- THOMAS LITTLE, one of the prominent and highly esteemed farmers
of Janesville township, is
- a native of Scotland, born in Roxburghshire June 18, 1827,
a son of John and Elizabeth (BLYTHE) LITTLE, also natives of
Scotland. The paternal grandfather of our subject died in Scotland.
The grandfather on the mother's side, Thomas BLYTHE, had two
children, one son and one daughter; was a farmer by occupation,
and died well advanced in years.
- John LITTLE, the father, was a farmer early in life, but
later became a contractor and lime burner,
- and came to America in 1853, settling in Janesville township,
Rock Co., Wis., where he bought 200 acres of land and greatly
improved it. Having lost his first wife, mother of our subject
in Scotland, in 1841, he married Isabella IRVIN, who died in
1867, two years after the death of her husband, who passed away
in 1865, aged about seventy-six. Both he and his first wife
were members of the Presbyterian Church. They had eight sons
and one daughter, five now living: Thomas, John, James, Walter,
and Andrew.
- Thomas LITTLE was reared in Scotland, attending the public
schools, and engaged in farming
- and working in the public lime kilns. Upon coming to America,
in 1853, he settled in Rock County, Wis., where he has since
resided. Upon his father's death the property was divided, and
his share was the 160 acres of land in section 28, Janesville
township, upon which he now resides, and which he has brought
to a high state of cultivation.
- On Nov. 20, 1875, Thomas LITTLE was married to Mrs. Sarah
LITTLE, widow of George
- LITTLE, and daughter of Bartholomew and Elizabeth (DIXON)
SPENCE, and two daughters have been born of this union: Elizabeth
Grace, who is a teacher; and Anna Belle, at home. Mrs. LITTLE
had two sons and one daughter by her former marriage: John Thomas,
who married Miss Aggie BRAUNS, resides in Chicago, and has one
son, George Lester; Bartholomew Walker, who married Miss Ellen
BROWN, resides in Janesville; and Elizabeth died at the age of
two years.
- The grandfather of Mrs. LITTLE died in England, and her father,
Bartholomew SPENCE was
- also a native of England, as was his wife. They came to
America in 1848 and settled in Dunkirk, Dane Co., Wis., where
Mr. SPENCE died in 1864, aged about sixty; and his wife died
some two years later, aged sixty-two. These two worthy people
were Methodists in religious faith. They had six children, two
sons and four daughters, five now living: Joseph; Ellen, wife
of Henry THOMPSON; Sarah, wife of Thomas LITTLE; Elizabeth, wife
of Walter LITTLE; and Catharine, wife of Bartholomew HARWICK.
John is deceased. By occupation Mr. SPENCE was a farmer and
cultivated and occupied a fine farm in Dane County.
- Politically Mr. LITTLE is an Independent, voting as his conscience
dictates, for twenty-seven or
- twenty-eight years served as supervisor, and for twenty years
as clerk of the school board, his sterling honesty and faithful
adherence to duty making him an almost perfect public official,
with whom could be implicitly trusted the affairs of the several
positions he filled. Mr. LITTLE is the eldest of the four brothers
settled in Janesville township, all of whom are prosperous and
highly respected. Although fully identified with the country
of his adoption, Mr. LITTLE entertains pleasant recollections
of his native land, and is one of the best of its representatives
among our Scotch-American citizens.
-
- Taken from "Commemorative Biographical Record of
the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin"
(c) 1901, pp. 169-170.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
|