Norris Matthew Compton (1836 - 1919)

Pedigree: Me > William R. Compton II > William R. Compton I > Norris Matthew Compton (my great grandfather)

From: "A Biographical Record of Chemung County, New York", 1902, page 53:
Norris M. Compton (son of Peter Compton and Amy Norris) was born in Veteran, NY on April 26, 1836 and pursued his education in Wyoming Seminary at Kingston, Pennsylvania, where he took a general course.  He followed the occupation of farming in Veteran, and was also engaged in general merchandise for a number of years, maintaining his residence in Sullivanville.  In 1902, he resided in Horseheads and occupied a clerical position in the office of his son (William R. Compton).  Norris and his wife Mary (Brigham) gave their children the best home training and such educational privileges as their means would allow, thus fitting them as well as possible for the practical and responsible duties of life.  They attended the Methodist Episcopal Church.  Norris, in his political views, was an active Republican, staunchly supporting the principles of the party but never seeking office.

Records of his Service in the Civil War:
Norris M. Compton, first class musician, of the 29th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, enlisted at Elmira, New York on the 21st day of September, 1861 to serve 3 years. He was born in Chemung County in the state of New York, is 26 years of age, 5 feet 6 3/4 inches high, light complexion, light eyes, light hair, and by occupation when enlisted, a musician. During the last 2 months, said soldier has been unfit for duty for 40 days. Station: USA  General Hospital, Frederick, Maryland, May 19, 1862. I certify that I have carefully examined the said Norris M. Compton, a musician, and find him incapable of performing the duties of a soldier because of chronic laryngitis. Discharged this 19th day of May, 1862 at Frederick, Maryland.
Signed
Thomas J Dunoth and A. Apish, Surgeons.

Affidavit of Norris M. Compton 24 Sept 1881:
Norris M. Compton, age 45, present post office address Sullivanville, New York. For 5 years immediately preceding my enlistment into the service on 21 Sept 1861 I resided in Sullivanville, Chemung, New York. My occupation for those preceding 5 years was that of a musician teaching and leading funerals. Since my discharge from the service on the 19th day of May 1862, I have resided in Sullivanville, New York until I removed in the year of 1874 to Spencer, Tioga County, New York. I removed from that place in 1875 to Sullivanville, New York, then removed in the year of 1876 to Meadville, Crawford, Pennsylvania, where I lived until 1881, when I came back to Sullivanville where I now live. My occupations have been small grocery business and raising small fruits from 1862 to 1874, and then cigar business since then. The disabilities for which I claim this pension arise from chronic laryngitis. This was contracted in February, 1862 on the march from Frederick City, Maryland to Harpers Ferry. When we got to Winchester, Virginia, I was so bad that I was sent from Winchester to the Frederick City hospital, where I was discharged May 19, 1862. I have been unable to follow any occupation since discharge. My throat is in bad shape and an abscess which formed in my throat while in the Army has never healed and discharges every day. I often am I unable to do anything.

Norris Compton (right) and two dairy farm hands

Recollections from grandson John Compton Leffler [son of Lena Compton who was Norris's daughter and sister to William R. Compton, Sr.] written in March 1973:
"Norris M. Compton was the only child of Peter Compton and Amy Norris Compton, who survived infancy.  He was spoiled, a great whiner in his old age, and - as far as I could piece together - a dreamer with no business sense.  He was dapper in dress, had a fine handlebar mustache, loved fine horses, good cigars, and, I suspect, whiskey - which could be detected on his breath on occasion.  At those times, his wife, Mary (Brigham), would show signs of tears, and the tension could be felt.  He never went to church.
In his younger years, he did quite well at the family farm in Sullivanville, NY running a good dairy, and raising crops for feed.  In midlife, he took a plunge in a dairy farm on a high ridge 1000 feet above Seneca Lake.  It was a day's journey by carriage from Horseheads, where he lived during my childhood, and I loved going with him to the Hill Farm.  He was always fun on those trips and had a pocketful of hard candies to dispense enroute.  The view from the farm was breathtaking.
On the Hill Farm he was a pioneer in the import of Holstein cattle, noted for the quantity if not the quality of their milk.  I loved the dairy with its cool, sweet smell, and the shallow pans of milk set out in a dark corner for the cream to rise to the top.  This was before the day of pasteurization and separator machines, but grandfather was very fussy about the cleanliness in the cow barn and dairy. The cow's teats were washed before milking.  The milkers had to wash their hands every two cows! He employed 12 hands on Hill Farm.  He was the first President of the New York State Holstein Breeders Association.
The price of milk went down in the panic of 1907, and soon thereafter he could not meet his mortgage and lost Hill Farm and the old family farm at Sullivanville.  He was never the same after that, and after my grandmother's [Mary Brigham] death in 1910, he lived until 1919 - cared for in turn by his three daughters Ida, Edith and Lena, and financed by his prosperous son, William R. Compton [Sr.] of Elmira."

5 Generations (picture taken about 1908): Amy Norris Compton (widow of Peter Compton and mother of Norris Compton), Norris Compton, William R. Compton I (son of Norris Compton), Leon Compton (son of William), and Madeline Compton (daughter of Leon).

Obituary in the "Chemung Valley Reporter" 27 November 1919:

Norris M. Compton passed away at the home of one of his daughters, Mrs. J. R. Fitzgerald, at Naperville, IL, Saturday, aged 84 years. He had been spending much time with another daughter at Buffalo, Mrs. J. F. Leffler, and went to Naperville a few weeks ago. Always a resident of this county, he was among the well known men of the section. His ancestors, the Norris and Compton families, were among the pioneers of the southern tier, and composed that hardy stock which settled and developed the locality. Mr. Compton was born at Sullivanville and was a son of the late Peter and Amy Compton, the father being a minister. He died many years ago but the mother lived to be nearly 100 years of age and passed away about 10 years ago. She lived with her son in this village for many years. The deceased served in the Civil War as a musician in the 29th Pennsylvania Regiment and was a member of the Baldwin Post. A few years ago he was extensively engaged in farming and was among the first men in the county to introduce full blood Holstein cattle. He was one of the organizers and the first president of the Chemung Valley Holstein Breeder's Association. He was engaged for several years as a clerk in the U. S. Marshall's office in Elmira. Following the death of his wife a few years ago, Mr. Compton had apartments at the Platt House. Deceased was the father of the late William R. Compton, prominent as a Republican political leader in this county and for several years U.S. marshall for this district. He is survived by three daughters - Mrs. J. Fitzgerald of Naperville, IL, at whose home he passed away; Mrs. Lewis H. Lent of Richfield Park, NJ; Mrs. Lena Leffler, wife of Rev. John F. Leffler, pastor of the Normal Park Methodist church at Buffalo.