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Second son of Francis Little and Susanna Shields.

William Little was the second son of Francis and Susanna (Shields) Little. He was born on December 7, 1800 in Washington County, Maryland. Francis and his young family moved to Pennsylvania from Maryland for the second time about 1803. They settled in what would later become Liberty Township, carved from Hopewell Township in Bedford County. This is where William grew up.

About 1824 or 25, William married Mary Fluck from the neighboring family of Casper Fluck. Their first child was Elizabeth born in October 1825. However, the 1825 tax records show William Little as a ‘Single Free Man’ and in the 1826 taxes he appears under “taxable” [heads of families]- indicating he was now married. The dates, then, are somewhat in question. But the time-frame is good.

Williams tax assessment in 1826 was six cents—a small amount that would indicate little or no property. Later assessments would show similar status.

In the tax records for 1829, including both the assessment book and the tax records, William as a “taxable” appears in tax records for South Woodberry Township (across Tussey Mountain) but only for that year. Again, those records show no real property and only a cow with tax liability of 7cents. As noted above, his father, Francis, was still listed in the 1829 records in Hopewell Township.

The 1830 U.S. Census for Hopewell Township, which shows family information, records William as head of a household and indicates there were two males under 5 years (believed to be sons Joseph and William Jr.), one male over 20 under 29 (himself), one female under 5 (believed to be daughter Susanna), and one female over 20 under 29 (undoubtedly his wife, Mary). William Little and Mary Fluck had the following children:

• SUSANNA LITTLE – b.16 Oct 1825- d.18 Oct 1861; m. Samuel Harvey.
• JOSEPH LITTLE – b. 04 Nov 1827 d. 25 Aug 1893; m. Mary Ann Drollinger.
• WILLIAM LITTLE – b. 10 Nov 1828, d. 04 Jul 1887; m. (1) Nancy Eberly, (1831 -1860) and (2) Catharine “Kate” Pepple. (1830 – 1908).
• CASPER F. LITTLE – b. Aug 1832, d. 07 Oct 1908; m. (1) Susan Kensinger and (2) Mary Jane McAninch
• FRANK F. LITTLE – b. 1833, d.1922; m. Catharine Creps
• ISAAC K LITTLE – b. 17 Jul 1835, d. 13 Aug 1911; m. Mary Ann Rhodes.
• CATHARINE LITTLE – b. May 1837, d. 27 Sep 1908; m. John Carson
• MARIA LITTLE – b. 18 Nov 1839, d. 11 Mar 1841; died as a child.
• SILAS H. LITTLE – b. 15 Oct 1841, d.25 Mar 1925; m. Catherine Rhodes.
• DAVID LITTLE – b. 1844, d. 20 Aug 1855; died as a child.
• FREDERICK R LITTLE – b. Dec 1846, d. 12 Jul 1913; did not marry.

William’s father Francis does not appear in any official records after 1830 which may indicate he had died. It is not real clear where William and Mary lived during the 1830’s, although the tax records have them back in Hopewell Township and the tax rate is 6 or 7 cents—again too low for owning any property. The 1840 US Census has their household immediately adjacent to Casper Fluck’s which could indicate they were the nearest neighbor.

Casper Fluck, Mary’s father died in 1847. There was a lot of legal maneuvering over the ensuing few years with his rather large piece of property and the number of family survivors. Ultimately, Mary ended up with fourteen acres and a few “perches” (a pole or rod, generally 16 feet). For whatever reason, the property was solely in Mary’s name, not William’s. It was located along today’s Manspeaker Road, the location of the dwelling shown on the 1877 Map of Liberty Township by WF Beers:

Mary Fluck Little died in 1887. William’s state of health is not clear, but for the last few years of his life, he lived in Loysburg in the home of his son William Jr, who also died in 1887. Records show that the Bedford County Orphans Court ordered Mary’s estate to be sold to pay off debts. In 1891 her property of 14 acres was sold by George Fluck– Mary’s nephew and administrator of her estate.[1]

It was in Loysburg where William died in 1890 but he was buried in Liberty Township. William and Mary are both described in documents as “late of Liberty Township.” They are buried together in St. Luke’s Cemetery not far from their home.

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[1] Bedford County Deed Book #78, pg 496. Pennsylvania State Archives microfilm roll #430.

Second Child and Oldest Son of William and Mary (Fluck) Little

Joseph Little was the second child and oldest son of William and Mary (Fluck) Little. Joseph was born on 04 Nov 1827 in Hopewell, Bedford, Pennsylvania. He married Mary Ann Drollinger in early 1850’s. She was born 11 May 1830 in Pennsylvania and died on 25 Sep 1892 in Iowa.

