| 8. | George Norton, I was born in 1609 in England; died in 1659 in Wenham, Essex, Massachusetts, USA. Other Events:
- Residence: 1629, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, USA
- Residence: 1640, Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA
Notes:
George Norton, born in England, emigrated with Higginson to Salem in 1629. Took the freeman's oath May 14, 1634. There is some evidence that he was a carpenter by trade. Was connected with a company who obtained leave from General Court to settle Jeffrey's Creek in 1640, afterwards called Manchester. Removed to Gloucester about 1641. Was representative of that town 1642-3-4. Moved back to Salem 1644. Was dismissed
from church at Gloucester to church at Wenham Sept. 21, 1645. Married Mary . He died 1659.
[Norton. Some descendants of John Norton of Branford, 1622-1709. 1909]
ORIGIN: Unknown
MIGRATION: 1629
FIRST RESIDENCE: Salem
REMOVES: Gloucester 1642, Wenham 1645, Salem
OCCUPATION: Carpenter. Innkeeper ("George Norton licensed to keep an ordinary upon the road where he dwells, and to sell strong waters to travellers," 29 June 1658 [EQC 2:100]; license renewed, 28 June 1659 [EQC 2:164]).
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: Included in list of Salem church members compiled late in 1636 (with later annotation "dead") [SChR 5]; admission prior to 14 May 1634 implied by freemanship. 13 April 1645: "George Norton, a member of the church at Gloucester, was admitted to participate" in communion at Wenham [Fiske Notebook 31]. On 21 September 1645 Gloucester church issued a letter of dismission for George Norton, and on 28 September Wenham church, after examining his spiritual state, admitted him to the covenant [Fiske Notebook 36-38].
FREEMAN: 14 May 1634 [MBCR 1:368].
EDUCATION: Signed inventory of Mary Hersome of Wenham, 2 September 1646 [EQC 1:106].
OFFICES: Essex jury, 27 March 1638, 25 June 1639, 30 June 1640 [EQC 1:7, 11, 19]. Deputy of the Salem marshal (apparently for Gloucester), 2 November 1642 [EQC 1:52]. Essex grand jury (for Salem), 24 November 1657 [EQC 2:58]. Essex trial jury, 28 June 1659 [EQC 2:157].
Gloucester deputy to General Court, 8 September 1642, 10 May 1643 [MBCR 2:22, 33]. Gloucester member of committee on bounds between Ipswich and Gloucester, 3 May 1642 [MBCR 2:4]. Commissioner to end small causes at Gloucester, 10 May 1643 [MBCR 2:35].
On 29 May 1644 it was "ordered, (at the request of the town of Glocester,) that George Norton (as their eldest sergeant) shall exercise their military company" [MBCR 2:67].
ESTATE: In the 1636 Salem land grant received forty acres "above Mr. Cole" (in the "freeman's" section of the list) [STR 1:20, 26]. In the 25 December 1637 Salem division of marsh received three-quarters of an acre, with a household of five [STR 1:102].
In response to a petition, the General Court on 13 May 1640 granted to a "company" of men, including "Geo: Norton," "Jeffryes Creek, and land to erect a village there" [MBCR 1:289].
On 30 January 1643[/4] twelve acres meadow in the Great Meadow at Wenham laid out according to "former grants to Richard Prince Sarah the now wife of Daniell Rumbull in the right of George Norton and John White" [STR 1:181].
On 29 November 1659 administration on the estate of George Norton was granted to his wife, Mary Norton. The inventory of the estate of George Norton was taken 22 September 1659 and totalled £134 11s. 6d., with no real estate included. Freegrace Norton and John Norton, children of George Norton, petitioned for division of the estate, mentioning mother Mary Norton, and listing the children: Freegrace, aged 24; John, aged 22; Nathaniel, aged 20; George, aged 18; Mary, aged 16; Mehittabell, aged 14; Sarah, aged 12; Hannah, aged 10; Abigaill, aged 8; and Ellizabeth, aged 5 [EPR 1:304].
BIRTH: By about 1610 based on estimated date of marriage.
DEATH: Between June 1659 (tavern license) and 22 September 1659 (inventory).
MARRIAGE: By about 1635 Mary ____; she was admitted to Salem church 4 September 1637 [SChR 7]. She married (2) Ipswich 27 February 1659[/60] Philip Fowler (with whom she defended her administration of George's estate, November Term 1665 [EQC 3:285]). (Seversmith dismisses the undocumented claim that she was Mary Machias; he also argues convincingly that the claim that Mary was sister of Bethia Cartwright of Salem derives from a misreading of the will of Bethia [TAG 15:194-95].)
