Episode LIII: Family Tree

Kyle (my brother) was asking me for some family tree information for a project of his the other day, which got me to once again crack open the genealogy documents that I have. Noticing some holes here and there, I decided to spend some time online looking for some old relatives. In particular, I was looking for some great-great-great-grandparents on the Norris side, and I found them! Below is a picture I found online featuring James Riley Norris, bottom left (my great-great-great-grandpa), and Elizabeth (Garman) Norris bottom right (my great-great-great-grandma).

I think you can clearly see some resemblance between James Norris and my dad, no? If not, the picture below should help (James is on the left):


James moved from Kentucky to Missouri, where his son Simeon (aka Albert) grew up. Simeon worked as a farmer then as a street-car motorman. Simeon's son William was a grocery store merchant as of 1930 (according to the U.S. census) and paid $15 a month rent on his house. William had a son named Billie, who happens to be my grandfather, and that's about all the history you probably care to hear right now.

Feeling inspired, I decided to put some of the informationI had on an online family tree at ancestry.com. I would ask the readers of this post (especially those who are relatives of mine) to look at the tree and tell me if the information is correct. There should be birth and death dates and locations for everyone on the tree. If you notice info that is wrong or can fill in info that is missing, please let me know via email or by a response to this post. Later on I will be adding marriage info, pictures and great-great-grandparents and beyond, but I want to make sure the basics are down first. Thanks!

Unfortunately, to access the full interactive version you need to send me an email at razjericho@yahoo.com and I will personally 'invite' you. In the meantime, you can enjoy a bare-bones version here. Please let me know if you experience any difficulties. Enjoy, and then get back to me!