39Elizabeth Norris
Key Facts
Parents:78Jordan Norris
79Julia Huffman
Born:circa 1854
Georgia, probably either Emanuel County or Johnson County
Died:uncertain
Buried:unknown

39Elizabeth Norris was born circa 18541 in Georgia,1,2 probably in either Emanuel County (where her parents 78Jordan Norris and 79Julia Huffman had married in September 18533) or Johnson County, where we find them in the 1860 census:1


1860: 39Elizabeth's family in Johnson County, Georgia. Full page.1

She was still with her family in Johnson County in 1870.2


1870: 39Elizabeth's family in militia district 1202 (map), Johnson County, Georgia. Full page.2

163Sarah married 38George Williams (also known as 38Josiah Williams) in Johnson County on 8 January 1874.4 For more information about their marriage, their lives together, etc., see his profile since that information won't be repeated here.

Problem: Unresolved
When did 39Elizabeth die?

The obituary shown below was published in The Sandersville Herald on 1 May 1879:5

Is this decedent 39Elizabeth, or some other woman?

If she is 39Elizabeth, why is 39Josiah listed as an agent for the tax on his wife's 150 acres in 1880, 1885, and 1886?6-8 It's doubtful that settling 39Elizabeth's estate would have taken seven years, so 38Josiah shouldn't still be her agent (or the agent for her estate) by 1886. Furthermore, I have found no evidence that he was appointed as the administrator of any such estate.

If she is not 39Elizabeth, who is she?

Sources Cited:

1: 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Johnson County, Georgia. Page 483, dwelling 265, family 248, Jordan Norris household. NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 128. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBT-7KB?i=38&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMZML-WPP>.

2: 1870 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Militia District 1202, Johnson County, Georgia. Page 179B, dwelling 99, Jordan Norris household. NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 160. FamilySearch, <https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12151-89953-5?cc=1438024> accessed 18 December 2014.

3: Emanuel County, Georgia. Marriages book A (1817-1860), page 44. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9BK-Y1QM?cc=1927197&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AQ289-J2ZS>.

4: Johnson County, Georgia. Superior Court. Loose marriages, 1873-1876, marriage license of Josiah Williams and Elizabeth Norris. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BZX-JG5?i=34&cc=1927197>.

5: The Sandersville Herald (Sandersville, Georgia), 1 May 1879, page 3, column 2, a little over halfway down the page. Georgia Historic Newspapers, <https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034106/1879-05-01/ed-1/seq-3/>

6: Johnson County, Georgia. Tax digest book for the years 1873-1881, section for the year 1880, militia district 55, entry for Josiah S. Williams. Ancestry.com ("Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892" / Johnson / 1873-1881 / images 634 and 635 of 788).

7: Johnson County, Georgia. Tax digest book for the years 1882-1887, section for the year 1885, militia district 55, entry for Josiah Williams. Ancestry.com ("Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892" / Johnson / 1882-1887 / images 452 and 453 of 812).

8: Johnson County, Georgia. Tax digest book for the years 1882-1887, section for the year 1886, militia district 55, entry for Josiah S. Williams. Ancestry.com ("Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892" / Johnson / 1882-1887 / images 452 and 453 of 812).