CHILDREN:
i FREEGRACE, b. about 1635; m. Ipswich 3 August 16[58-62] Lydia Spencer.
ii JOHN, bp. Salem 2 October 1637 [SChR 16]; m. Salem 3 April 1660 Mary Sharp.
iii NATHANIEL, bp. Salem 29 May 1639 [SChR 17]; m. by about 1665 Mary Mills, daughter of Richard Mills (eldest child b. about 1665 [TAG 15:197]; Mary Norton, daughter of "Nathanael & Mary, & grandchild of Mr. Mils" who "was in communion in the elder church in Stratford" was bp. in the "younger" church in Stratford on 28 September 1673 [TAG 9:18; see also FOOF 1:411]).
iv GEORGE, bp. Salem 28 March 1641 [SChR 18]; m. (1) Ipswich 7 October 1669 Sarah Hart; m. (2) Windsor 14 June 1683 Mercy (Barber) Gillett [CTVR 52], widow of John Gillett (son of JONATHAN GILLETT) and daughter of Thomas Barber [Manwaring 1:94].
v MARY, b. Gloucester 28 February 1643; m. Ipswich 14 October 1664 Thomas Hart.
vi MEHITABLE, b. about 1645; m. Ipswich 20 December 1664 Samuel Adams.
vii SARAH, bp. Wenham 15 February 1646/7 [Fiske Notebook 49]; m. Ipswich [blank] Feb. 1678 Samuel Hart.
viii HANNAH, b. about 1649; living 1689 [TAG 15:196 (evidence not cited)].
ix ABIGAIL, b. about 1651; prob. m. Andover 30 March 1676 Samuel Martin.
x ELIZABETH, b. about 1654; prob. m. Ipswich 13 November 1676 Josiah Bridges. (She did not marry John Wainwright [TAG 30:18; NEHGR 13:230].)
COMMENTS: In their 17 April 1629 letter to John Endicott, in a section informing him of various settlers being sent over that year, the Massachusetts Bay Company included "one Norton, a carpenter, whom we pray you respect as he shall deserve" [MBCR 1:396]. This has been assumed, with good reason, to be George Norton, since George was later referred to as a carpenter.
George Norton was presented at Salem Court for "lying and subborning witnesses to scandalize the church of Wenham, to pay 20s. for two lies and seven witnesses three days, and to confess before the assembly met at Wenham in the meeting house, as follows: `I do confess and acknowledge that I have sinfully endeavored to justify myself and my turbulent and factious agitations against the just and orderly proceedings of the church against me for my sin in that I have incessantly labored out of the pride of my heart to gather up witnesses of all sorts to testify against the dealing of the church with me seeking thereby to lay a scandal upon the church which cannot but greatly tend to the dishonor of God and the reproach of religion.' Refusing to make this confession, to sit one hour in the stocks" [EQC 1:156]. (The misbehavior of George Norton was the principal matter of church business at Wenham throughout 1648 and 1649 [Fiske Notebook 57-88].)
At November Term 1665, Mary Norton's new husband, Philip Fowler, in her right as administratrix of George Norton's estate, successfully sued Roger Preston for an incompleted lease on John Endicott's farm called "Groton." Norton had leased it for ten years, beginning 1 March 1655/6 for £18 per year, and was to build a strong and sufficient house, "in every way like that of Mr. Tredwell at Ipswich, except Norton was to make catted chimneys instead of brick, and was to leave the house tenantable at the end of the term ... in consideration for which he was to have one year of the rent of the farm free" [EQC 3:286]. Roger Preston had agreed to take over the lease starting 14 March 1659/60, but was reluctant after the death of Norton in 1659.
Savage stated that between his residences at Gloucester and Wenham, George Norton resided briefly at Ipswich, but this was his son of the same name [TAG 15:196].
With regard to the baptism of daughter Mary in Gloucester in 1643, Savage made the peculiar statement "unless this were mistake, as to me seems probable for Henry" [Savage 3:291]. Since the list of children of George Norton does include a daughter Mary of the right age, but no Henry of any age, it is hard to understand what Savage intended here.
In his treatment of George Norton, Herbert F. Seversmith provided baptismal dates for the last two daughters from the Salem church [TAG 15:196]. The dates are correct, but the first of them is for a son John rather than daughter Abigail. These two baptisms, in 1651 for John and 1653 for Elizabeth, are for children of "Mr. Norton," who at this time in Salem would be Francis Norton.
BIBILIOGRAPHIC NOTE: In 1939 Herbert F. Seversmith compiled a sketch of the life and family of George Norton, along with an examination of Norton's possible English ancestry; Seversmith thought the derivation from the Nortons of Sharpenhoe, Bedfordshire, was unlikely [TAG 15:193-207].
[Anderson, Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-33]
Birth:
Dean, Bedford, England
George married Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
|
Hollier & Dufilho Family History
1703 - 
