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material in this summary was contributed by Pj Little of Carthage, Missouri.
She can be reached via e-mail at
ibi@greencis.net.
Information for the Illinois branch of the Little
family is derived from several sources including the book
"Little" by Hazel Little Strom, 1983; Champaign County
research conducted by Geri Foster; and family records from
James W. Little. We are deeply indebted to these individuals
for their contributions.
Illinois: The Descendants of Benjamin Jackson Little
Benjamin Jackson Little married Sarah Wisner in Licking County, PA. about 1815
and four children were born to them before 1825. They were:
Anna Little (born 1816) who married John Enyort and had issue;
Samuel Little (born 1818) who had three known children and died before 1877
when Benjamin's estate was settled;
Tobias P. Little (born 1820) who married two Ohio daughters and had eighteen children; and
John W. Little (born 1824) who married Charlotte Coon and had issue.
Benjamin and his family left Pennsylvania in 1825, it is thought, to ostensibly follow
in the footsteps of his uncle "Squire" Thomas and settle in Ohio. They ultimately chose
Hanover Township, Licking County as their residence and are found in every census
beginning in 1830. and continuing until their death. No appreciable information is
available about their son Samuel. It appears that Samuel's death was untimely as his
children were not named as heirs at the time his brother John W. Little was the Court
appointed Administrator. Their names--Sarah, John and Jacob--did appear, however, in
the final accounting of the estate settlement, as did the names of the heirs of Anna Little
Enyort.
There is also a questionable female named Sharlotte/Charlotte Little who appears
in this household in the 1840, 1850, 1860 and 1870 census and disappears just as
quickly. It is has not been satisfactorily explained as to what her relationship was with
Benjamin and Sarah. The only clue to date is that she does not seem to be an heir. She is
not mentioned in the final settlement of Benjamin's estate, or any portion of the estate
thereof.
Thus, what is known about Benjamin Jackson Little and his family is very simple and
straightforward. They were residents of Licking County, Ohio before the 1830 census.
When Charlotte Coon (one of six children) was born at Geneva, New
York in 1831 to Abner Coon and Lydia Pope, Benjamin Little was already
established in Licking, Ohio, having migrated there from Pennsylvania in
1925 with his wife and four children. We don't know exactly when Abner
arrived in Licking County but cemetery records indicate he was buried in
1844 in Hanover Cemetery. His wife was buried beside him seven years
later, after the marriage of their daughter Charlotte to the youngest son of
Benjamin and Sarah Little.
JOHN AND CHARLOTTE COON LITTLE
John Wisner Little was born in 1824 in Pennsylvania, but spent his formative years in
the wilds of Ohio in a house with dirt floors and no windows. He hunted,
trapped, fished, farmed and learned useful skills like carpentry as did his
older brothers Samuel and Tobias. The boys received a common school
education.
Their sister Anna stayed at home and learned the skills of sewing,
cooking, and probably herbology and healing from her mother. She married
John Enyort and had three children. According to Hazel Little Strom in her
book, their daughter Maria was crippled *pratically all her life*. Maria
married Gilford Miner and lived in the house where she was born. After John
died in 1853, Anna wed Jacob Wiley of Licking County. She died about ten
years later. Anna, John and their children, and Jacob are buried in Ohio.
This family is mentioned in the "History of Licking County" (page 716).
Information about her brother Samuel, born in 1818, is nearly non-existent.
The heirs of Anna and Samuel are named at the 1877 Settlement of
Benjamin Little's Estate.
John Wisner and Charlotte (Coon) Little
Photo Courtesy of James W. Little
Source: Hazel Little Strom, Little, 1983, page 17.
