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William Norton Collection: Finding Aid
mssHM 63620-63637
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Title: William Norton Collection
Dates (inclusive): 1661-1979
Bulk dates: 1840-1890
Collection Number: mssHM 63620-63637
Creator: Norton, William.
Extent: 41 items in 1 box and 3 oversize items
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: 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.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. William Norton Collection, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Gift of Ruth E. Bacon, Helen N. Bacon, and Eunice Bacon Pippart, February 20,
1986.
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.
The manuscripts include a variety of material including several 17th and 18th century land deeds and wills related to William
Norton’s ancestors in Massachusetts. There is one letter from Norton’s voyage on the ship “Argonaut” and four letters from
his years spent living in California. In these letters Norton gives details about specific mines in California, the towns
in which he lives, and his fellow miners. There is also a list of passengers of the ship “Argonaut.” The oversize items
include William Norton’s membership certificate for the Society of California Pioneers of New England, and a sketch and painting
of the ship “Argonaut,” both by Oliver Clark. The ephemera is made up of both printed material and realia and includes military
records, such as discharge papers and pension certificates for Simon M. Nudd and Charles Walton, both of whom fought in the
Civil War; a booklet for a meeting of the Associated Pioneers of the Territorial Days of California; a list of the members
of and badge for the Society of California Pioneers of New England; and a lock and pocket compass which both belonged to William
Norton.
Arranged in the following order:
- Manuscripts (organized chronologically)
- Oversize items (organized alphabetically)
- Ephemera (organized alphabetically)
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Norton,
William.
Argonaut
(Ship)
Society of California
Pioneers of New England.
United States. Army.
Maine Infantry Regiment, 24th (1862-1863)
United States. Army.
New Hampshire Infantry Regiment, 6th (1861-1865)
Gold mines and mining -- California --
History -- 19th century -- Sources.
Mines and mineral resources --
California -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.
Travelers' writings,
American.
Voyages to the Pacific coast.
Coulterville (Calif.)
-- Description and travel.
United States --
History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources.
Massachusetts --
Genealogy.
Artifacts -- United States.
Certificates -- United States.
Deeds -- United States.
Drafts (negotiable instruments) --
United States.
Family papers -- United States -- 19th
century.
Letters (correspondence) -- United
States -- 19th century.
Military records -- United States
Civil War, 1861-1865.
Paintings.
Wills -- United States.