Here Goes....My Family History Blog

Having just attended the Family Roots Expo in St. George, Utah (October 28-29, 2016), I have been inspired to begin a family history blog containing some pictures and stories of my Compton and Haynes ancestral lines.  Since I am a beginner at this I hope to learn and improve this blog as I go along. I feel that it is important to share and preserve this information for my children and grandchildren. I am hoping to add a post weekly. I would love any comments and would be happy to share information with others who are also interested in these special people. I am constantly seeking to learn more about their lives and what made them into who they were. Some stories will be good and great and can give us a pattern and foundation upon which we can find inspiration and help in our own lives. Some stories may be sad and troubling, but they are still a part of their lives and can help us realize that we are not the only ones in our family that have faced trials and tragedies. And some may just be factual or interesting. As these stories progress, it is my hope that we can learn about where we came from and have a stronger connection to those ancestors who have made it possible for us to be who we are.

                                                                     Bill Compton
                                   

Amy Coleman Norris (1819 - 1910)

Pedigree Line: Me > William R. Compton (father) > William R. Compton (grandfather) > Norris M. Compton (great grandfather) > Amy C. Norris (2nd great grandmother)

Amy Coleman Norris was born on October 13, 1819 in Mamakating, Sullivan, New York, the first child of Matthew Northrup Norris and Julia T. Van Duzer. She married an itinerant minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church named Peter Compton on April 30, 1835. She had only one child, Norris Matthew Compton, and lived in Veteran, Chemung, NY, where in his later years Peter was the minister at the church in the small hamlet of Sullivanville.

Personal Memories
 Recorded by her great grandson, John Compton Leffler in 1973: "Amy Norris died in her rocking chair by the window in Norris Compton's home in Horseheads - knitting needles in her hands.  Her strong, classic face, kind blue eyes and soft voice are among the vivid memories of my childhood.  She was the great conciliator; always ready to say a good word - even for the Devil."

Obituary
Published in the Chemung Valley Reporter on March 10, 1910: At an early hour Monday morning Mrs. Amy C. Compton died at the home of her son, Norris M. Compton, on South Main Street, at the advanced age of 91 years. Mrs. Compton was born in Sullivan County, NY October 13, 1819. Her husband, Peter Compton, died many years ago, and since then she has resided with her son. The deceased retained her faculties until a short time before her demise. She read much and her memory was always to be relied upon. She was a devoted and consistent Christian and a member of the Methodist church, attending its services regularly and constantly so long as health permitted...The funeral was held at the home Wednesday morning, with Rev. R. D. Stanley officiating. Burial in Van Duzer cemetery.

Observations
I am impressed that she was such a kind, loving and very religious person. I am sure she filled the role of a minister's wife well. Her husband, Peter, died when she was 67 years old and she was a widow for another 23 years, living with her only son until the age of 90. She kept her faith and was a peacemaker. Her mind remained sharp and she kept it active with reading and serving others and enjoying her many grandchildren and great grandchildren,