Joseph Little and Mary Ann Drollinger had the following children:

1. HARRIET LITTLE was born about 1855. She died about 1916.
2. NANCY LITTLE was born about 1857 in Illinois. She died 20 Jun 1923.
3. FLORENA LITTLE was born about 1859 in Illinois. She died in 1931 in Cedar County, Iowa.
4. MARY LITTLE was born about 1861 in Illinois. She died 21 Feb 1944.
5. MARTHA LITTLE was born about 1864 in Illinois.
6. WILLIAM HENRY LITTLE was born in 1866 in Red Oak, Cedar County, Iowa. He died in 1934 (Age: 68). He married Ruby Leona Stearns in 1892.
7. NEVADA LITTLE was born about 1869 in Iowa. She died 22 Jun 1935. She married Charles E. Yule in 1893.
8. ARTHUR MELVIN LITTLE was born on 28 Jun 1870 in Iowa. He died on 18 Oct 1943 in St. George, Utah (Age: 73). He married Lucy Emeline “Lutie” Hanks in 1894.
9. FRED LITTLE was born about 1876 in Illinois. He died 16 Jan 1942. He married Ethel West.

Joseph and Mary Ann were most likely married in Pennsylvania. The 1850 US Census records Joseph -23 years old–in North Woodberry Twp, Blair County, PA as a “laborer” in the large household of Jefferson Simonton. No record is known of when they were married, but the first child, Harriet, was born in 1855 and it seems likely she was born in Pennsylvania.

The next four children were born in Illinois. Per the 1860 US Census, they were living in Rock Creek Township, Carroll County, Illinois. So it seems sometime between 1855 and 1857 the family had moved there. The next several younger children, beginning with William Henry in 1866, were born in Iowa. Thus, based on these birthdates, it looks like the family moved from Illinois to Iowa about 1865.

It appears that Joseph purchased 160 acres of land near the village of Red Oak in Cedar County, Iowa. Red Oak was about 9 miles north of Tipton, and today it is part of Tipton, its post office long being closed. The map excerpt below shows the quarter-section[1] labeled “J. Little” about a mile east of the village of Red Oak, Cedar County. It also shows the location of the Presbyterian Church that has the Red Oak Cemetery in its church yard.

“The History of Cedar County, Iowa” notes that Joseph Little was paid $15 as settlement for the right-of-way from the Tipton Railroad Co[2]. This helps make it seem quite probable that the “J. Little” on this map is indeed Joseph. With more research, a deed for the land may be in existence.

Joseph and Mary Ann lived remained at this location for the rest of their days. Joseph’s brother Frank also moved his family nearby. For a time, younger brother Silas H. Little was also in the household, as shown in the 1880 US Census. Although Silas was a carpenter and builder, the purpose or length of this visit is not known. Silas returned to Saxton, PA to rejoin his wife and children.

Mary Ann died on 25 Sep 1892, presumed in Iowa. Joseph died 25 Aug 1893 in Saxton, Pennsylvania, where he may have traveled after his wife passed. But, he is laid to rest with his wife in the Red Oak Cemetery just north of Tipton, IA, about one mile west of the location of his farm.

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[1]  A “section” was one-mile square, or 640 acres. Joseph’s property was a quarter section, or 160 acres.

[2]  The History of Cedar County Iowa, Western Historical Company
Successors to H. F. Kett & Co., 1878. c/o IA GenWeb Project.

Francis “Frank” Little lived much of his adult life in Bedford County, Pennsylvania near what is today Saxton. He is believed to have been born in Maryland about 1760, found his wife, Susanna Shields, about 1788 and began our family’s legacy. We do not know who his father was, nor of any siblings. However, through advanced Y-DNA testing it is certain  that his lineage came from the border regions of Scotland, where the Little’s were a well-known riding family. It is also probable that Francis’ forbearers were among the “Ulster Scots” emigrating from  Northern Ireland in early to mid-18th Century after spending a few generations there.

Francis is first found in an 1783 Assessment in Upper Antietam Hundred, Washington County, Maryland. This would be north-east of Hagerstown. He was listed as a “Freeman” which generally means he was single, over 21, and free from any indentures. Using this information, and age ranges in the 1810 and 1820 US Censuses, we are able to deduct that his date of birth was “about” 1760. He also appears in a 1787 Tax and Exoneration for Peters Township, Franklin County PA, again as a Freeman. By 1790, Francis Little, his wife, and their first daughter appear in the U.S. Census for Hopewell Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.

