The storms of 160 years have had their way with John M. Norris's tombstone in the Chariton Cemetery, eroding its marble surface to the point that the inscription now appears slightly out of focus. But we still can see that he died Feb. 23, 1858, aged 24 years, 2 months and 19 days.
We know next to nothing about John or what killed him, but he most likely had arrived at Chariton and located on a nearby farm during the fall of 1856 with his widowed mother, Elizabeth (Epler) Norris, and adult siblings, including Isaac, George and Eliza Jane. The husband and father, John Thomas Norris, had died on March 21, 1855, in Clark County, Indiana, leaving the family well provided for. Other married siblings either had preceded Elizabeth and her unmarried children to Lucas County --- or accompanied them.
The notable thing about John's tombstone (and date of death) is that they predate the cemetery itself, established during the summer of 1864, six years after John died.
This most likely means that both John's remains and his tombstone were brought here from the small burial ground that had been established on the current site of Columbus School soon after Chariton was located and organized during the fall of 1849.
The Norris family selected a double lot with space for 12 adult burials in the new cemetery and the next to be interred upon it was John M. Norris's nephew, John E. Norris, son of Isaac and and Martha (Mitchell) Norris, who died on Feb. 14, 1867, at the age of 1 year.
Elizabeth Norris, matriarch of the family, died as the result of a stroke on Oct. 16, 1879, age 86, and was buried beside her son, John. Other family members gradually filled the remainder of the lot as the years passed.
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