Marion D. Norton
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Marion D. Norton

Accident
End of Watch July 18, 1882
Age 22
The Vigil Panel 7 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Marion D. Norton was in the sheriff's office when Sheriff Butler directed Deputy Norton to attend to some business in the jail. As Deputy Norton was preparing to leave the sheriff's office he picked up his pistol from a table. The pistol dropped and discharged, the bullet passed through Norton's body, killing him.

Deputy Norton was a former Texas Ranger. He was single and was survived by his mother, Sarah C. Norton, and several brothers and sisters. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Tyler, Texas.

Survivors

He was single and was survived by his mother, Sarah C.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-D401810C
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

144 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Norton served with the Smith County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Tyler community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Tyler, Smith County, TX
Platform Identity scso.smith.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 18, 1882
Age 22
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Deputy Sheriff Marion D. Norton is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In TX, 657 of 2,422 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 27.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Smith County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 8 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.5% of this agency's fallen.

Smith County Sheriff's Office
3
of 8 officers
37.5% Accident
TX — Statewide
657
of 2,422 officers
27.1% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Marion D. Norton's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Marion D. Norton Compares

Age at Death
22
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Marion D. Norton is highlighted in Jul.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897