Norris and Pagie Family Headstones, Pt. 1
St. Mary's Cemetery
Amsterdam, NY
Contributed by James Jimenez
"I'm researching the surnames NORRIS, PAGIE, and CROSS and am looking for the burial site of James Joseph Norris's father, James Joseph Norris Sr., in Amsterdam or Cayuga County NY. James Joseph Norris Jr. was from Fair Haven NY, Cayuga County. He had a brother William, and sisters Mary A., Elizabeth, and Sarah. All were born in Cayuga County and are buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Amsterdam NY. The Pagies of Amsterdam where carpenters, from Canada, who immigrated in 1893, the whole family of at least 9 children of Charles and Mary Pagie."
William B. Norris was a blacksmith in Fort Plain, born 1879, died 1927.
Obituary 5 April 1927
William B. Norris
Fort Plain, April 5th- William B. Norris aged 48 years, a well known resident of this village died at his home on Reid Street Sunday afternoon after a lingering illness. He was born at Fair Haven Village Cayuga County New York and came to Fort Plain as a young boy. He was a blacksmith by trade and conducted a shop under the firm name Norris & Duesler on Canal Street. For a number of years he was employed as a blacksmith by James Lasher on Divison Street and also by his brother-in-law Michael Cross. Mr. Norris was a member of St. James Catholic Church in Fort Plain council No. 415 Knights of Columbus of which he served as Treasurer up to his death. He was also a member of the Sons of Veterans. He is survived by his wife Jessie Hawn Norris and two sons Vincent and Lauren. The funeral will be held at Fort Plain St. James Church Wednesday Morning at 10:00 oclock by the Rev. J.J. Morley officiating. Burial will be at the St. Mary's Cemetery Fort Johnson.
James Joseph Norris was born 1874 in Fair Haven NY, Town of Sterling, Cayuga County.
Amsterdam Evening Recorder, Monday 10 July 1944
James J. Norris
James Joseph Norris, resident of Amsterdam died suddenly this morning at the home of his daughter
in Schenectady. He was born May 5th 1874 in Fair Haven Village Cayuga County New York a son of
James and Sarah Taylor Norris and came to Amsterdam 50 years ago and has been residing here ever since.
For a number of years he was employed at the Mohawk Carpet Mills. Mr Norris was a Devout member of
St. Mary's Church and was a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose. He enjoyed the esteem of a wide
circle of friends who will regret to learn of his death. The surviors are his wife the former
Mary Pagie and five daughters. Mrs. Clarinda Grant, Mrs. Willard Bouck of Schenectady, Mrs. Morris
Schwed of Gloversville, Mrs. Lester W. Jeffords and Mrs. Gertrude Norris and several nieces and nephews.
Mr. Norris had one son James B. Norris of Schuylerville NY. Mr Norris will have a Christian burial at
St. Mary's Cemetery, Fort Johnson.
Mary Parmillia (Pagie) Norris, 1874-1955, was the wife of James J. Norris, Jr.
Gertrude L. Norris, daughter of James Joseph Norris Jr. and Mary Norris, 1921 - 2000.
Obituary Gertrude Norris
Gertrude L. Norris, 79 of 35 Prospect Ave., Gloversville died Tuesday at Nathan Littauer Hospital
Gloversville after a long illness. She was born 9 Jan. 1921 in Amsterdam New York to the parents of
James J. Norris and Mary Pagie Norris. She lived in Broadalbin for 30 years, moving to Gloversville in 1985.
Mrs. Norris was chief tester for the former MCA Record Co. She was a former member of St Joesph's Church Broadalbin. Survivors include her friend Patrica Murphy, with whom she resided and several nieces and nephews and cousins. A private prayer service will be conducted Saturday at the convenience of the family, at Warpaths & Stewart Funeral Home, in Gloversville. Interment will be at St. Mary's Cemetery, Fort Johnson.
This stone list 3 persons, but they are buried in different graves. Elizabeth Norris (1874-1925) was the daughter of James J. Norris Sr. Also, David Pagie, son of Joseph and Mary Pagie, and his wife Sarah (Norris) Pagie (1880-1917), also the daughter of James J. Norris Sr.
9/19/08
Obituary of Miss Elizabeth Norris
Fort Plain - May 5, 1925
Miss Elizabeth Norris, aged 51, of Amsterdam died at the home of her brother William Norris, on Ried St. in this village, at 4:00 O'clock Monday morning, after an illness of about a year. She was born in Amsterdam in the year 1874 a daughter of James and Sarah Taylor Norris who later moved to Auburn NY Cayuga Co., and had been a resident of Amsterdam nearly all her life. Miss Norris was very well known, both in Amsterdam and Fort Plain, and will be greatly missed by her friends. She was a member of St. Mary's Church of Amsterdam at which the funeral will be held at Wednesday morning at 10:00 O'clock, with the Rev. Monsignor Browne officiating. Interment will be at St. Mary's Cemetery, Amsterdam. Miss Norris is survived by two brothers, William of this Village and James of Amsterdam.