John Wisner Little and Charlotte Coon Little were married on January
17, 1850 in Licking County. The following year in May of 1851 Lydia Coon
died and was buried in the Hanover Cemetery at Licking County. John and
Charlotte moved to Vermillion County, Illinois in 1853 with, in all probability,
sons Thomas Aaron born 1851 and George Franklin born 1853, as daughter
Emmiline born in October of 1850 died early that January. They lived in
Vermillion County for several years before moving to Rantoul where they
bought a farm and raised their children. Ten issue is recorded in the family
bible but only six children lived to maturity.
Hazel Little Strom, a daughter of Chester Welby Little and Libbie Thayer, and granddaughter
of John W. Little[4], tells the story of the family Bible in her book "Little"
written in 1983. The story invovles three cousins, Hazel, Opal Filkin and Edna Mae Fletcher.
Opal Filkin, the daughter of Maria Jane Little and Richard Filkin, and also a granddaughter of John W. Little[4],
received the Bible after her father died, and for a brief
time it was in the possession of Hazel. The third cousin, Edna Mae Fletcher, was a
granddaughter of Samuel Henson Little, and therefore a
great-granddaughter of John W. Little[4]. It was through her generosity
that the family Bible was restored. Edna's son was enrolled at the Archbishop Shaw High School in New
Orleans at the time of these events. A young man called "Brother Jimmy",
who had been orphaned at an early age, presumably because of medical
conditions, also lived there. Despite the fact that he had lost an eye and leg
due to diabetes, he was cheerful and blessed with a huge artisitic talent
for bookbinding and foredge painting. Edna, a seamstress, often made her son's clothes. "Brother Jimmy", a
rather rotund figure with a 54-inch waist, wanted a pair of green walking
shorts. Edna made the shorts, and in return "Brother Jimmy" re-bound
the family Bible, complete with new leather, gold embossing, and
refinished foredges. To the casual observer, the nearly 150-year-old
family record looked new, and was last known to be in the possession
of Opal Filkin's daughter in 1983.
The biographies of George Franklin Little, Samuel Henson Little and
Chester Welby Little are included in the "Champaign County History of
1918."
Prior to her death, Charlotte Coon Little had not walked for more than
seventeen years. John was her loving and devoted caretaker. He moved into
town (Rantoul) after Charlotte died and lived with his daughter Maria Jane
and her husband Richard. John died approximately one year after the death
of his brother Tobias. See John's group chart for more information
There is a wealth of information about this family in Hazel Little Strom's 1983 book entitled
Little. For example, here is one passage describing John Wisner's life and character after the death of his wife Charlotte:
He united with the Free Methodist Church and for a few years resided with a Mr. and Mrs. Clark Wilson so that he might be near the church of his choice. As long as he was able to attend, he
was one of its most faithful members. He was an ardent supporter of the Republican ticket and in his earlier days was quite prominent in politics.
He was man of generous impulses and never forgot the hospitable ways of the pioneers. He bore adversity bravely and
enjoyed prosperity quietly. He divided his estate among his children and they cared for him nobly. He suffered a paralytic stroke and died July 1,
1910, age 85 years, 9 months and 15 days. Pall bearers were six grandsons, Frank and Richard Filkin, Louis C., Arthur, Ross and Alton Little.
Tobias and Elizabeth Horn Little
Tobias Polhemus Little wed Elizabeth Horn in Licking County in 1840, a full
ten years before his brother John married Charlotte. It is believed that
Elizabeth and her sister Katherine are the children of Daniel and Jane
Mariah Bush Horn. Tobias followed his brother to Illinois, but not before living
in Indiana for sixteen years. During those years, Elizabeth gave birth to
several children including Mary, Sarah, Henry, Lucy, Anna, John,
Margaret, William, Malissa, Benjamin, and possibly Adalaide who was born
in 1856, the year the family arrived in the pioneer town of Virgil, Lee
Township, Fulton County, IL. Tobias built the first schoolhouse in Virgil and
then moved on to McDonough for a brief time before moving permanently to
Fulton County and settling in Harris Township near the town of Smithfield.
