Smith Norris

Smith Norris was born in Clarke County, Virginia, in 1836, and is a descendant of the old Norris family, who for many generations had been planters and residents of that locality. His father, George W. Norris, was engaged in mercantile life in Baltimore. Young Norris was educated in the select schools of his County, and at the age of seventeen years, began his mercantile life as clerk in the store of Enoch Pratt & Bro., of Baltimore, where he remained four years, and then returned to his plantation. In 1858-59 he was employed by the Western Maryland Railroad in sawing ties and timbers for railroad construction. He then returned home, where he remained until the breaking out of the war, and then enlisted in the signal service, and was appointed chief signal officer in the department of southwest Virginia and east Tennessee. He served through the war, and though performing much active duty, was never wounded. At the close of the war he returned to his home and remained until he started for California in 1868, by the Isthmus of Panama, arriving in San Francisco in June of that year. During the summer he enjoyed the festivities of San Francisco, and in the fall came to the present site of Madera, then a barren plain, and took up 160 acres of land and put in a crop, but the season was too dry, and the experiment was a failure. In the fall of 1869 he went to San Diego, and a little later, to the mines at Julian, where he labored for several months, but very unsuccessfully, and lost everything. In 1872 he came to Borden and built a little trading store for J. R. Jones, which he operated as clerk for about five years. He then went to the north fork of the San Joaquin river to the silver mines, but in about two years he again broke up. He then returned to Fine Gold Gulch and started a store with mining supplies, which he continued quite successfully until 1887, when he came to Madera and was engaged by the Madera Flume and Trading Company as manager of their mercantile business, in which capacity he is still employed. Mr. Norris has never overcome his interest in mines, and he still owns and operates the Jackass mines, which were so named as placer mines in 1852, and later were developed as quartz mines, as they are now being operated. Mr. Norris has lived the life of a bachelor, and is a genial, pleasant gentleman, always looking upon the bright side, and enjoying the best that life affords.

Memorial and Biographical History of the counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California
Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1892, p. 803.