Sedgwick County KSGenWeb

Portrait And Biographical Album of Sedgwick County, Kan.

Chapman Brothers 1888

Pages 661 - 662

JOHN S. NORRIS. Among the progressive and enterprising farmers and stock-raisers of Sedgwick County there are very few who are the peer of the subject of this biographical sketch. His residence is situated on section 22, Lincoln Township, where he is engaged principally in the stock business. He buys from 100 to 125 head of cattle at a time, and after fattening them ships them to market and disposes of them, and in this line of business is prospering to a remarkable degree. He is a native of Edgar County, Ill., where he was born Nov. 1, 1856, and the younger of a family of two children born to his parents, James and Easter (Barrett) Norris, natives of England and Indiana, who emigrated to America in 1832, and settled in Edgar County, Ill.

             Joseph and Mary (Harden) Norris, the paternal grandparents of our subject, were natives of England, where the former carried the staff of Constable for nine years. He was a member of the English militia at the beginning of the present century, when England was alarmed about an invasion of French troops. Edward and Margaret Cox, the maternal grandparents of our subject, were natives of Tennessee, who removed from that State to Indiana at an early day, where the grandmother died. The grandfather came to Illinois with the father of our subject, and died while a resident of that State, in 1868, at the advanced age of seventy-four years. The parents of the gentleman of whom we write were among the pioneers of that portion of Eastern Illinois where they settled, and his father having purchased some Government land in that locality, lived there for some forty years. In 1876 he came to Kansas and settled in this county, where he has remained ever since. The mother of our subject died in Illinois in 1858, and his father married again, and with his wife is still living on the homestead.

             The subject of this biographical notice received his education in the district schools in his native State in his boyhood days, and was reared upon a farm. In his early manhood he commenced agricultural pursuits for himself, in that State, where he remained until 1876, when he came to Kansas and settled in Lincoln Township, on section 11, where he purchased 160 acres of land of the railroad company. This was at that time original prairie, covered with an abundant growth of sunflowers and weeds, but he at once commenced his improvements of breaking the tough sod, and the following year erected a house. This property he still owns and has brought it to a good state of cultivation, and it is all excellent and well improved. In 1877 the father of our subject purchased 160 acres of land on section 22, which was partially improved, having a small house upon it and some of it broken. In company with his father our subject commenced improving this property, erecting a good residence, a substantial and commodious cattle barn, and a neat and safe horse barn, and otherwise adding to the value of the property. They now own jointly 320 acres of land, which is well stocked with some excellent high-grade Norman-Percheron horses, half and three-quarter Red Durham cattle and full-blooded Poland-China hogs.

            Mr. Norris is not very active in politics, but usually votes with the Republican party and has held the office of School Treasurer for three or four terms, and is the present Township Treasurer. When be settled in Lincoln Township it was entirely a new country, not a well-improved farm within its boundaries, and but for a few spirals of smoke from the scattered cabins of the settlement, which dotted the weedy waste, it would have been thought entirely uninhabited. He has, however, lived to see it grow up to its present prosperity, and watched the development of Sedgwick County, until to-day it is one of the brightest jewels in the diadem of our noble State.

             Mr. Norris was united in marriage in Sedgwick County, Kan., March 24, 1878, with Miss Corrie Baker, who was born in Edgar County, Ill., June 29, 1863, and is the daughter of W. P. and Elizabeth (Kidd) Baker, natives of Illinois. Both of her parents died when she was quite a small child, and she was reared by James Norris. Her grandparents upon her father's side were William and Elizabeth, natives of Tennessee, and upon her mother's side William and Elizabeth, who were born in Virginia.

 To Mr. and Mrs. Norris there have been born a family of five children, who bear the following names: Ella Eola, James Williamson, George Edwin, John Clyde and Oren.

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