Elizabeth had six more children including Alcinda, George, Thomas, Tobias
and two infants who died at birth. It is believed Elizabeth died in 1865 while
giving birth to her last child. Read more about these children at the bottom
of the page.
Two years later he returned to Licking County, Ohio and married
Katherine Horn Setser, the sister of his late wife. Their son Albion was born
in 1869. He shows up as a one-year old child in the 1870 Harris Township
Census with her children from a previous marriage, Elizabeth and Elsworth
Setser. Albion married Dena Cameron and committed suicide before his
father died. They had no issue. Katherine died in 1888 and is buried in
Marietta Cemetery with her sister.
Tobias Polhemus and Marta Clark Little About 1889
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ruth Wright
In 1889 Tobias took Martha Clark for his third bride. The marriage was
short-lived, however, as Martha died very unexpectedly. Nothing is known
about this individual. Tobias is pictured above with Martha.
Tobias married a fourth time in 1893 to widow Nancy Coons Davis
Lance of Fulton County. He had previous to this time purchased 200 acres
about a mile north of Smithfield where he lived and farmed. When he
married Nancy, he sold the property and moved to what he called her
"ancestral home, the old John Lance place" situated in Cass Township. (It
was acutally where she was living when her husband John Lance died.)
They were married for slightly less than seventeen years when Tobias died.
Nancy was blind. She lived with her daughter until her death three years
later.
Tobias Little was buried in Marietta Cemetery with his wives, Elizabeth
and Katherine, the mothers of his 18 children. Nancy Coons Davis Lance
Little was buried in Howard Church Cemetery with John Lance, the father of
her twelve children.
An Interview With Tobias Polhemus Little
"There was born to Benjamin and Sarah (Wisner) Little in Lycoming
County, PA, Feb. 29, 1820, a son - Tobias P. Little, the subject of
this sketch. He moved from Pennsylvania to Licking county, Ohio
with his parents in 1825.
"Ohio at that time was almost a wilderness and the family lived
at first in a small cabin in the woods, with a quilt for a door and no
windows or floor. The hut was covered with clapboards fastened
with poles. The family suffered many dprivations for the first few
years."
Tobias P. Little's father was a native of New Jersey and his
mother was born in Pennsylvania. The father was of Scot-German
and the mother of German-Welsh descent. His educational
advantages were somewhat limited, as he had to assist his father
to clear the land ... most of the time. He pursued various vocations,
but finally settled down to farming. During the earliest settlement of
both
Ohio and Indiana he worked hard, amid sunshine and storm,
enduring hardships known only to pioneers.
He is plain in speech and dress and says that when he dies he
wants a plain coffin to contain his body, and a plain slab to mark
his last resting place. He is a peaceable, law-abiding citizen; he is
opposed to litigation, but believes in arbitration, and never had a
fight in his life.
He has contributed largely to the support of churches, the
preaching of the gospel, and to charitable enterprises. He is a great
reader, and hence is well versed on the general topics of the day.
On November 19,1840 he married Miss Elizabeth Horn, a
native of Ohio. He lived in Ohio 16 years after his marriage. Being
ambitious and hearing that Illinois was a place where wealth and
fame were to be had for the asking he came to Fulton county,
landing in the old pioneer town of Virgil, April 25, 1856.
"I have been married four times and am the father of 18
children," said Mr. Little, "but I am not a Morman. I have been a
member of the Disciples Church for over 30 years and have
contributed to its support all or most of the time. I have attained a
greater age than any other member of our family, consisting of five
children. My brother John, who lives at Rantoul, Champaign
county, and myself are the only surviving members of the family.
My parents never moved to Illinois. My mother died in Ohio in
1875 and her remains are buried in the Hanover cemetery, in
Licking County. Father came out here on a visit in 1876 and died in
Champaign county. His remains are interred in the Rantoul
cemetery.
