This small collection contains correspondence of William Norton (died 1908) regarding his voyage to California from Massachusetts in 1849 and his time in the gold mines, as well as 17th and 18th century items regarding the Massachusetts ancestors of Norton and some other miscellaneous documents.

William Norton (died 1908) left Lynn, Massachusetts, for California in 1849 on the ship “Argonaut.” Norton first settled in Maxwell’s Creek (also called Coulterville), Mariposa County, and later moved to Big Oak Flat, Tuolumne County. Norton returned to Massachusetts in 1855. He later invented the Norton Clasp for shoes, and with the money he earned in California, opened the Norton Clasp Shoe Company. He was a member of the Society of California Pioneers of New England and the Associated Pioneers of the Territorial Days of California. Norton died in 1908 at the age of 76.

41 items in 1 box and 3 oversize items

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