American correspondents, 1867-1897

The correspondence in this series are from mostly American Masons who assisted Norton in his research or criticized his articles. Thusly, these letters leave little room for discussing Norton’s personal life or trade. What little we know of Norton’s personal life comes from pleasantries exchanged at the beginning or end of the correspondences, often described by the correspondents as kind or pleasant. (Other information comes from one correspondent who was both a Mason and a friend of Norton’s family.) In terms of Norton’s research, he sent letters out to all corners of the United States to Masons asking for help in locating information, articles, documents or books. In reference to Norton’s articles, some that gave their opinions on his articles provided constructive criticism, but the rest were outright positive or negative opinions. In small ways, this correspondence can also provide insight into some historical events or progressions, such as the invention of the typewriter, and late 19th century Freemasonry.