BIO: Capt. John H. NORRIS, Clearfield County, PA
 
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From Twentieth Century History of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania,
and Representative Citizens, by Roland D. Swoope, Jr.,
Chicago: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, 1911, pages 749 - 751.
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  CAPT. JOHN H. NORRIS, an honored veteran of the Civil War and commander of the 
John Kratzer Post, No. 184, G. A. R., at Curwensville, Pa., was born in 
Greenwood Township, Clearfield County, Pa., March 26, 1840, and belongs to a 
family that was established in Clearfield County in 1812.  His father was John 
Norris and his grandfather was Moses Norris.
  Moses Norris was born in Huntingdon County, Pa., and was twenty-one years old 
when he came to Clearfield County, locating with his father in Lawrence 
Township, within three miles of Curwensville.  The latter bought 1000 acres of 
land and of this, Moses, probably, was given 600 acres.  Moses Norris married 
Sarah Read, who was a niece of Col. Read, who was a Revolutionary soldier.
  John Norris, son of Moses and Sarah Norris, was born in Clearfield County and 
at the time of his marriage resided in Pike Township.  He was a school teacher 
for many years and changed his residence to accommodate his professional 
engagements, from the Clark Brown place to Hoyt's Dam, farther up the river, and 
then back to the old homestead in Pike Township, where he resided until the 
close of his life, at the age of eighty-two years.  He was a Whig in his early 
political faith and later became a Republican.  He was widely known, his home 
being one of exceeding hospitality.  A man of sterling character, he gave hearty 
support to all law abiding movements and was a liberal contributor to the 
Methodist Episcopal church, of which religious body the Norris family have been 
members for generations.  John Norris married Priscilla Bloom, who was a 
daughter of Isaac Bloom and a granddaughter of William Bloom, who was a soldier 
in the Revolutionary War.  There were sixteen children born to John and 
Priscilla Norris, namely: Sarah, who is deceased, was the wife of Capt. Thomas 
Moore, and they had two children - James and Willis; Thomas, who is deceased, 
married Mary Jane Askey, and they lived near New Millport; Mary Janes, who is 
the wife of John Star, of Pike Township, and they have two children - Merritt 
and Anna; John H.; James, who is a resident of Pike Township, married Martha A. 
Caldwell; I. B., who married Anna, daughter of William Caldwell, has had three 
children - Lewis C., J. W. and Charles B.; M. C., who is a resident of Pike 
township, married Maria Hockman; Martha, deceased, was the wife of Jonathan 
Kirk, who is also deceased; Clark, who lives in Pike township, married Sadie 
Wall; Elizabeth, who is the wife of James Cassidy, residing at Curwensville; 
George, who is a resident of West Clearfield, married a Miss Gulick; Margaret, 
who is the wife of Isaac Stage, of West Clearfield; Wesley, who lives in West 
Clearfield, married Bertha Brown; Lavina, who is the wife of T. J. Wall, of Penn 
township; William, who is deceased, is survived by his widow, who lives at 
Philadelphia; and Ord, who lives on the old homestead in Pike township, married 
a Miss Way.  The mother of the above family died at the age of sixty-five years 
and both she and her husband were buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.  The old 
homestead farm contains 250 acres.
  John H. Norris obtained his education in the district schools of Pike 
Township, beginning to work in the lumber regions as soon as old enough.  He 
also learned the carpenter trade and followed that in the summers and continued 
to work through the winters at lumbering until he enlisted for service in the 
Civil War.  He became a member of Co. K, Kane Rifles, the 13th Pa. Reserves, 
which became famous as the Bucktails, a name which subsequently carried dismay 
into many a Confederate regiment, so great was the fear engendered by the 
dashing courage of this brave and fearless body of soldiers.  Mr. Norris was 
made corporal of his company and was promoted to be second sergeant before the 
expiration of his first term of enlistment.  He immediately re-enlisted, 
becoming second lieutenant of a company in the 190th Pa. Vol. Inf., later was 
made first lieutenant and just at the close of the war received his captain's 
commission.  He was twice captured by the enemy, first, in June, 1862, near 
Richmond, Va., and second, on August 19, 1864, at the Weldon Railroad.  During 
both of his terms of imprisonment he became well acquainted with the terrors of 
Belle Isle and Libby Prison, passing fifty-three days in the first place and 
sixty days in the second, after which he was paroled.  His condition was such 
that he was detailed to light duty only, at Carlisle, Pa., and it was while 
there that he received his commission as captain, a just recognition of his 
valor and worth as a soldier.  He was honorably discharged in 1865 and returned 
to his home in Pike Township.  In resuming peaceful pursuits, Captain Norris no 
doubt, for a long time, felt the results of his years of hardship and exposure.  
Later he accepted an appointment as revenue inspector of York County, Pa., and 
served in that office with entire efficiency for three years.  He then returned 
to Curwensville and subsequently resumed his former activities, engaging in 
lumbering and carpentering as before.
  Captain Norris was married March 1, 1864, to Miss Hannah Cecelia McCleary, a 
daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Johnston) McCleary, of Lancaster County, Pa., 
and they have had four children, namely:  William, who resides at Grampian, 
Clearfield County, married Ada Thurston, and they have one daughter, Myrtle; 
Aletha, who is a professional nurse at Atlantic City; Nannie, who is a clerk in 
a store at Albany, N. Y.; and Franklin, who died when aged six years and seven 
months and was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery.  Captain Norris is a steward in the 
Methodist Episcopal church at Curwensville.  He belongs to the order of Odd 
Fellows at Curwensville and has served for two years as commander of the G. A. 
R. Post mentioned above.  He was elected a member of the lower house in the 
State Legislature at Harrisburg on the Democratic ticket on which ticket his 
father was once elected a county commissioner of Clearfield County.