Erastus was born Herkimer Co., New York and in 1818 moved with his father to Knox Co., Ohio, near the town of Bloomfield. Erastus married first, Nancy Hartshorn 15 June 1826 in Wayne Co., Ohio and they had six children. By 1835, Erastus Norton and Asa Hartshorn (Nancy's father or brother?), were both residents of Lenox Township in Ashtabula Co., Ohio. They eventually settled on a farm in Mount Vernon, Knox Co., on the Walhonding River. On 1 Nov. 1836, Erastus, his family and his 74-year-old widowed father Isaac arrived in Illinois after selling their Ohio property and traveling overland with a wagon and three horses. It took them 32 days to reach Byron Township, Ogle Co., where they were some of the first settlers. Erastus acquired a piece of land (Township 24, Range 10) in Byron and built a log cabin, where his entire family would live for two years. In 1838, Erastus sold his Byron land and moved the family, including his father, to Boone Co., where he purchased land in Section 30 on 30 Oct. 1839. They then moved to Cherry Valley, Illinois for a time, there they were some of the first white settlers in Winnebago Co. Nancy died 21 Nov. 1841 in Cherry Valley, leaving five children living. The widowed Erastus traveled back to Ohio, where he married, second, Margaret Dixon 23 Aug. 1842 in Knox Co. In the 1850 Census, they were living in Dekalb Co., Illinois, but by the 1860 Census they were living back in Winnebago Co. with their children. Sometime before 1870, they finally settled in Oregon Township, Ogle Co. In the 1880 Census, Erastus was living with his daughter Sarah Norton Emerson, and Margaret was living in the house next door with her daughter Ellen Norton Eastman. Margaret died in 1874, and Erastus died 8 Jan. 1889.

Children of Nancy Hartshorn:

Charity Norton (1827-1905)
Sarah A. Norton (b. 1829)
Elizabeth M. Norton (1831-1832)
Griffin R. Norton (1833-pre-1885)
Eliza Jane Norton (b. 1835)
Cordelia (Nancy) Norton (1839-post-1885)

Children of Margaret Dixon:

Ellen Elizabeth Norton (1845-1880)
Harriet Norton (1847-1847)
Mary M. Norton (1848-1850)
Wesley Norton (b. 1849)
Josephine Norton (1852-1852)
Louisa Adelaide Norton (b. 1854)