of Bildad Norcutt & Hiram Norcott,
Many thanks to Esther Rancier
for sharing her information on the Norcott family. Esther is researching
in Richland and Mexico the Soul/Soule, Brace and Daniel
P. Smith families, and would appreciate hearing from anyone researching
these surnames. Esther Rancier at: firstname.lastname@example.org
West Monroe, NY
For more information on the Norcott Family,
please contact the
and Historical Societies.
Daniel Norcutt arrived
in American during 1632. He returned to England on the ship Pied
Coe in August 1635. The ship was lost at sea. His wife Anne
and son William followed Daniel’s dream of America, arriving in 1636 as
part of the entourage of Edward Johnson. William married Sarah Chapman
raising a family that remained for several generations in Plymouth County,
MA. Living as they did among the Mayflower passengers and their children
some of the Norcutt descendants married Mayflower descendants.
Several of these lines remained
in Plymouth County. They usually called themselves Norcutt.
But William III moved his siblings to Connecticut. Their descendants
typically used Norcott. However, once the family reached into New
York State the records, carelessly made or transcribed, show most persons
with their names spelled both ways in various documents.
No one had been able to establish
a definitive genealogy for the Daniel Norcott/Norcutt family beyond the
first few generations. However, some things can be learned.
For New York researchers the key persons’ names are identifiable. John
Norcott settled in Benton, Ontario Co., NY. Winslow Norcutt resided
in Greenbush, Rensselaer Co., NY. Robert Norcutt lived at Brookhaven,
Suffolk Co., NY. Tristan Norcott by 1830 was established at Dryden, Tompkins
Co., NY. Also in 1830 Zebina Norcutt lived in Warren Co., NY.
William Norcott stayed in remote Chautauqua Co., NY by 1830. Reuben
Norcutt lived in Cortland Co., NY by 1820. In 1830 Oswego County
had three Norcott/Norcutt pioneers, Bildad, Hiram and the family of Ebenezer.
In the 1820 census at Cobleskill, Schoharie Co., NY showed Ephraim Norcott
Could Ephraim Norcott in Cobleskill
play a role in the Oswego County families? So far the names of his
sons are not known. Could he be a father of Bildad, Hiram or Ebenezer?
Hiram was born at Richmondville, Schoharie County on 22 February 1800.
But the 1820 census indicated that Ephraim was under 26-years old without
sons of sufficient age. No help there.
Hiram’s father was likely the first
Justice of Peace for the Richmondville area. Appointed in 1805, he
died in 1809. This notation was provided by William E. Roscoe in
his History of Schoharie County in chapter 28. Richmondville was
not carved out of Cobleskill until 1845 which technically made Hiram born
in Cobleskill, the same place as Ephraim.
Who exactly arrived first in Oswego
County probably cannot be established either. By 1830 Ebenezer Norcott/Norcutt
was deceased. His widow Irena was head of household in the 1830 Mexico
census. All that is known for certain of them is the existence of
their daughter Phoebe who married a Sherman. Phoebe’s grave was placed
in the Colosse Cemetery, Mexico, NY. She died at age 90 in 1891.
She was born ca. 1801 suggesting that Ebenezer could have been born ca.
1780, making him old enough to be the father not only of Phoebe but both
Hiram, born 1800, and Bildad, born ca. 1806. Tombstones are lacking
for Ebenezer and Irena, but they may well be buried at Colosse in unmarked
Hiram Norcott/Norcutt arrived with
his wife Sophronia Smith in Oswego County at Mexico before 1830, but an
exact date is lacking. Sophronia, born 1806 in Cobleskill, NY, was
the daughter of William Smith, born 8 July 1777 in Columbia Co., NY and
Axceny(?) Butler from Brooker Hollow, Richmondville, Schoharie Co.,
NY. Several of Sophronia’s relatives spent time in Oswego County
during the 1820’s. They were Henry Smith, Harvey Smith, plus Rosebell Schermerhorn
who later lived in Ogle Co., IL. Casson Smith removed from Oswego
County to ultimately Sparta, Monroe Co., WI by 1855. All of the above
was reported by Smith family researchers. A nephew Cassius Payne,
moved from Schoharie County to Mexico also.
Hiram and Sophronia seemed to have
had five children with only two surviving. The 1830 Mexico census
showed two children, a boy and a girl born before 1830 who received no
further mention. In the 1830’s family researchers report the birth
of Curtis D., born ca. 1837/38 and Sophronia who died young.
In 1835 Hiram and Sophronia sold
land in Mexico to Russell Burlingame and his wife. After the land
sale they settled in Parish, NY. The 1850 Parish census revealed
49 farmer $1,000 NY
8 daughter “
Hiram C. became the man later
cited as Curtis Norcott, age 27, in the 1865 Parish census.
