Stephen Norris
7 Jan 1782 - 11 May 1843
Stephen Norris, one of my 4x great-grandfathers, was born in Warwick, Orange County, New York to Shadrach Norris and his wife Sally McClain Norris. Until recently I never realized that I had an ancestor who had fought in the War of 1812. In fact, I don't remember ever reading much more than a paragraph or two about the conflict in any of my history classes so naturally I had to Google it to refresh my memory:
According to the National Archives Research Guide for the War of 1812:
The War of 1812 (1812-15) was fought between the United States and Great Britain, primarily over the impressment of American sailors by the British Navy, as well as disagreements over trade, western expansion, and Native American policy. The war ended inconclusively after three years of fighting. On December 24, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent was signed, officially ending the war.
Stephen served as a sergeant under Captain Abraham Brundage's Riflemen in the New York state militia. I found a pay stub for three months of his service:
I don't know if the three months were the extent of his service or if this is just one pay stub that survived. I found that $100 in 1812 was equivalent in purchasing power to about $2,298.43 in today's dollars, making that $25.84 worth $616.79 today.
I'm glad he was paid since back home he had left his wife Mary Clay Norris in charge of 6-year old William, 4-year old Nathaniel, 3-year old Allen, and infant Henry. Once his service ended and Stephen was reunited with Mary, the family started to expand. James was born in 1814; Susannah in 1816; John in 1818; Albert in 1822; Luther (my 3x gg) in 1824; and Stephen Jr. in 1826.
In 1820 between the births of John and Albert the family migrated from western New York to Holmes County, Ohio. Twenty-three years later Stephen passed away in Holmes County when he was sixty-one years old. He and Mary, who died two years later, are buried in the Elliot Cemetery in Millersburg, Holmes County. 
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