Lemuel Watson Norris (1848-1930) was born 29 August 1848 in Leesburg, Virginia, to John Norris (1811-1905) and Hannah Birkby Norris (1814-1886). He and his twin brother, Samuel Watson (1848-1933), were the youngest of eight children. Several of his older siblings served in the Confederate Army, including his brother Charles who was killed at the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run). Lemuel graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1870 and worked as an architect and carpenter, usually for the family construction business, Norris and Sons. In 1888 Lemuel married Mary Catherine Turner (1856-1904) also of Leesburg. By November 1889 they had relocated to Washington, DC, and had a child named Hannah. Here, Lemuel continued to work as an architect in both private practice and for the government of the District of Columbia. Buildings designed by him that are still in use include the Nathaniel Parker Gage School in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Northwest DC and Walsh Stable, located in the Dupont Circle Neighborhood. Both are included on the National Register of Historic Places.