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Norton (William) Collection
mssNorton
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Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: William Norton collection
Creator:
Norton, William.
Identifier/Call Number: mssNorton
Physical Description:
7.53 Linear Feet
(1 box, 3 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1661-1979, bulk
1840-1890
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 of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
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.
Processed by Brooke M. Black in April 2002. In July 2024, Mari Khasmanyan updated the
collection's linear feet and call number.
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssHM 63620-63637
Arranged in the following order:
- Manuscripts (organized chronologically)
- Oversize items (organized alphabetically)
- Ephemera (organized alphabetically)
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Artifacts -- United States
Certificates -- United States
Coulterville (Calif.) -- Description and travel
Deeds -- United States
Drafts (negotiable instruments) -- United States
Family papers -- United States -- 19th century
Gold mines and mining -- California -- History -- 19th century --
Sources
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Massachusetts -- Genealogy
Military records -- United States Civil War, 1861-1865
Mines and mineral resources -- California -- History -- 19th century --
Sources
Paintings
Travelers' writings, American
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 --
Sources
Voyages to the Pacific coast
Wills -- United States
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)