How did the Little’s come to be in Utah?
The Story of William Henry Little
Or at least some of
it!
Assembled by Michael B Little – (Great Great Grandson)
This is the forward to my research. More information will follow and may be available in a printed version later.
This is a story about the grandfather of my grandfather (Wesley Blaine Little Sr). The main story was found on the Family Search website, along with other accounts that adds to the story. It is a fascinating tale of W. Henry Little and his family who lived in Augusta Georgia in the mid 1800’s.
His story tells us of his large farm, his large family, his chance meeting with missionaries and a story about resulting angry mobs. We also learn that Henry married 17 year old Mary Elizabeth Inglett two months after she had a child by another man. It does not tell the story of the love they had for each other, but we know they had 12 more children together, 11 living to adulthood and he and his wife served a mission together in their senior years.
A little more than a year after his marriage to Mary, just days before his 21st birthday, he joined the Confederate Army in September of 1861 to fight in the Civil War. His wife’s brother Thomas and her cousin Andrew joined the same company at the same time as Henry. The next summer two more of Mary's cousins, Dennis and Gus Inglett, also joined Company C of the Georgia 28th Infantry Regiment. The 28th Regiment fought in many famous battles in the Civil War, one of them wounding Mary’s brother.
W H Little as a young man
After returning home at the end of the war Henry and his brothers put their carpentry skills to work during the war reconstruction. Years later Henry and his family met the Mormon missionaries and soon joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He had problems with his neighbors and mobs, and eventually sold his farm and belongings for next to nothing to be with the Saints in Utah. In the spring of 1889 he and many of his family and friends took the long train ride to Ogden, Utah where his family stayed with the Browning family (Yes, that Browning family!) until they could find a place to reside. Among other responsibilities, Henry built their house on Adams Avenue and became the proprietor of two hotels in downtown Ogden, owning one on 25th Street, a short distance from one of the nation’s busiest train stations.
William Henry Little