Born into an affluent farming family in Wake County, North Carolina, she married Matthew Tyson Norris, a wealthy dry goods merchant and cotton factor, and lived in the Norris-Heartt House, a mansion in downtown Raleigh that was deeded to her by her parents.

Norris was active in women's organizations including the Ladies Auxiliary of the Young Men's Christian Association and Sunday school at First Baptist Church.

[2][3] Her grandfather, Needham Norris, was a Baptist minister and the owner of the Norris-Holland-Hare House, a Federal-style farmhouse that is the oldest structure in Holly Springs.

In 1879, she married Matthew Tyson Norris, a dry goods merchant and cotton factor who owned and operated a store in downtown Raleigh and a stall at City Market.

[1] She was a prominent socialite in Raleigh and the local newspapers detailed accounts of her soirées and fashionable parties at her North Blount Street residence.