Several of you on the list know that I am tracing the descendants of Thomas and Grace Wells Norton of Guilford CT. I am especially interested in their descendants David Norton and Moses Norton, both sons of Ozias Norton of CT--and the next geneations of these families. David and Moses Norton, and many children, lived in Spafford, Onondaga County NY in 1820. [David, at least, had lived in German Twp, Chenango County NY before going to Spafford.] David and one of his youngest sons were still living in Spafford NY about 1850, but David and his wife Dinah Norton had moved around NY btwn. 1820-1850. Several of the Spafford Nortons eventually moved to Susquehanna Co. PA. Several of the others moved to Parkman Twp, Geauga County OH. Moses Norton is said to have moved to Michigan and Iowa. By 1840, I find Lauren Norton, b. 1797 NY, son of David and Dinah Norton living in Parkman Twp, Geauga Co. Ohio. He and his wife, Prudence Town,and one of their sons, Leonard Norton, are buried in the old Parkman Twp. cemetery in OH. Prudence and the boy both died about 20 years before Loren/Lauren did...and this message concerns my THEORY about what happened to him during those 20 years. [I still don't know why Lauren is buried in Ohio...as I have not figured out who was still living there after the Civil War.] Several of Loren's relatives also migrated to Ohio, including his brother Harvey Norton b. 1805 and a man named William Norton. Plus their children, of course. The marriage records for Geauga County OH show marriages for all of these men. Harvey Norton married for a second time [he was a widower when he came to OH] to Betsey Haight. They eventually went to Tolono, IL. [I have bios on their sons, if you are in this line.] It is not clear who William Norton really was, but he is shown in the census to be living on the same land with Harvey and Betsey Norton in 1850...and this same William MAY** be the man who shows up again in Palatine IL, where Loren lives in 1860. A few months after Prudence Town Norton died in Ohio, a Lauren Norton married one Betsey Maria Bacon. I believe this was his 2nd marriage. In 1860, I find "Laurins" Norton, with wife Maria B. Norton, living in Palatine, Cook County Illinois, with three children born in Ohio. One of the children b. OH is named Orange Norton...which adds to my belief that this is the same* Lauren Norton of Spafford NY and Parkman, Geauga OH...for the NY Lauren/Loren had a younger brother named Orange who drowned as a child in NY. Town records show that there was one other Norton adult male living in Palatine IL that early, a William Norton. Next door to this Laurins Norton was a Mr. Harry Purdy and his wife Matilda T. Norton. They are closely linked, with lots of supporting evidence, to my GG-Grandfather Harvey Stillman Norton, born 1828 in Spafford, Onondaga County NY. I believe that Lauren Norton, b. 1797 NY was the father of my Harvey S. Norton b. 1828 NY...but I am seeing documentation of this. It is possible that the mysterious William Norton may have been his father. If one of them is not the father of Harvey S. Norton b. 1828--it would be terribly hard to explain away all the circumstantial evidence. If you know about any of these individuals, or link to them, please** get in touch with me. Thanks. Darlene Joyce, Minnesota darlenecjoyce@hotmail.com OR dcjoyce@findmyfamilyplease.com _________________________________________________________________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com