NORRIS, JAMES R., railroad contractor,
Fairfield, was born September 6, 1838, in Kennebec County, Me.
He is a son of G K. Norris,
also a native of Maine. where he farmed. When the war cloud of the
rebellion overspread our beautiful country, he volunteered to protect
the stars and stripes of the Union, and as Captain of the Seventh Maine
Regiment of Infantry Volunteers, Company K, he rendered valuable
service to his country. He died, 1883, in the house of his birth. His
father, James Norris, was a
native of New Hampshire; he died in Monmouth, Me. He was a soldier in
the Revolutionary war; was made a prisoner by the Indians, allowed one
grain of corn a day for rations, but finally made good his escape.
After the war, he went to Maine, where he engaged in farming and the
lumber business. When the war of 1812 broke out, he raised a company,
and as its Captain did some valuable service, but died at his home
before the close of the war. He was married to Ruth Dearborn, a native of New
Hampshire. She died in 1848, in Monmouth, Me. , aged eighty-four years.
She was a niece of Maj. Gen. Henry
Dearborn, of Revolutionary fame.
The mother of our subject, Hannah
E. (Judkins) Norris, was a native of Monmouth. Me., where she
died in 1875. She was a daughter of Jonathan
and Sylvia (Fairbanks) Judkins. He was a native of New
Hampshire, and she of Maine. Ten children called her mother, of whom
eight reached maturity, viz., George W.,
also a railroad contractor; Emma and
Hannah and Henry K. are deceased. James R., our subject, Charles D., Superintendent of the C.
H. V. & T. R. R. in Ohio; Augusta
M. and Greenleaf D.,
deceased.
Our subject was educated in Monmouth, Me., and Baltimore, Md. Early
in life, he turned his attention to railroading, which has been his
vocation in life, doing his first work for the M. & C. R. R.
Company, of Ohio. Since then he has done contractor's work in Ohio,
Kentucky and Illinois. In December, 1861, he enlisted in the Second
Regiment District of Columbia Volunteer Infantry, Company G, serving
one year, after which he was honorably discharged by the Regimental
Surgeon for disability.
He was joined in matrimony, September 15, 1874, in Wayne County,
III., to Miss Melvina A. Brach.
born in 1854, in Beaver County, Penn. She is a daughter of Albert and Barbara Brach, the former
a native of Prussia, and the latter of Lorain. Three children are the
result of this happy union, viz., Edith
A., deceased; Greenleaf A.,
born October 14, 1877; and Mabel A.,
born October 26, 1881.
Mr. and Mrs. Norris are members of the Presbyterian Church. He is a
member of the A. F. & A. M. fraternity, Blue Lodge, Royal Arch,
Council and Encampment, also G. A. R.
| Visit Our Neighbors | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion | Clay | Richland | |
| Jefferson |
 |
Edwards | |
| Franklin | Hamilton | White | |
