In Part 1 of this post, I presented a short background relating to my research on Solomon NORTON.  This post outlines my research plan as I continue to pursue Solomon and his family, to ultimately determine if he is the father of my fifth great-grandmother, Sarah NORTON Webster.

Research Plan

Before I get into the details, I just want to preface this by saying it is not a comprehensive plan.  These are simply the records that I plan to start with.  As research is conducted and new information is learned, the plan will be revised.

Because Solomon was in at least five different places during his lifetime, I used a timeline to prepare this research plan.  The dates in the timeline are estimated, so any searches conducted will cover that period, plus another five or so years on either end of the range as necessary.  Following is the timeline as presented in the last post:

Estimated Timeframe Residence
1751 to ?? Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut
?? to 1778 Canaan, Albany, New York
1778 to 1781 Poultney, Bennington, Vermont
1781 to 1823 Poultney, Rutland, Vermont (county formed in 1781)
1823 to 1836 Shoreham, Addison, Vermont
1836 to 1844 Villenova, Chautauqua, New York

Land & Census Records

1836-1844 – Villenova, Chautauqua, New York (was living with another family in 1840, may not have owned land here)

  • FHL #479631 – New York State Census, Chautauqua Co., 1835 and 1845 (can’t hurt to look; may be in the Aldrich household as he was in the 1840 federal census; list of state census questions)

1823-1836 – Shoreham, Addison, Vermont

  • FHL #865018 – Addison Co. Land Records, Index
  • FHL #865019 – Addison Co. Land Records, Vol. 4-5, 1811-1830
  • FHL #865020 – Addison Co. Land Records, Vol. 6-7, 1831-1870
  • FHL #28954 – Shoreham Land Records, Grantee and Grantor index, Vol. 1-18
  • FHL #28958 – Shoreham Land Records, Vol. 7, 1822-1829
  • FHL #28959 – Shoreham Land Records, Vol. 8-9, 1829-1851

1781-1823 – Poultney, Rutland, Vermont

  • FHL #28780 – Rutland Co. Land Records, Index and Vol. 1-4, 1773-1785
  • FHL #28781 – Rutland Co. Land Records, Vol. 5-7 and 9, 1781-1822
  • Newberry #F842.944 v.2 (Gen. Col. 2nd Fl.) – State Papers of Vermont, Petitions for Grants of Land, 1778-1811
  • Newberry #F842.944 v.8-11 (Gen. Col. 2nd Fl.) – State Papers of Vermont, General Petitions, 1778-1799
  • Vermont Archives #SE118 – State Papers of Vermont, Petitions to the General Assembly, Governor and Council and to the Council of Censors
    • Solomon Norton listed in index for Petition, 48876, 1792-10-13, Vol. 18, p. 405
    • Solomon Norton listed in index for Petition, 48877, 1797-10-16, Vol. 18, p. 405
    • Solomon Naughton listed in index for Petition, 48306, 1784-10-16, Vol. 19, p. 178
    • Jonah Norton, Petition, 48856, 1794-10-16, Vol. 19, p. 176 (description/location similar to those of Solomon’s)

1778-1781 – Poultney, Bennington, Vermont (Included in Rutland Co. records? Rutland became a county in 1781 and the records above pre-date this.)

??-1778 – Canaan, Albany, New York

  • FHL #464900 – Albany Co. Land Records, Index, Grantors M-Q, 1630-1894 (deeds also available)
  • FHL #466373 – Index, Grantees N-S, 1630-1894 (deeds also available)

1772-?? – Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut (1772 is about when he would have turned 21 years old, check a few years prior in case estimate is wrong; also not sure what legal age was there at that time)

  • FHL #4508 – Hartford, CT Land Records, General Index 1639-1839 (deeds also available)

Wills/Probate

1836-1844 – Villenova, Chautauqua, New York

  • FHL #588087 –Chautauqua Co. Probate Records, Index to Records, A-Z 1811-1913

1823-1836 – Shoreham, Addison, Vermont

  • May have filed a will here; haven’t located any tangible sources and may have to hire a researcher.

1781-1823 – Poultney, Rutland, Vermont

  • May have filed a will here; haven’t located any tangible sources and may have to hire a researcher.

??-1778 – Canaan, Albany, New York (although he was young, he was involved in ARW and many soldiers filed wills; it’s possible he did when he enlisted)

  • FHL #463364 – Albany Co. Wills, 1691-1835 (includes partial index)

Tax Records

Haven’t located any tangible sources and may have to hire a researcher.

Revolutionary War Resources

Already have pension file and final payment voucher.  It doesn’t not appear that any of the service records for him survived.  The resources below may provide additional insight into his service and will certainly provide a historical context during his service.

  • Newberry #F12.A3 C76 (Gen. Col. 2nd Fl.) – The Old Albany and the American Revolution, by James A. Crowley
  • NY Archives Series #A0200 (Education Dept.) – New York State Comptroller’s Office Revolutionary War Accounts and Claims, Albany County Militia, 17th Regiment, Vol. 7-20

Misc. Resources

  • MCGS NY MAR NEW – New York Marriages Previous to 1784
  • FHL #27641 – General Index to Vital Records of Vermont, Early to 1870, Nicholson –Norton, H
  • FHL #27642 – General Index to Vital Records of Vermont, Early to 1870, Norton, I – Nye
  • DAR A#92198 – Vermont DAR GRC Report, Series 1, Vol. 52 (Nortons on p. 68 and 69)
  • DAR A#42810 – New York DAR GRC Report, Series1 Vol. 200, Unpublished Cemetery, Church and Town Records (Nortons on p. 95)
  • Newberry #F846 H32 W449b – Births, marriages, and deaths returned from Hartford, Windsor, and Fairfield, and entered in the early land records of the colony of Connecticut : volumes I and II of land records and no. D of colonial deeds
  • Newberry #F846 H32 H328h – Historical catalogue of the First Church in Hartford. 1633-1885
  • Vermont Archives – There are many records in the State Papers of Vermont (full listing). Only the 18th century records are indexed.
  • Vermont Archives – There are several inventories of archives and records that were done for WPA. Vermont Archives has all of these inventories. Below are ones relevant to this research:
    • Vermont Archives #PRA-01218 – Unpublished inventories of archives Rutland County: Ira-Poultney
    • Vermont Archives #PRA-01207 – Unpublished inventories of archives, Addison County: New Haven – Whiting, and for Bennington County: Arlington – Manchester
    • Vermont Archives #PRA-01232 – Unpublished surveys of church archives (Adventist, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Universalist and misc.) for Rutland and Washington Counties: Benson – Windham
    • Vermont Archives #PRA-01229 – Unpublished surveys of church archives (Adventist, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Universalist and misc.)’ for Addison and Caledonia Counties: Addison – Wheelock
    • Vermont Archives #PRA-01234 – Pamphlets containing surveys of church archives (Catholic, Congregational and misc.)
    • Vermont Archives #PRA-01236 – Inventories of Congregational archives: Middlebury – Underhill
    • Vermont Archives #PRA-01235 – Inventories Congregational archives: Addison – Marshfield

Since Ashbel WEBSTER is also a research focus, and researching him and his whereabouts could help strengthen the case for Solomon and Sarah’s relationship, that research will be done in conjunction with the research listed above.