By Henry Robert Burke
Appalachia contributes the life of another precious son! Kyle Phillip Norris, 22, of Noble County, Ohio was struck and
killed by a roadside bomb in Iskandariyah, 30 miles south of Iraq, on Thursday May 22, 2004. The death of Kyle Norris adds
to the 4080+ young U.S. soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in the War in Iraq. The family of Kyle Phillip Norris will
be bringing him to Washington County to rest in Rainbow Cemetery on Thursday, June 5, 2008.
Kyle Norris’s roots run deep in southeastern Ohio and in Appalachia. Kyle Philip Norris is a direct descendant
of Noah Norris and on his maternal grandmother's branch, Mrs. Shirley (Burke) Norris of Zanesville was born and raised at
Rainbow, Washington County, Ohio. Maternal great grandparents Joseph and Vesta (Chandler) Burke rest in Rainbow Cemetery.
Also on his maternal line, great-great grandparents, Charles and Sarah (Woods) Burke rest in Putnam Cemetery directly across
the Muskingum River from Rainbow Cemetery. Charles Burke was a Civil War Veteran, severely wounded at Deep Bottom, Virginia
in December of 1864 during the American Civil War. Charles Burke proudly wore his medal for the rest of his life. Also on
the maternal side of his tree, Kyle Norris’s great-great-great grandmother Hannah (Gaskins) Burke rests in Putnam Cemetery
and great-great-great grandfather Joseph Burke rests in the cemetery at Newport.
The Norris Family Cemetery, in Wesley Township near Cutler in Washington County, is among the older African American Cemeteries
in the former Northwest Territory. No doubt further research will reveal other ancestors and or relatives of Kyle Philip Norris
who have served the United States Military
Noah Norris, great-great-grandfather of Kyle Norris, was a veteran of the American Civil War who served with the 5th United
States Colored Infantry. A statue of Noah Norris is part of the Bicentennial Monument in Muskingum Park, Zanesville,
Ohio (shown below).
