Isaac Norris
A Prominent Quaker Leader of Colonial Pennsylvania:

  Isaac Norris, Sr. (1671-1735) was a wealthy Quaker merchant who was one of the most important public figures in early Pennsylvania. Norris was born in London into a Quaker family. He remained a lifelong Quaker. Norris was a close associate of William Penn. He rescued Penn from imprisonment in 1706. Norris was elected mayor of Philadelphia in 1724.
Isaac Norris was a speaker of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly, and was a justice for Philadelphia County. He was one of the primary representatives of the Penn family.

  The Norris’ rural estate, Fairhill, was one of the first country houses built by a Quaker leader of Philadelphia. The British burned the house in 1777, at the time of the Battle of Germantown. The house was rebuilt but was demolished in the 19th century.
The house design and history is well documented, and has even more surviving documentation than William Penn’s home at Pennsbury Manor.

 The Norris Home, Fairhill
on Historic Maps:

 Above: The Norris house, Fairhill, on the 1753 Scull and Heap map, A Map of Philadelphia and Parts Adjacent. Image source: Library of Congress.

 Above left: Fairhill on the 1753 map A Map of Philadelphia and Parts Adjacent…, by Scull and Heap.
Above right: Fairhill on the 1843 map A Map of the County of Philadelphia, by Ellet and Kennedy. Images source: PhilaGeoHistory.org
Today the site of this former Norris house is in the Fairhill neighborhood of North Philadelphia, near North 8th Street and West York Street. The neighborhood is the center of the Hispanic community in Philadelphia. Fair Hill Burial Ground, established by the Quakers, remains nearby and includes graves of prominent abolitionists, including members of the Norris family.

 1714: Drawings of the Fireplaces at Fairhill:

 Norristown and Norriton Township
Named for Isaac Norris:

  Above: Norristown churches in 1884, published in History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Editor Theodore W. Bean. Image source: Internet Archive.
The borough of Norristown is the county seat of Montgomery County. This land was originally owned by Isaac Norris, for whom the borough is named. In 1704 Isaac Norris and William Trent purchased 7,482 acres here from William Penn, Jr. The land included the areas now known as East Norriton, West Norriton, and Norristown. By 1712 Norris became the sole owner of the entire tract.
The area was officially established as Norriton Township in 1730. The borough of Norristown was incorporated in 1812. The names Norriton and Norristown are a tribute to Isaac Norris’ influence in this region.

  Fair Hill Burial Ground is a historic Quaker cemetery in Philadelphia’s Fairhill neighborhood. The Society of Friends founded this cemetery in 1703.
The founder of Quakerism, George Fox, granted this land to American Friends in 1691 for a meeting house and burial grounds. The original meeting house was built here in 1703. Hicksite Quakers built the second meeting house here in 1883, on Cambria St. The building later became a Baptist church.

1. Lucretia Mott (1793–1880)
A prominent Quaker minister, abolitionist, and women's rights advocate, Mott co-founded the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society in 1833.

2. James Mott (1788–1868)
Husband of Lucretia Mott, he was an active Quaker abolitionist who supported his wife's reform efforts and assisted in the Underground Railroad.

3. Mary Ann M’Clintock (1800–1884)
A Quaker activist who helped organize the first women’s rights convention, the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. She also helped draft the Declaration of Sentiments at that convention. This was the formal beginning of the organized women’s rights movement in the U. S.

4. Thomas M’Clintock (1792–1876)
Husband of Mary Ann, he was a Quaker abolitionist and advocate for women's rights, contributing to the planning of the Seneca Falls Convention.

5. Anna T. Jeanes (1822–1907)
A Quaker philanthropist who funded the establishment of schools for African Americans in the South, contributing significantly to Black education.

6. Edward Parrish (1822–1872)
A Quaker pharmacist and the first president of Swarthmore College, he was appointed by President Grant to assist in peace efforts with Native American tribes.

7. Ann Preston (1813–1872)
The first woman dean of a U.S. medical school, she was a Quaker physician who advocated for women's medical education and social reform.

8. Sarah Pugh (1800–1884)
A Quaker abolitionist and suffragist, she was active in the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society and worked tirelessly for social justice.

9. Abigail Kimber (1804 - 1871)
Cousin of Sarah Pugh, she was a Quaker activist involved in anti-slavery and women's rights movements.

10. Deborah Fisher Wharton (1795–1888)
A Quaker minister and social reformer, she was involved in various philanthropic efforts and was a founding member of Swarthmore College.

11. Rudolph Blankenburg (1843 - 1918)
Reformist mayor of Philadelphia from 1911 to 1916, who fought against political corruption and became known as "The Old War Horse of Reform” because of his commitment to progressive reform.

12. Lucretia Blankenburg (1845 - 1937)
Social activist and civic reformer who fought for women’s right to vote, and worked for civic reform with her husband Philadelphia Mayor Rudolph Blankenburg.

 Links:

 Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
Norris Family Papers at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Norris Family Papers at the Library Company of Philadelphia
Historic Fair Hill