Norris, Harriet Victoria 1868-1957

NORRIS, RULIFFSON, BARNETT

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 5/24/2010 at 17:17:08

The Grinnell Herald-Register (Grinnell, Iowa) Jan. 31, 1957

HARRIET VICTORIA NORRIS

Harriet Victoria Norris, daughter of Willard and Ellen Ruliffson, was born in Chili near Rochester, N.Y., Sept. 18, 1868. When a child she, with her parents, brothers, and sisters, moved to Lincoln, Neb.

Later she attended the University of Nebraska three years and taught in the Lincoln schools until the time of her marriage to Harry Waldo Norris in June, 1893. He was then doing post graduate work in biological studies at the University at Lincoln, and accepted a position at Grinnell college in Grinnell, Iowa, where he headed the Department of Biology for fifty years.

During this long period two years were spent in special research. Dr. and Mrs. Norris spent the academic year of 1901-1902 in Freiburg, Germany, where Dr. Norris did advanced studies in zoology under two German professors: Weissman and Wiedersheim.

Dr. and Mrs. Norris' family consisted of three children: Waldo, who graduated from Grinnell college, class of 1917; Genevieve, Mrs. Fielding Barnett of Reno, Nev.; and Selden Norris of the class of 1926 at Grinnell, who later was connected with the Business Department for 12 years a teacher and in charge of various activites of the department until his passing in April, 1947.

Following Dr. Norris' death in January, 1946, Mrs. Norris went to Reno with her daughter, Genevieve (Mrs. Barnett), where most of the time, in her later years, she had made her home.

Her church membership was transferred from Grinnell, Ia., to Park Congregational church, Greeley, Colo., where she lived for a time with her son Waldo and family. She retained her membership in that church until transferred to the First Methodist church in Reno, Nev.

Mrs. Norris died Jan. 23, 1957, after a long illness. She had resided with her daughter, Mrs. Fielding (Genevieve) Barnett, in Reno, Nev.