Ten years later, they are found back in Washington County, Maryland in the 1800 Census. The next time they came to Pennsylvania, they stayed, this time in Bedford County. According to family tradition, they came from Maryland as described in the 1883 Waterman, Watkins & Co. account of Liberty Township, Bedford County, believed to have been contributed by Isaac Little, Francis’ grandson:

“Frank Little came from Maryland in 1803, and settled in Hopewell, whence, in 1805, he removed to Raver’s Run. Frank and Susanna (Shields) Little were the parents of eight children: Elizabeth, John, Polly, Rebecca, William, Susanna, Scisly, and Archibald.” –

Hopewell Township in Bedford County was the larger township from which Liberty Township was formed in 1848. The family’s Maryland origins are further confirmed in the 1880 US Census, where their son, William, states that he, and both  parents were born in Maryland.

It’s hard to know where the family first settled in Hopewell. An early map of Bedford County[1] shows a gap in the mountain and a stream labeled “Reaver’s Run.” The 1877 Atlas by F.W. Beers & Co.[2] calls it “Raver’s Run”, as well as showing the “Raven’s Run District” in which the stream flows. This would be the current map at the time that Isaac wrote the Waterman, Watkins & Co account.

 

Bedford County tax records give us some solid clues. There were triennial assessments and yearly tax rolls. Francis Little first appears in the Hopewell Township records in the triennial assessment for 1807. This assessment shows Francis was taxable but he held no acreage, held 2 cows, and listed his occupation as a “Laborer.” By 1814, an assessment shows Francis holds 100 acres by “Improvement” with one horse and one cow. Later years, 1826 and 1829, continue to reflect 100 acres but just a horse and a cow or two. There is no record of how many acres were cleared. We tend to remember Francis as a farmer. He and Susanna, no doubt, grew their own food, but how much extra to trade, sell, or barter, we have no idea.

There is no record of Francis ever applying for a warrant, or survey to patent his land, nor any other record of a deed or other instrument – not uncommon across the frontier counties at this period. Unless there was some sort of dispute, lands held by “improvement” were eventually recognized by the land office as legitimate, but not during Francis’ life-time.

 

Francis and Susanna Little had eight children across the span of their marriage, which is believed to have begun about 1788 or 89. If we assume the list in the above account is in order, William Little, born 7 December 1800 in Maryland, would be the fifth child and second son. Elizabeth married Abel Putt and lived her years in the area. John Little apparently lived in Huntingdon County and we know of his lineage through a DNA discovery of his family.

 

Because Francis appears in the 1829 tax assessment and tax rolls, but not in the 1830 US Census or 1830 tax records, it is possible that he died in the latter part of 1829 or early 1830. While it may be that Francis and/or Susanna left to live with another son or daughter, we have such sketchy information on them, so it is hard to tell. Family data only appears in the US Census records at ten-year intervals, so the last record for Susanna was in 1820. So, we cannot say with any certainty how long either Francis or his wife Susanna lived, nor has there ever been any record of their burial.

[1] RG-17; Melish-Whiteside Maps, 1816-1821 {series #17.534}. Pennsylvania State Archives

[2] MG-11, Map #793; Atlas of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, 1877, published by F.W. Beers &Co., 36 Fessey Street, New York. Pennsylvania State Archives.

 

The Blacksmith Shop was along a busy teamster route. It was adjoining a wagon shop where the wagons were “ironed” and “tires” added to the wagon wheels. Horses were shod and tools were made. William Little, Jr. came to Loysburg from Liberty Township in 1850 and took over the existing blacksmith stand. He was also able to acquire property and build a large brick home across the road.

This photo of the shop is dated 1888 and shows the blacksmith, James Patton Little, seated here. It looks like a couple customers also got into the photograph. The child on the left that appears to be in a dress is my grandfather, Charles Edgar Little. His older brother Harry is in the broad-brimmed hat. Day care in the 1880’s.

C.W. Karns describes the business in his book, “Sketches of Morrisons Cove” – published 1933:

William Little and Henry Burket followed George Miller as blacksmith at the same stand. Joseph Manning, an Englishman, was for many years their wagonmaker. He was a good wagonmaker and made many heavy wagons which were ironed by William Little and Henry Burkert. He built the famous wagon now owned by Frank Brumbaugh which was shown at the Martinsville centennial and a picture of which is shown on page 21 of this book. Such a wagon cost in those days at least $125 and the Conestoga bed about the same amount. William Little retired from active service at his trade, and his son James P. Little, conducted the shop for forty years or more. Leroy Stotler is now the efficient mechanic in this long used and important plant.

Across the road stood the house that J.P.’s father built for him. It stood next to William’s house. Here is a photo from about the same time as the photo above. The blacksmith is wearing his protective leather apron, while his wife Belle (Fisher) stands behind the fence holding baby William Ross, and his children Edgar, Harry, and Clara posing beside them. Their younger sister Elsie had not yet been born.

Elsie ended up inheriting the house. I remember visiting her there  as a boy in her later years. This home has stayed in the family in that after Elsie’s passing, Gaylord Little and family purchased the home. They reside there to this day while their children and grandchildren live nearby.