In the Dutch Hill Road Cemetery
at Parish there are several Norcott graves. The young Sophronia died
7 October 1845, age 11. Hiram died 21 June 1858, age 58. The
mother Sophronia then lived with her son Curtis until her death on 24 November
1880, age 73. She was buried at Dutch Hill also. Pictures of
these three graves were placed online at www.rootsweb.com/~nyoswego/towns/parish/dutchcemphotos.html.
The name can be clearly read from the tombstones as Norcott.
By 1865 the New York State census
showed the Norcott family had changed. Curtis married Margaret/Mary
Ann Reed. They had a child. With Hiram deceased, Curtis was
head of household.
Norcott, Curtiss [sic] 27
59 mother b. Schoharie Co.
Sometime before 1880 Curtis left
Parish and began to farm in Cicero, Onondaga Co., NY. The 1880 census
there enumerated the family thusly:
41 farmer NY
15 daughter “
74 mother “
Graves for Curtis and Mary Ann
(Reed) Norcott were found at Cicero Cemetery on Route 11. Mary Ann
died on 28 April 1899. Curtis H. died in 1917. His stone said:
The other Norcott/Norcutt line which
appeared in the Oswego County records in 1840 was headed by Bildad Norcutt
[sic] who was between 30 and 40 years old with a wife between 20 and 30,
plus one boy 10 to 15 years old. This family were more fully revealed
in the 1850 Mexico census:
Norcott, Beldad [sic] 44
none listed NY
40 wife “
7 son “
3 daughter “
15 other “
The name of the boy cited in
the 1840 census remains unknown.
Before 1860 Bildad moved to West
Monroe, NY. The 1860 West Monroe census showed Bildad and Hiram Norcott’s
widow living side by side which certainly suggests a relationship with
Bildad taking on some sort of guardianship for Hiram’s family left fatherless.
54 farmer $1100
Norcott, Sophrona[sic] 55
widow $3500 “
22 son “
The daughter then called
Irena also cements the idea that Ebenezer and Irena were also close relatives.
Son Alpheus, at age 21, enlisted
on 3 September 1864 into the Union Army as a private. He served in
Co. K, 184th Infantry Regiment NY. He was mustered out on 29 June
1865 at City Point, VA. Later in life on 9 July 1890 Alpheus received
a Civil War pensions certificate #S60353.
After the war Alpheus married
Harriet D. Merrett, daughter of Stephen and Matilda Merrett. They
had two daughters. They settled at West Monroe also.
The 1870 West Monroe census stated:
Norcott, Alpheus 27
farmer $1700 NY
2 daughter “
5 mo. “
Norcott, Bildad 64
farmer $3093 NY
Sometime after 1870 Bildad
died. His widow Sophia then lived with son Newell who took over the
family farm. Alpheus moved to Mexico. The 1880 census indicated the
Norcott, Alphus [sic] 37 farmer
12 daughter “
32 farmer NY
69 mother “
Alpheus’s wife Harriet
died in 1905. Her tombstone in the Primitive Cemetery at Mexico said:
1843-1905. Daughter Cora died in 1912. Her tombstone read:
1867-1912. Alpheus lived much longer. By 1920 he was in frail
health and resided in the New York State Soldiers and Sailors Home at Bath,
NY. He was 76. He died in 1921. He too was interred at
the Primitive Cemetery with a tombstone which stated: 1843-1921.
His grave was marked with a GAR symbol.
In the 1920 Oswego County census
not a single surname of Norcott/Norcutt was enumerated. In genealogy
terms this line had “daughtered out.”
American Civil War Soldiers.
Available [online] http://ancestry.com
[29 December 2003].
Cemetery Census of the Town of Mexico,
Oswego, New York. Mexico: Mexico Historical Society, 1984.
Cicero Cemetery. Available [online]
[31 December 2003].
Civil War Pensions. Available
[online] http://ancestry.com [29
Dutch Hill Road Cemetery Photographs,
Parish, NY. Available [online]
[30 December 2003].
N.Y. State Census, Parish, Oswego
Co., 1855. (LDS microfilm #0857436).
N.Y. State Census, Parish, Oswego
Co., 1865. (LDS microfilm #0857430).
Norcott Family Genealogy Forum.
Available [online] http://genforum.genealogy.com
[29 December 2003].
Roscoe, William E. History
of Schoharie County. Syracuse: Mason, 1882.
U.S. Census, Cicero, Onondaga
Co., NY 1880.
U.S. Census, Mexico, Oswego
Co., NY 1830, 1840, 1850 & 1880.
U.S. Census, Parish, Oswego
Co., NY 1850.
U.S. Census, West Monroe,
Oswego Co., NY 1860 & 1870.
U.S. Census, Cobleskill, Schoharie
Co., NY 1820.
U.S. Census, Bath, Steuben
Co., NY 1920.
Available [online] http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com
[30 December 2003].
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Feb. 2004 Esther Rancier
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