Warning

Please don't conflate Francis Norton of Charlestown with Francis Norton of Weathersfield and Milford

Parents and Origins

See The English Origins of Captain Francis Norton of Charlestown, Massachusetts by Roger Thompson, in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society), 165:273-79, 2011. link

Francis1 Norton the immigrant was son of John(A) Norton and Alice Bicknald. He was bp 29 Sep 1602 in Caddington, Bedfordshire, England. His father John was born about 1560 in Markyate, Hertfordshire, England and married in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England to Alice Bicknald who was buried on 22 May 1621 in that town. She was mother to Francis. Francis1 Norton was husband either of two woman named Mary one of who was Mary Houghton -or- or just a single wife Mary Houghton who m/2 William Stilson. See this journal article for a discussion of why this is uncertain.

Biography

There were at least two Francis Nortons in New England, this one in Charlestown and a Francis Norton in Wethersfield who later removed to Milford.

This one was married to Mary Houghton, daughter of Nicholas Houghton and Elinor Newman. Mary Norton, wife of Francis of Charlestown, was mentioned in her brother, Robert Houghton's will.

After the death of Francis of Charlestown, his widow Mary, married William Stilson (also Stetson, Stitson).

This Francis Norton had daughters Abigail (John Long), Mary (Joseph Noyes), Deborah (Zechary Hill), Elizabeth (Timothy Symmes and then Ephraim Savage), and Sarah (unmarried).

He may have been a haberdasher and he was well respected in Charlestown. He died in July 1667. Two dates are cited, July 11 and July 27.

Savage on the two Francis Nortons

"FRANCIS, Portsmouth 1631, a steward, sent by Mason and other patentees, rem. to Charlestown,
says Frothingham, as early as 1637, was freem. 18 May 1642, ar. co. 1643, a capt. and rep. many yrs. betw. 1647 and 61, d. 11 July 1667. His wid. Mary m. 27 Aug. 1670, deac. William Stitson; prob. he had no s. but of ds. Abigail m. John Long; Mary m. 30 Oct. 1656, Joseph Noyes, Elizabeth m. 21 Sept. 1671, Timothy Symmes; Deborah m. 24 Sept. 1668 Zechary Hill, and next, Matthew, 4 Mar.; and Sarah was unm."

Not to be confused with

"FRANCIS, Wethersfield, one of the first sett. but was of Milford 1660, thence m. 1662, to New Haven, where he was drown. 1667, leav. no ch.but in his will of 1666, names cous. i. e. neph. John N. cous. John Nash, s. Joseph Northrop with his s. Jeremiah."

Sources

• The New England Historical and Genealogical Register,: Volume 42 1888, Volume 42 (Google eBook). New England Historic Genealogical Society, Heritage Books, Dec 1, 1996, page 258
• Savage, cited in