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A LITTLE
QUESTION OF PATERNITY
It should be easy to determine
the birth year for Norris considering we have more than a couple of resources which list it. The problem I have is some
resources contradict the others. It is my own belief that he was indeed John's son, but I will present the evidence, so to
say, and allow you to draw your own conclusion. From what we have gathered, Rosa was married three
times in her life. She was married first, at the age of 17, to a man named MARTIN KENNEDY. They married in Caratunk, ME, 18th
June, 1885. As of right now, I have no resource to clarify how long they were married and if she was, but one family
tree on Ancestry.com, with little else information, suggests she was widowed before the year was out, but is not supported
by any documentation. I found an M. C. Kennedy buried in the Caratunk Cemetery on Rte 201, born in 1861 and died in
1908. He is buried beside a wife, Fannie. I'll try to find out more about Martin Kennedy. Now,
here is where it gets sticky. Up until recently we had only a partial name and a "she may have been married to
A man named Divier or Dwyer. I've found proof of his existance on her marriage license to John in 1896, which
says they were divorced. I can see how the original family records didn't know exactly how to spell his name, handwritten
data can be tricky. Personally, I believe it says Dwier. Naturally, if this gent is Norris's biological father, I would
like to find some supporting documents (as he is my own link to the family!!) Turns out the name is not very common in Maine,
but I still couldn't find anyone that fit the bill without a first name and vital data. I'm going to extend the search
to Canada and forums, but if anyone can fill in any blanks, please EMAIL ME. I'd love to find Norris's birth or death certificate and would also like to know where he is buried, as I'm
still trying to find my grandmother's grave and she might be with him. While their marriage certificate
states Rosa married John in 1896. However, the 1900 census lists the couple as having been married 11 years, about 6
years prior to the date on their marriage certificate. Norris was born in 1890. I would not be surprised if they were
but living together as common law spouses, but it is very unclear. If Norris was not his biological son,he did take
the McCollor name, (often spelled McCollar in that branch), and John was the only father the small child knew. In the
1900 census of the household, Norris is listed as John's son. As far as I'm concerned Norris and I were/are devoted
McCollars, by adoption or not, and I have no reason to believe Norris felt any differently. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT NORRIS?
In the 1900 census of the household, we see he is still in school and has a baby brother, Earle, and a toddler sister,
Mona. In May of 1906 his mother succumbed to tuberculosis. She was probably sick for some years prior to her
death, and it's possible the younger children had already been "adopted" out as she could no longer care for them.
Most can only imagine how heartbreaking that must be for a mother. If they had not already left the household, they
did upon their mother's death.
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Norris did not appear lucky in love, as he married four times before he
was 37 years old. In January of the same year of his mother's death, Norris married Estella Hall, a young girl only
recently relocated to Maine from Massachusetts. There is something rather odd about their marriage certificate. According
to all other sources, Norris would have, at the time of the union, been only 15 on his last birthday (turning 16 in March),
and Estella "Stella" Hall about a year older, at 16. The bride and groom were already expecting their first
child, which may very well explain why they married so young. Their ages on the certificate are listed as 18 and
19. I'm not familiar with the laws at that time in Maine, but the incorrect ages may have been used because 18 was
the legal age for marrying. Married and with a baby on the way, Norris had gone to work as a laborer. In June of 1906, little Eva was born, followed in September
of 1907 by another daughter, Helen. Since the newlyweds were but children themselves, It's unclear if
they ever actually parented the girls and for how long before each were placed in
other living situations (see below, "Little Girls Lost"). It is also
unclear if the children grew up with contact from either parent. Predictably,
Norris and Estella divorced, and by 1910, Norris was living on the Guy Wellington farm in Hartland as a
farmhand with a marital status of single. He did not remarry until 27th Jan.,1917
in Farmington, ME. His second wife was Edith Mabel Wilkins, of which I know
very little about save that she was born on or about 1899 in Union, ME. I do not know if he had any
children with her, or with any of his wives after his two children with Estella. A little
later the same year, he registered for the draft, and we learn a little more about
his from his draft card. He was 27 that year, and working as a teamster in West
Farmington. We get a glimpse of some of his physical features as well, as he is described as being of medium
height and build, with brown hair and blue eyes. Norris
was with Edith a very short time, as, the 1920 census lists Norris's "wife" as a woman named Hattie C. Wallace.
I have found all the other marriage certificates for Norris's marriages, but have not yet found one with Hattie. It's
possible they were "common law" spouses. I have very little information on Hattie (short for Harriet?), but
the 1920 census does provide a very basic sketch of her and the household. They were living in Brighton, ME, the same
tiny town where his daughters were placed, where little Eva had died as a child, and where Helen still had ties with her foster
family, the Gowens. Hattie was about ten years older than Norris, at 41, and brought to the household three sons from a prior
marriage, aged 10, 11, and 18, and all with the Wallace surname. In 1920 there were two incomes for the household, Norris
was again working as a farmhand, and Hattie's eldest son was also working, listed as a "laborer". Six
years later, in September of 1926, he was no longer keeping house with Hattie and her sons, and he was married again.
This wife was a woman from Wilton, ME, named Emma Cushman. She had been married at least once previous to her marriage
with Norris, to a man named Downes. I do not have a date and place of Norris's death, but he does
not show up in the 1930 census. It is possible he had died, or perhaps they had moved away? This is information I would
very much like to have and hope someone is able to provide it to me at some point. I researched Emma using all of her names
for quite some time, hoping to find her in a 1930 census or another source, yet I seem to be on the wrong road. If you are doing any research on Norris, please keep in mind that it seemed impossible for those recording on documents
to get his name right. You will find his first name as Morris, and even Harris, and McCollar is found once as Collas.
You need to check the record details over yourself to make sure it really is our Norris.
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