Amador
County
Biographies
VIRGIL W. NORTON
Virgil
W. Norton, the present postmaster at Sutter Creek, is a member of one of the
old pioneer families of the Sacramento Valley, where he has lived since the age
of two years, and thus he has been a witness of and participant in the
wonderful development which has characterized this section of the state. He was born in Ohio, on the 4th of
March, 1861, and is a son of William and Mary A. (Myers) Norton. His father crossed the plains in 1863 and in
the same year his wife and three children made the long voyage around Cape
Horn. The father, a shoemaker by trade,
first located at Mud Springs, El Dorado County, and in 1865 moved to Oleta,
Amador County, where the family lived until 1871, when they came to Sutter
Creek, where his death occurred in 1920.
The mother passed away in 1912.
During the active years of his life William Norton followed his trade
and in those days most all shoes were handmade.
In the family were two sons and two daughters.
Virgil
W. Norton attended the public schools of Sutter Creek, after which he learned
the machinist trade, being employed in the machine shop of the local foundry
for thirty-two years. In 1914 he
received the appointment of the position of postmaster of Sutter Creek, the
duties of which office he has discharged in a very capable and satisfactory
manner.
Mr.
Norton was married to Miss Mary Ann Smith, who was born and reared at Sutter
Creek and is a member of one of the early families of this section. They have four children, Virgil C., Walter
S., William H. and John G. In his
political alignment Mr. Norton is a Democrat and has shown a live interest in
public affairs. He is a member of the
Free and Accepted Masons, in which he is a past master of his lodge; the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has passed through the chairs;
the Daughters of Rebekah, and the Order of the Eastern Star, of which he is a
past worthy patron. He is one of the
best postmasters Sutter Creek has ever had and as a citizen has done his full
part in promoting the best interests of his community, so that he commands to a
marked degree the respect of his fellowmen.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Wooldridge, J.W.Major History of Sacramento Valley
California, Vol. 2 Pages 455-456. Pioneer Historical
Publishing Co. Chicago 1931.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's Amador County Biographies