"... schools of Ohio and Illinois did not embrace the extended
curriculum of the present day, but those who had a desire for
learning were well grounded in the more practical brances of
knowledge. I attended school in the winter and worked on the farm
in the summer during my boyhood and youth. I continued to reside
under the parental roof until I attained my twentieth (20th) year,
when I married and established a home of my own.
The late Caleb Boyer (father of O.J. Boyer, of Canton, Illinois
and John Boyer, (of this township) lived on the same farm in Ohio
on which we lived for seven years. We lived amid pioneer scenes in
the wild primeval forest in Licking County, and game of all kinds
was abundant. We lived on a tract of wild land in Ohio where I
operated two saw mills and was a contractor and builder for
eight years.
I also learned the painter's trade and had a large force of
hands working under me. We sawed thousands of feet of yellow
poplar lumber and I build almost every house in Hanover, Ohio. But
by getting too many irons in the fire I failed and was compelled to
sell railroad bonds worth almost their face value for 25 cents on the
dollar in order to raise money to pay my debts and come to this
county.
I was 36 years old when I came here to seek a new home and
commence life anew. I first settled in the little pioneer town of
Virgil, in Lee Township, and worked at my trades, of carpenter and
painter, for two years. I built the Sixteen School house in Lee
Township and I guess this was the first work I did after I came to
this county.
Just after its completion the highway commissioners of Lee
Township held a meeting in it to reconsider the laying out of a
public highway in the north part of the township. It appeared that
they had paid a man named Martin $50 damages for the privilege of
running accross one corner of his land and later had rescinded their
action; laid the road elsewhere, and wanted Martin to refund the
money, which he refused to do. Squire Frank Louk was chairman
of this meeting and Al Tainter was Clerk. When Squire Louk
asked what was going to be done about the matter, Al Tainter
arose and said,
"We, the taxpayers of the township, will have to lose this
money, but it ought to teach us not to elect damned fools to office
in the future."
Tainter's idea, relative to putting fools into office is good
doctrine, even now. In Virgil, I occupied a house which was owned
by John J. Fast, a half-brother of the Rev. John B. Fast, the noted
Baptist pioneer minister. Uncle Billy Hendrix lived just a quarter of
a mile west of Virgil. Oliver Chatterton lived east and Christian
Kreider lived south. We lived in Virgil two years, when we moved to
a farm in Mound Township in McDonough County, where we lived
for three years. I worked at my trade and my boys ran the
farm.
After we left this place we lived (in other Illinois communities)
on a farm, east of Bardolph for 3 1/2 years and then we moved into
the Hahn settlement, near Checkrow, and lived there for about one
year. We bought this place, but sold it and moved on the old home
place in Harris township, about 1 1/2 miles north of Seville where
I lived for 23 years. John Beard now owns what I call the 'old
homestead.'
My first wife died July 31, 1865, and her remains rest in the
Marietta Cemetery. By her I had 17 children, eight boys and nine
girls, nine of whom we reared to manhood and womanhood. The
names of those who still survive are Mrs. Mary Maxwell, on a farm
in Pleasant Township; Henry Clay Little, a resident of Smithfield;
Mrs. Margaret Bloice, in Chicago; Mrs. Alcinda Jackson, of
Smithfield; Thomas M. Little who lives on a farm north of Smithfield;
and Benjamin Little, a resident of Schuyler County.
After my first wife died I went back to Ohio and on March 24,
1868, was married a second time to Miss Catharine Horn a sister
to my first wife. One child, Albion, was born to us. He died in
Smithfield, after attaining manhood. (Note: Committed suicide)
My second wife died in February of 1888. On June 22, 1889 I
was married to Mrs. Martha Clark, who did not live long after our
marriage.
My fourth marriage to Mrs. Nancy Lance was on April 30,
1993. After my last marriage, I sold my farm of 220 acres, north of
Seville, and moved here. This place is known as the Old John
Lance farm and belongs to my present wife. It used to be situated
in Harris Township, but the township line was changed on account
of the Spoon River, and it is now in Cass Township. My life as you
can readily see has not been devoid of misfortune, although my
worldly good has been quite satisfactory. I am past 87 years of
age and with one exception have outlived all my brothers and
sisters and most of my children. My hearing is getting somewhat
defective but aside from that I am almost as good as I was 40
years ago.
