On August 11th, 1852 in Hardeman County, Tennessee, a 16 year old girl by the name of Eliza E. Pankey, daughter of Mastin D. Pankey and Martha Chisholm, married a 27 year old North Carolina man by the name of James T. Little. The ceremony was officiated by the justice of the peace, M. B. Foster. The Fosters lived in the southern part of the county and the Little's must have known them and lived nearby. James was a farmer and not a very wealthy one at that, but given the fertile tree lined hills of Hardeman County, he and his new wife would carve out a living. In the spring of 1855, James and Eliza would be blessed with a baby girl and they would call her Martha Ann. Eliza would see Martha reach her first birthday in April of 1856. We don't know if Eliza was pregnant with her second child or if she fell ill, but on August 27, 1856, Eliza E. Little, at the age of 20, would leave this world forever. The Fosters would once again come into the picture as they had a family cemetery on their property. Eliza would be laid to rest in the Foster Cemetery on this hot, summer, August day. Her headstone still proudly bears the name of her once grieving husband, "J. T. Little" who would turn to his mother, Hepsey to help raise the now motherless Martha. Martha would grow up and marry once, twice and even three times.. She would experience divorce, death of two husbands, and give James at least 2 grandsons, William and James. According to the 1900 census, she would end up living with her father, James Thomas Little in Tipton, Tennessee. James T. Little is my great, great grandfather.
P. A. Little
P. A. Little
On August 11th, 1852 in Hardeman County, Tennessee, a 16 year old girl by the name of Eliza E. Pankey, daughter of Mastin D. Pankey and Martha Chisholm, married a 27 year old North Carolina man by the name of James T. Little. The ceremony was officiated by the justice of the peace, M. B. Foster. The Fosters lived in the southern part of the county and the Little's must have known them and lived nearby. James was a farmer and not a very wealthy one at that, but given the fertile tree lined hills of Hardeman County, he and his new wife would carve out a living. In the spring of 1855, James and Eliza would be blessed with a baby girl and they would call her Martha Ann. Eliza would see Martha reach her first birthday in April of 1856. We don't know if Eliza was pregnant with her second child or if she fell ill, but on August 27, 1856, Eliza E. Little, at the age of 20, would leave this world forever. The Fosters would once again come into the picture as they had a family cemetery on their property. Eliza would be laid to rest in the Foster Cemetery on this hot, summer, August day. Her headstone still proudly bears the name of her once grieving husband, "J. T. Little" who would turn to his mother, Hepsey to help raise the now motherless Martha. Martha would grow up and marry once, twice and even three times.. She would experience divorce, death of two husbands, and give James at least 2 grandsons, William and James. According to the 1900 census, she would end up living with her father, James Thomas Little in Tipton, Tennessee. James T. Little is my great, great grandfather.
P. A. Little
P. A. Little
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