and brush ready for burning. In the spring of 1823 they started bringing the remainder of his family to Ohio, namely, Grandmother, my father's younger brothers, Birdsey Baldwin, Elisha Andrus, Samuel Erastus, Lauren Corodon, and their sister Lucinda; also taking with them Grandfather's foster mother, Granny Hosford, who was nearly eighty years old.
The Judge Holmes' tract of land was laid off in five mile squares, each called a township, and each township was laid off in twenty-five lots of one hundred acres each, and the center of each township was to be the post-office, called the Center, but section and one-fourth section or in thirty-six squares of three hundred and twenty, acres each, interfered with the old Connecticut Western Reserve, and could not make the lines meet nor make roads agree, hence plenty of disputes and crooked roads.
The land chosen by Captain Norton was on the south part of the Reserve, and south part of Medina Co., Westfield Township, Ohio. My Father bought of his Father one hundred acres, and was to pay for it in work, $2.50 per acre. This land joined on Wayne Co. which was layed off in squares of six miles each and hence could not make roads to suit end of township lines, and many farms were cut up with roads. Father's one hundred was cut north and south by road leaving about 15 acres east of road and 85 west of road. My Father built his house on the west side of the road, while the house built by my grandfather was built on the east of the road, the road also cutting off 8 or 10 acres from the one hundred leaving 90 acres on the west.
Grandfather put out most of his land east of road in fruit trees, and lived in his log house until my Father left home, in 1827. Then grandfather built west of the road, and soon after this, grandfather died leaving grandmother to live with uncle Birdsey, grandmother having owned one hundred acres of this home, had deeded it to Uncle Birdsey for her,and grandfather's maintenance, as long as they lived.
Grandma often spun yarn and made mittens, and kept her grandchildren supplied with mittens and each pair was tied together with a woolen cord to hang about the neck, but often it would break and then one mitten would be lost. She would then make another with a new cord and in the winter we kept her quite busy.
Grandmother Norton had lots of geese and each month would pick them, then we boys would catch the geese for her to pick. She had a muzzle to put over the mouth of the geese so they could not bite her when picking feathers. Sometimes the old gander would show fight and bite us boys before we could put on the muzzle which would leave a black and blue spot, but it was real fun for us. She also had some sheep; Uncle Birdsey getting one-half the wool and one-half of the increase; with her wool she would card, spin and knit mittens.
About 1832, Grandmother proposed to change my name from Charles William, Norton to William David Norton, giving my former name to my infant brother calling him Charles Frederick Norton; William David being the full name of her eldest son and Charles Frederick being the full name of her fourth son. She also gave the eldest son of Uncle Birdsey the full name of one of her sons, Samuel Erastus. At about that time she decided to give each of her grandchildren a ewe sheep.
The names of our Grandparents were Miles (or Capt. Miles Norton, for he was the captain of a company in 1812, but having broken a leg, the first Lieutenant took his place). His wife's name was Lois McNeil. They were married in 1797, and had ten children, the oldest William David (after whom I was named) born in 1797, Ebenezer Miles, (my Father) born 1799, Isaac McNeil (after whom my brother Mack was named) born in 1802, Birdsey Baldwin, born 1807, Charles Frederick, (after whom my brother was named) born 1805, Elisha Andrus, born 1810, (I see Charles Frederick should have come before Birdsey Baldwin) Samuel Erastus the 1st, born 1812, (died in infancy) Lois Lucinda, born 1814, Samuel Erastus the 2d, born 1816, and Lauren Coroden, born 1820. All lived to be grown except Samuel Erastus the 1st, and five lived to be over eighty years old, my father over ninety, three lived to celebrate their golden wedding, viz.: Ebenezer Miles (my Father) Isaac McNeil, and Samuel Erastus. Like their Father three of my uncles had red (or sandy hair;) the oldest and the youngest and also Uncle Isaac McNeil.
My uncle, William David Norton, married Charlotte Melissa, Whitemore; they had one daughter who died in infancy. My Father, Ebenezer Miles Norton, married Susanah Miller, in 1827, had eight children;
Dewitt ClintonB.1828.
William DavidB.1830.
Charles FrederickB.1832,
Isaac McNeilB.1834
Elisha NewtonB. 1836.
James MillerB.1842.
Eliza MelissaB.1845.
James DewittB.1848.