I rode from Avon to Prairie City on the first train of cars that
ever ran over the old Northern Cross railroad. When the T. P. & W.
(Toledo, Peoria & Western) was constructed Amos S. Fuller, the
miller, and I graded the crossing at Seville, Illinois. We have made
rapid strides in improving and developing the country--rapid strides
in civilization -- since I came to this county. Transformations,
changes, are made every succeeding year, and we are a great and
progressive people.
At first the principal crops here were wheat and rye, but now
the fields are mostly covered in corn (and soy beans). We should
try to be happy here and try to make others happy. We should try
to make our wives and children happy, try to make every day a
joy."
Local stories, written by Rambling Roving Reporter James
K.P.White, were printed as "Interviews of Pioneer Folk" and
published by the Canton Weekly Register (a newspaper) in Canton,
Illinois, between February 18,1904 and April 14, 1908. The interview
with Mr. and Mrs. Little appeared in the June 19, 1907 edition.
Tobias raised seven children to maturity who were living when he died
in 1909. The following is known about these children: Mary wed a Maxwell
and lived in Pleasant Township. Margaret Little Bloice lived in Chicago with
her family. Alcinda married James Henry Jackson and they had one child.
Their daughter Ada married Fred Hayes and they had one daughter, Nellie,
who in turn married Delber Helle of Farminton and they had eleven children.
Benjamin married Clara Barnes and had two children, Neva Edith and
Ernest. Neva married George Leroy Warfield and they had eleven children.
This marriage united the Littles with the Warfield, Martindale, Coon, Peek
and Miller families of Fulton County. Ernest had no issue.
Anna Marie Little married Civil War Veteran, Matthew Harper, and they
had seven children. Oliver Perry Harper married Cora Louella Miller, a
descendant of Marquise Miller and Susana Wachtel, and they had issue.
Nancy May Harper married James Wilson Peek and they had issue. These
unions further cemented the relationships among the Little, Warfield,
Peek, Miller, Coon and Martindale families of Fulton County.
William Warfield married Hannah Buckaloo in Licking County, Ohio and
they had twelve children, among them a son named James. He married
Amanda Martin, daughter ofThomas Martin and Anna Blain, in 1848 and they had
ten children including Caroline, Elizabeth, and William.
Caroline Warfield married Uriah Peek, son of Wilson Peek and Mary R____?,
and they had three issue. James Wilson Peek married Nancy May Harper,
and they had one son named James Wilson Peek. Amanda Peek married
Joseph Little, the youngest son of Henry Clay Little, in 1915 and they had
one child. Very little information is available on Bliss Peek. He did marry
and have issue.
Elizabeth Warfield, married David Miles Martindale, son of Elijah
Martindale and Julia Ann Coons, daughter of David Coons and Mariam Cox, and
they had issue. Julia is also the sister of Nancy Coons Davis Lance Little.
William Warfield married Telitha Cannon, daughter of John Cannon and
Sarah Sherwood, and they had ten issue. Their son George Leroy "Roy"
Warfield married Neva Edith Little and they had twelve children.
Henry Clay Little
Civil War Veteran
Photo Courtesy of Judy Goodwin
The oldest living son of Tobias and Elizabeth Horn Little is Henry Clay
Little. He married Margar et Ann Pierce, daughter of Wesley Pierce and Mildred
Millie Tennessee Harris. She was the direct descendant of James Brock of
Surry, North Carolina. They celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary before
Henry Clay died.
Henry Clay and Margaret Ann Pierce Little At Home About 1932
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ruth Wright
Henry Clay was a Civil War Veteran who served Co. K. 11th IL CAV.
