Noah Norton
Encyclopedia
Noah Norton
Noah Norton was a government agent, museum founder and California Gold Rush pospector. He was instrumental in founding two towns, Adrian, Michigan
and Nortonville, California
.
, on April 7, 1786. As a young man he moved to near Lake Ontario
, and became a government officer having the duty to stop the smuggling of contraband traffic across the US-Canada border.
When the War of 1812
commenced, he volunteered and served as a Lieutenant and participated in the Battle of Lundy's Lane
.
. In 1827 the Norton residence was the site of the first church service in Adrain.
Mr. Norton volunteered during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and became a member of the secret service.
. He later founded a museum of his own at Adrian.
in 1850.
After a few years working in Los Angeles as a farmer, Mr. Norton returned to Adrian where his wife soon died. He then remarried and moved back to California, this time settling in Contra Costa County, California
, where he prospected for coal. In 1855 he founded the town of Nortonville, California
where a large coal mine named the "Black Diamond" was located. Nortonville is now a historic preserve managed by the East Bay Regional Park District. His wife, Sarah Norton, became a locally famous midwife who met a violent death in October, 1879, by a run-away horse pulling her carriage. She is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, at Nortonville, where it is rumored that she periodically presents herself to visitors as a white ghost.
. (The Websters were his grandchildren.)
Noah Norton was a government agent, museum founder and California Gold Rush pospector. He was instrumental in founding two towns, Adrian, Michigan
Adrian, Michigan
As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
and Nortonville, California
Nortonville, California
Nortonville is a former settlement in Contra Costa County, California. It was located on Kirker Creek north-northeast of Mount Diablo, at an elevation of 801 feet ....
.
Early life
Mr. Norton born was in Greene County, New YorkGreene County, New York
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Its name is in honor of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. Its county seat is Catskill...
, on April 7, 1786. As a young man he moved to near Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, and became a government officer having the duty to stop the smuggling of contraband traffic across the US-Canada border.
When the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
commenced, he volunteered and served as a Lieutenant and participated in the Battle of Lundy's Lane
Battle of Lundy's Lane
The Battle of Lundy's Lane was a battle of the Anglo-American War of 1812, which took place on 25 July 1814, in present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario...
.
Life in Michigan
After the war, Mr. Norton relocated his family to a wilderness area that would eventually become Adrian, MichiganAdrian, Michigan
As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
. In 1827 the Norton residence was the site of the first church service in Adrain.
Mr. Norton volunteered during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and became a member of the secret service.
Museum Work
After the Mexican-American War he spent a short time back in Adrian, then embarked on a mission to gather specimens and other objects of interest for a museum in Pensacola, FloridaPensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
. He later founded a museum of his own at Adrian.
Life in California
During the California Gold Rush (1848–1855), he disposed of the museum and joined a wagon train for California. He took the so-called "southern route," and was one of the first settlers of Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in 1850.
After a few years working in Los Angeles as a farmer, Mr. Norton returned to Adrian where his wife soon died. He then remarried and moved back to California, this time settling in Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
, where he prospected for coal. In 1855 he founded the town of Nortonville, California
Nortonville, California
Nortonville is a former settlement in Contra Costa County, California. It was located on Kirker Creek north-northeast of Mount Diablo, at an elevation of 801 feet ....
where a large coal mine named the "Black Diamond" was located. Nortonville is now a historic preserve managed by the East Bay Regional Park District. His wife, Sarah Norton, became a locally famous midwife who met a violent death in October, 1879, by a run-away horse pulling her carriage. She is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, at Nortonville, where it is rumored that she periodically presents herself to visitors as a white ghost.
Death and Burial
Noah Norton died on January 31, 1877 and is buried in the Webster Family Plot (Plot #1) at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. (The Websters were his grandchildren.)
External links
- Nortonville Ghost Town
- Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, part of the East Bay Regional Park District
- Ghost of Sarah Norton
- Sarah Norton, The White Witch of Nortonville