Jacob Little and his Descendants


 

Our Line

Jacob Little
Jacob Little Jr.
David Liles Little
John B. Little
William Alfred Little

Jacob's will
Jacob's pension
Pleasant's will

The Little Legend

  Our Little family history starts with Jacob LITTLE who was born on 28 Mar 1755 in Surry Co. VA and moved with his family shortly thereafter to what is now Pitt Co. NC. Several Little families who may have been related lived in Surry Co. pre-1755 and in Pitt Co. after 1755 and can be found in numerous Pitt Co. deeds. Frequently appearing along with the Littles (Isaac, Pleasant, Jacob, James, Joseph) are Mooring and Knox.

In 1795, according to his Revolutionary War pension application, Jacob moved to Anson Co. NC in 1795. On August 7, 1795, as shown in Anson Co. Deeds, he obtained a land warrant for 100 acres on Gourdvine Creek. On Nov. 10, 1796, Jacob entered 100 acres on Gourdvine Creek, bordering Richard Lee's survey, and 100 ac on waters of Bridge Branch. At the same time, Isaac Littleentered 100 acres on Gourdvine Creek bordering Richard Lee's land on the south side of the creek. It seems likely that Isaac and Jacob were brothers and had moved together from Pitt Co. to Anson Co. Another likely brother, Pleasant Little, joined them on Gourdvine in 1808.

Jacob's pension application was never accepted, and in 1855, Pleasant Menon Little, one of the children of Jacob Little, made another attempt to claim the pension. Jacob had died in March of 1838, leaving a will which mentioned his daughter Rebecca, son Jacob, and other unnamed daughters. His two sons Isaac and Hosea were executors. The sale of Jacob's land by Isaac and Hosea was witnessed by P.M. Little and Patrick Little, who we believe to be another son of Jacob.


Jacob Little Jr.

Our Line
Jacob Little
Jacob Little Jr.
David Liles Little
John B. Little
William Alfred Little

The Little Legend

  Jacob Little Jr. married Frances Liles, daughter of David Liles and Nancy Nowell, around 1832. Sometime after the senior Jacob's death in 1843, Jacob and Frances moved to Benton Co. TN, adjacent to Carroll Co. where Frances' brothers Anderson and Joel Liles lived. In late 1846, probably not too long after they arrived in Tennessee, Jacob Little died. Back in Anson Co., brothers Isaac, Hosea, and Patrick also soon died, with only Pleasant Menon surviving beyond 1855.

David Liles Little

Our Line
Jacob Little
Jacob Little Jr.
David Liles Little
John B. Little
William Alfred Little

Poems by David L. Little

The Little Legend

  David Liles Little, son of Jacob and Frances, was born in Anson Co. in 1836. He moved with his parents, Jacob Little and Frances Liles to Benton Co. TN about 1846. He lived in Carroll, Benton Co., and Henderson Co. TN before moving to Illinois. In 1874 he returned to Tennessee and resided in Sardis, Henderson Co. until his death in 1906. A family story as to why the Littles moved to Henderson Co. (or perhaps IL) concerns David's killing a man who burned his gin in Benton County. It is supposedly borne out by early records of Hollow Rock Primitive Church (Benton CO) which stated that in April 1863 D.L. Little was excluded from the church "for misbehavior" for shooting Thomas Presson. However, we have been unable to locate these records. David Liles Little died on 24 Nov 1906 in Sardis, Henderson Co. TN and was buried in a grave north-south, at Sardis Cemetary. He expressed a wish to be buried crossways, for he said he "had lived crossways with the world." A different version of the burial deals with the North-South conflict. Great grandson Wayne Little told that David had made a pact with an old friend, Mr. Parker in Benton Co. TN, that each was to be buried with his head to the south, his feet to the north so, on Judgment Day, he could kick the behinds of the northern soldiers as they went back home.

John B. Litttle & Mary Jane Ross

Our Line
Jacob Little
Jacob Little Jr.
David Liles Little
John B. Little
William Alfred Little

A letter from Zeb Little

The Little Legend

  John B. Little was born on 16 May 1856 in Benton Co. TN to David Liles Little and Angeline Presson. For many years, J.B. was the pastor of the Little Flock Church, a Primitive Baptist Church located at Crossroads Ark. Like many of the Littles, J.B. was a profilic letter writer, with the subject usually relating to religion. Besides his extensive letters, J.B. wrote, typeset, and published a religious journal where he espoused his beliefs and argued his case in a long-standing argument with some of the church members.

John B. Little was married to Mary Jane ROSS on 26 Sep 1875 in Henderson Co. TN. Mary Jane ROSS was born on 16 Jan 1859 in Henderson Co. TN. to Dougal Ross and Penelope Moore. She died on 16 Jan 1946. Mary Jane was a happy person who enjoyed life and could often be heard singing to herself while she worked. At her funeral service Grandpa looked down at Grandma in the casket and said, "Now, Mary, you can sing!" They were both buried in Coop Praire Cem, Mansfield AR.


William Alfred Little

Our Line

Jacob Little
Jacob Little Jr.
David Liles Little
John B. Little
William Alfred Little

The Little Legend

  William Alfred Little was born 9 Aug 1876 in Sardis TN. At the age of 12 he moved with his parents to Arkansas where they lived on top of Black Jack Ridge near the Scott-Sebastian Co. line. Will's father, J.B. Little, did not believe in formal schooling, and Will, anxious to get an education, ran away from home at about age 14. He went to East Texas, where he lived with a farmer and went to school while when he was not at work. Will returned home and married Montizella Lewis, daughter of John Wesley Lewis and Rachel Dees, on 23 Dec 1897. In June of 1908, Will bought the commissary and the residence at the south foot of Black Jack from the Fort Smith Lumber Co. and set up a mercantile store. In 1940, on the heels of the depression, Will sold his store and moved to Mansfield where he remained in business until 1958. Though Will had not completed his education, he was well-read and sought all sorts of training for his children. All eight of his children attended college, most of them during the depression. Etched in the memories of his children and grandchildren are the card and domino games he played with them at home. He taught them to play at early ages, always stressing skills, fairness, and respect for the rules. If they could not figure the score at dominos, they did not get the credit. In the days before television, his home provided many hours of wholesome family fun for children and grandchildren alike.

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