They had nine children including Hallie Moretta who married Charles
Westerfield of Springfield, IL. Ida married James M. Reno and lived in
Iowa. Nellie married John D. Miller, also a descendant of Marquise
Miller and Susanna Wachtel. Rilla "Rill" Little first married Ross
McMasters and later William Cuddigan. Rill had issue and raised William's
children from a previsous marriage. George "Frank" Franklin Little
(not the son of John Wisner Little), wed Katherine "Kate" Faeh and they
had issue. Frank and Kate ran the local phone company in Smithfield
for many years. Elmer married Rachel Yocum and they had issue.
James M. Little died unexpectedly in a car accident. He was alone
and no other vehicles were involved. He left a red-headed toddler
named Marvie that Mandy watched for several years. Joseph R. Little
married Amanda "Mandy" Peek and they had issue. Their only
daughter Frances married Bruce Norman and they had two children.
Charles married Yvonnie, lived on a farm near Cuba, Illinois and had
issue.
These were farming families that raised Herford or Angus cattle,
or wheat, corn and soybeans, or dairy cattle. Frances stayed over
night at one of the farms in 1923 with her parents. Two days later
she was stricken with the dreaded Polio. Frances avoided the 'iron
lung' but had to wear high-top shoes with special braces for nearly
eight years. She was in highschool when she wore them for the
last time. The only lasting effect of her illness was what she called
*shortened heel cords.* From the day she contracted polio until
the day she died in 2001, she could not walk without shoes as her
heels would not touch the floor.
Joseph Ross Little was born in 1891 and had the same
education and opportunities as his eight siblings. He didn't like to
farm and eventually became a brakeman for the Chicago & Alton
Railroad, last working a route that ran between Peoria and St. Louis.
The long hours and *lay-overs* in Madison County, Illinois near St.
Louis suited his lifestyle perfectly, for by 1920, when he moved from
Smithfield to Peoria, he had developed a fondness for women, liquor
and cards. He had also developed an ugly temper and regularly took
his displeasure with the world out on his wife and child. Their
daughter, Frances, often commented that she, "Didn't
understand how two people so obviously mis-matched could meet
and marry." She also told many stories of how she and her mother
would hide when Joe was in one of "his drunken rages."
Joseph Ross Little was arrested in 1943 in Madison County, Illinois for
murder. After drinking and losing at cards all night he went home, shot
his paramour in the back with a shotgun (in front of her son from a
former marriage), and fled the scene. It didn't take the jury long to
convict and sentence him to life in prison. He was transported from the
jury room directly to Menard Corectional Center in Chester, Illinois, where
he died in 1948 of natural causes. He was buried in an unmarked grave.
His daughter paid the expenses.
Amanda died in 1982 in Mason County, Illinois and according to her wishes
her body was donated to science. The remains were cremated and
funeral rites were performed at sea in accordance with Illinois law.
By the end of the 1800's there were more than 300 descendants of
John Little, the emigrant, who were living. Some of the families
related to the descendants of Tobias P. Little include Barnes,
Cameron, Brock, Buttrey, Coons, DeTell, Faeh, Ford, Hall, Harper
Henderson, Horn, Peek Pierce, Polhemus, Jackson, Miller,
Martindale, Norman, Russell, Warfield, Von Bockman, and
Westerfield. Not all collateral lines are listed.
Several Little descendants live and work today in Fulton County where
Henry Clay Little's grandchildren still live. We think it's quite remarkable as
Henry Clay Little was born in 1843 and his grandchildren are more than 70
years of age.
Copyright © 2001 Robert
E. Sweeney and individual Contributors. All Rights Reserved. Prior written
permission is required from Robert E. Sweeney and individual Contributors before
this material can be printed or otherwise copied, displayed or distributed
in any form. This
is a FREE genealogy site sponsored through PAGenWeb and can be reached directly
at ~Sullivan County Genealogy Project (http://www.rootsweb.com/~pasulliv)
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