They all lived to be grown but James Miller, and Dewitt James, but only three are now; living. William David (myself) seventy-eight years old, and Elisha Newton, seventy-two, and Eliza Melissa sixty-three, William David (myself) and my brother, Elisha Newton both live on our farms adjoining each other, but William David has divided his farm among his children who now have possession, but Elisha Newton still holds his property in his own name. My sister, Eliza M. Browning lives in Chicago. Her husband is in the mail service. Dr. Arthur Norton Mackey, her son by her first husband, lives with them.
Uncle Isaac McNeil Norton married a southern lady, by the name of Eliza Edmundson; they had four children, their first Louisa married a man by the name of Daniel Brown, who lived in Janesville, Wisconsin, second Elizabeth McNeil Norton, married William Porter, and lived in Seville, Medina county, Ohio and had three children, first named Medwin Porter, second Minnie Porter and third, Edna Porter. The third of Uncle Isaac's children was named Ruth Ann, married Robert F. Paige, he dying after one year of marriage and leaving one daughter, Adelaide. Ruth afterward lived with her daughter, Adelaide, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The fourth child was John Thomas Norton, who was in business with his Father at Hastings, Nebraska, married Delphine McMellin, who had three children, Charles McNeil Norton, William Cuyler and Laura May.
Uncle Charles Frederick died in early manhood at Phelps, New York, while studying for the methodist ministry.
Birdsey Baldwin Norton married Emily Miranda Ward, and had six children namely; Samuel Erastus, born 1834, Charles William, born 1836, George Baldwin, born 1839, Lauren David, born 1842, John Hibbard, born 1845, died 1847, and Amelia, born 1848. Birdsey Baldwin married his second wife, Clarissa Rogers, 1856, and had one child named Ida Clarissa born 1858.
Elisha Andrus married Sylvia Ward, 1837, had seven children, Miles E., Isaac, Lois, Charlotte, William 1st, William 2d, and Charles. Miles married Catherine Fullerton, 1861, Lois married David Fisher, 1859; Isaac married Martha Hutchison, 1861, Charlotte married Thomas Fitch 1860. The others died in infancy.
Lois Lucinda married Lambert Cook 1832, had three children. Sophronia married Dentin Dowd (they had no children). Melinda died in childhood. Charles Cook married Addie Cook (no relation) in 1872, She died leaving a son Frederick E. born 1873. He married Estella Martin, of Seville, Ohio, and had three children, Beatrice, Audrey Bessie, and Kenneth, Audrey Bessie dying at the age of four years. Charles Cook married his second wife Ida J. Hayes; they had two children, Lottie and Kirk.
Samuel Erastus married Aner Crane, and lived in Phelps, New York, and had five children, three of whom lived to be grown. The first was Charles C. Norton, born 1846, married Loa McLead in 1781. Had one daughter who died in infancy. Loa died in 1873 and Charles married the second time Wilhelmina Frances in 1879. They had three children, Charles Francis born 1880, Emily Crane born 1882; William Augustus born in 1888. William David Norton, born in 1850, married Linda Jackson in 1874; they had two children, William Jackson born in 1880; Charles Crane born in 1882. Carso Crane Norton born in 1851, married Carrie B. Morse, in 1880; they had five children, three of who lived to be grown; Eva Grace born 1883; Mary Elizabeth, born in 1887, and Ednah Lois born in 1889.
Lauren Corodon, married Urania Ward in 1844; had six children that lived to be grown; Maria Louise Norton, born in 1845; married William Cosselman; had one daughter who lived to be grown, Mary Urania Cosselman, born 1878, married George E. Merriman; in 1898; they had two children, Winifred Julia, born 1901, Westley Delebert, born 1907. (here there were four that died in childhood) The oldest son, Luke Ward Norton was born in 1852, married Alfrona Bair 1880; they had five children, Marian Birdsey, born in 1881, second Pearl Norton, born 1882, married Fred Washburn in 1909; Cora Belle Norton born in 1885; Edna Norton, born 1890, married H. I. Haines, 1913; Hazel Norton, born 1896.
2d son, Perry S. Norton, born May 17, 1854; married Elizabeth Lucas, had seven children, the daughters were Anna, Ida and Mary, sons were, Miles, Samuel, Charles and Leonard.
3rd son, David Byron Norton, born May 4, 1856; married Mary Gearhart, had eight children. Daughters were Daisy Pearl, Eva, Clara and Golden May. The sons were Earl, Clark Loyd and Ralph.
4th son, John Eddie Norton, born December 17, 1858; married Electa Hartman, had two sons, Jesse and Lauren.
5th son, William Ebenezer Norton, born January 23, 1861; married Elmira Burdick, had six children. The daughters were, Grace, Harriet, Minnie and Bessie. The sons were William and Perry.