The Norton Genealogy in Family Correspondence

My in-laws are clearing out their home at the moment, and I was lucky enough to find a letter among their papers which was sent to my husband's maternal grandmother from Mrs. Florence Hull of Staten Island, New York.  The letter is undated but was sent after the marriage of my mother in law and her two sisters.  It contains information about both the Norton and Davis families.  Here are some exerpts:

"The relationship re The Bingham's is because--

Your grandmother, Louise Norton, married Adoniram J. Davis and her sister, Amanda Norton, married Danfreth Pepper and had:

Louise C. Pepper married Davis A. Bingham and they had:

1/ George Albert Bingham married Lora McLaughlin and had:
Dr. Albert Bingham married Florence Newell (Michigan)
2/ Jennie married Samuel French (3 children)\
3/Joel W. married Maud Davis (3 children)
4/  Eva Bingham--unmarried\
\
So you see the Davis' married the Binghams' and vice versa.  I am related to the Davis' through my Mother's maternal line but how it comes in, I have never ascertained.  Mother told me that her Mother, Sarah Woodworth Norton was always called Polly McLay--"Aunt Polly".  In our Lewis line I find one of them married Davis' also.  

I have a picture of your parents' home in my collection and the next time I write, I'll send it to you, also--I think I have a tin type picture of your Great Grandparents, William and Amaryllis Norton, who are both my Great, Great Uncle on the Norton side and my Great, Great Aunt on the Andrews side.  William married Amaryllis Andrews and his Brother Charles married her sister, Julia Andrews, the latter of whom were my Great-Grandparents.  

This summer I do not expect to travel except to New Jersey for a week at the Manse of my Cousin and  yours also, namely, Rev. Dr. Donald R. Pepper.  He is a Minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Bennardsville, N.J.  My beloved Father, was responsible for getting him in the Ministry and Mother and Father treated him as a Son, whom they never had.  I was away at Finishing School when he was born, so he seems like a boy to me.  He is President of the "Browning Society" this year of which I am a member...\

\I note that Canada is severing Colonial ties with the U.K. after all these years.  I know Grandmother Sara Norton was born under the Crown and very proud of this, and Dad's Grandmother, (maternal) was born in England and was Lady Susan Potter, whose Father was a Lord.  It's those people in Quebec who are responsible, and are probably mostly Catholics.  Am I correct and forgive me, if any of your relatives married Catholics, for I have two or three friends of that religion but I don't like their religion one little bit.  

....Whatever became of Cousin William Davis, and I think there was Harriet Davis, called "Happy" who had a curvature of the spine because her nurse dropped her as a baby...

Now, please write me soon for I do worry about you and think of you everyday.

Take good care of yourself and I hope and pray all is well with you.\

Love always, Florence"

It's interesting to know that a tin type photograph of William and Amaryllis Norton existed at one time.  I don't know of its present whereabouts.  If anyone out there has it, I'd love to see it!

An Auction at the Adam and Eve Public House

Josiah Elliot, Robert Elliot's brother, took over the Adam and Eve pub in Hayes from his father Charles and went bankrupt in 1827.  Here is a newspaper ad for an auction of his belongings at the Adam and Eve, taken from the Bucks Gazette newspaper, Saturday April 28, 1827.

It's really too bad the family Bible was sold off....