Major James Norris, 3rd Regiment, N.H. Continental Line
James Norris was born April 9, 1739 in Epping, New Hampshire. He was the son of Jonathan and Mary (Harris) Norris. He married Mary (Molly) Chandler.
James Norris was appointed as a Captain in the 2nd New Hampshire Regiment on May 23, 1775. James Norris was commissioned as a Captain in the 8th Continental Infantry (the temporary designation for the 2nd New Hampshire Regiment, Continental Line) on January 1, 1776. In this capacity he was a Company Commander. On July 7, 1777, Captain Norris was wounded and taken prisoner at the Battle of Hubbardton. He was most likely freed as a result of the American victory at Saratoga some months later.
Captain Norris was promoted to Major and transferred to the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment, Continental Line on September 20, 1777. During the Continental Army’s encampment at Valley Forge, Major Norris is listed among the Field Officers of the 3rd New Hampshire. Major Norris continued in service until he resigned on July 5, 1780.
Major Norris died November 11, 1816 in Monmouth, New Hampshire.
Sources: Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army, (Baltimore, 1914), 415; Ellis, George E., et al. “May Meeting, 1886. Diaries of Sullivan’s Expedition; General Sullivan’s Expedition; Journal of William McKendry; Maps of Boston Horbor; The Boston Port Bill; Dr. Belknap’s Protest; Memoir of John Langdon Sibley.” Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 2 (1885):435–507. JSTOR; Buffalo Historical Society, Publications of the Buffalo Historical Society, Volume 1, (Buffalo, 1879), 217-252; “To George Washington from Brigadier General Enoch Poor, 29 January 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019 [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 24, 1 January–9 March 1780, ed. Benjamin L. Huggins. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2016, 316–317.]; Selected Wartime Service Records of Major James Norris.