9/19/08
Obituary of Mrs. David Pagie
Monday, 21 May 1917
Sadie Norris, Wife of David Pagie died at St. Mary's hospital Sunday morning at 8:30 O'clock, following an operation for appendicitis and a subsequent attack of Pneumonia. Mrs. Pagie who was 35 years old, was born in Auburn NY Cayuga Co., but passed most of her life in Amsterdam, where her pleasant ways had won for her the regard of a wide circle of friends who will deplore her death. Mrs. Pagie is survived by her sister Miss Elizabeth Norris and two brothers James of Amsterdam and William of Fort Plain. The Funeral will be held at the family home, 32 Union St., at 9:00 O'clock Wednesday morning and at 9:30 at St. Mary's Church. Interment will be at St. Mary's Cemetery.
Mary A. Norris Cross was the sister of William B. Norris.
Obituary of Mary A. Norris Cross
Thursday, 13 November 1913
Mary A. Norris Cross was in ill health for several weeks before dying at the age of 42 years old at the home of her sister Mrs. David Pag'ee. Mary was the wife of Michael Cross, and was born in Auburn, New York. Mary moved to Amsterdam at a very young age. After she married Michael they moved to Fort Plain , New York, Montgomery County. Surviving relatives besides her husband Michael are two sisters Mrs. David Pag'ee and Miss Elizabeth Norris. Two brothers James J. Norris of Amsterdam and William M. Norris of Fort Plain NY. The funeral will be held Saturday morning at St. Mary's Church in this city when a high solemn mass of requiem will be said. The Rev. Father Morrissey, pastor of Fort Plain Catholic Church will officiate and be assisted by the Rev. Father O' Conner, of Albany. Interment will be at St. Mary's Cemetery in this city.
In 1880 census James H. Norris and his son were listed as James H. Norris Sr. and Jr. In the 1920 census James H. Norris Jr had changed his middle initial to J. for Joseph, which was common for Irish Men to take on another different middle initial when some one died in their family.
Auburn Morning News, Friday, July 4, 1873
Bail - James H. Norris, was yesterday arrested by Officer Flannery on a charge of False pretense, preferred by James Brant, a grocer alleging that Norris sold the complainant a horse which he received eight dollars in currency and twelve dollars payable in groceries as payment for a horse allegedly to be owned by Norris, but which is said to be owned by Mr. Charles Fitch. The accused entered bail in 200.00 dollars for future appearance.
Utica Morning Herald, Saturday, May 18, 1882, Utica NY
The Grand Jury of the United States Court at Rochester brought an indictment against James H. Norris of Amsterdam, Thursday, for opening the letter of W. H. Butler of Fair Haven Village Cayuga Co. N.Y. Both Norris and Butler are members of the Odd Fellows Fraternity in Fair Haven Village and in January, Butler temporarily moved to Amsterdam so as to meet the Schenectady Fraternity. He wrote to his Lodge in Fair Haven asking for a certificate and password to get admission to the Schenectady Lodge. He left Amsterdam and delegated Norris to pick up the letter. The men knew each other both being from Fair Haven Village so the could forward the letter to him. It's said Norris went to the Post Office with Butler to inquire about the letter. March 14, 1882, Norris reappeared at the Schenectady Lodge representing himself as W.H. Butler and producing a certificate from the Fair Haven lodge to that effect. Norris succeeded in borrowing 500.00 Dollars from the president of the lodge and departed. The fraud being discovered he was arrested on the above charge. The defendant denied his identity with the person who delivered the letter to the Schenectady Lodge, but a verdict of guilty was rendered and he was sentenced to six months in the Erie County Penitentiary.
Researcher's Notes: Most counties in NY that had a Penitentiary used the people put in their care for confinement, as workers or slave labor. James H. Norris was my GG-GF. He could not read or write but was most likely trying to feed his family which is no excuse for fraud. Most counties paid the city to take the prisoner to the Penitentiary. Once in the Pen, the prisoner is subject to many illnesses and living in deplorable conditions, notwithstanding working for the county doing back-breaking work for no pay. By June, Jams H. Norris was declared as being insane, most likely he died of a broken heart and will, all the while being separated from his family. The times were very sad for men and women and children. At James' trial no one was called in to give evidence against him or for him. James G. Jimenez.
Amsterdam Democrat, Thursday, 15 June 1882
Died in Prison
James H. Norris Sr. dies in the Erie County NY Penitentiary.
S.N. Baker, keeper of the Erie Co. Penitentiary at Buffalo writes to this newspaper that James H. Norris who was confined there for obtaining a letter from the Amsterdam Post Office under false pretence, died in that institution, Friday, June 9. Norris had previously been declared insane.
The Case of James H. Norris Sr.
June 22, 1882, Amsterdam, N.Y., One of our citizens has interested himself in the case of James H. Norris Sr., who was arrested for obtaining a letter from the Amsterdam Post Office under false pretence, and who died in the Erie Co. Penitentiary a few weeks ago. The Norris family are poor almost to destitution and efforts will be made to collect the pension due him from the Government. He served in the civil war under his mother's maiden name (Doyle) William Doyle which was perfectly legal. It is also proposed to ascertain on what evidence Norris was committed by the U.S. Commissioner at Schenectady N.Y. None of the Post Office employes at Amsterdam were subpoenaed and Norris's wife and 13 year daughter swore positively that Norris was at home on the nite it is said he appeared before the Schenectady Odd Fellows Lodge I.O.O.F. and presented the letter and received the help it called for. Norris could neither read or write and it may have been that he was innocent of the crime he was committing as the letter he procured at the Post Office was addressed to James H. Doyle and Norris had received letters for himself, addressed in the same way.