| Notes |
- Eight children of Ann & Robert Little are:
1. Lemuel Little, b: 28 OCT 1849 in Erin Township Wellington County, Ontario, Canada - 25 Mar 1941 Brandon, Manitoba.
2. Mary Little, b: 22 OCT 1851, d. 1 Apr 1914, Erin.
3. Albert E Little, b: 12 SEP 1853 - 14 May 1933, Saskatoon Saskatchewan.
4. Ellen Little, b: 19 JUN 1856 in Erin - = 9 Dec 1944, Detroit, MI. Alt Name: Helen Little.
5. Robert Dee Little, b: 03 APR 1860 in Erin - 11 Apr 1860, Aged 8 days, twin to Rachel Ann.
6. Rachel Ann Little, b: 03 APR 1860 in Erin -26 Apr 1939, Detroit, MI., twin to Robert T.
7. Margaret Little, b: 14 Feb 1861, Erin Twp. She married 1880 her first cousin, Thomas Fielding.
7. Elizabeth DOLLIE Little, b: 07 MAY 1862 in Garafraxa, Wellington, Ontario, died 31 May 1841, Detroit, MI.
8. Stewart Little, b: 22 Sep 1866, died aged one 1867, in Garafraxa.
. A Tale of Two Sisters:
On the 1867 Census for Garafraxa Township, Robert Dee Little was listed as a resident of Lot 12, Concession 12. They were still living on the farm. However, sometime after 1867, Robert Little purchased a Hotel-Tavern in Garafraxa, Wellington Center. The 1871 Census states: 1. Hotel (Ann's Hotel); 2. Physician; 3. Blacksmith Shop; 4. Store.
This Hotel-Tavern was located about 20 miles from the Fielding Hotel in Ospringe, owned by her sister Margaret.
The 19th century traveller making the long slow & grinding journey from Quebec & eastern Ontario did so on rough rutted trails through the Ontario wilderness. Along those rough roads the first dwellings that sprung up was the hotel-tavern. Every 5 miles or so, these taverns offered a refreshment stop for man & beast alike. These hotel-taverns opened their doors long before the post-offices, churches, schools & other such public buildings.
Oxen or horses could be fed, watered & stabled whilst the weary, traveller found home cooking & a brew to warm their innards. If necessary, for 25 cents, a place to spend the night with all he could eat & bed for his animal; albeit the traveller may have had to share his bed with others. In the counties of Bruce & Grey alone, there were over 200 of these traveller's rest-inns.
Some of the names of these early inns were; Bab Ryan's Roadhouse; The Rising Sun; Starvation's Corner's Wayhouse; Rockford Castle; Grannie Green's - to name only a few. & so it was one of these hotel-taverns that Robert & Ann eventually came to own. The name of their tavern has been lost to antiquity.
In the early days the tavern was used for many purposes: church gatherings; land auctions; local meetings; & all the while the never-ending supply of cheap bootleg Canadian Whiskey. Pails of whiskey were plentiful; 5¢ could buy a "grunt" - take a breath, put the bottle in your mouth & swallow as much as possible in one large gulp.The mass consumption of liquor often led to brawls that required the attendance of both doctor & sheriff. The consumption of alcohol in the early days became the topic of legends.
Who were these hotel-tavern operators? They were local characters, congenial & hospitable, the host-of-the-road kind of people. Entertainment of their guests kept them busy. Besides drinking, gambling was often part of the entertainment package that came along with the Inn. Robert was one of these hosts; Ann (& Margaret) took care of the home cooking. Robert Dee Little did not survive long as a hotel keeper. He died within 3-4 years of purchasing his Hotel-Tavern-Inn. On Robert's death certificate, his profession was listed as "Hotel Keeper". Cause of death his son informed the Physician, was the consumption of too much liquor within a 2 week period.
Ann's death certificate states that she died of Asthma which she suffered from for 15 years. She was buried at Erin Union Cemetery.
Ann's sister Margaret also owned one of these Hotel-Taverns in Ospringe, called the Fielding Hotel, 1861 - 1871 selling it circa 1875.
2of their sons moved to Manitoba. Their eldest son, Lemuel, applied for a land grant & received 2 1/4 sections. One of them, SE 1/4 9-19-14 W1 (see attached grant) was only about 2 miles from HR. The other one, NE 1/4 29-11-10 W1, was located closer to Andy McCutcheon. It is not known if he knew that his uncle & his first cousin were living near-by. Their other son, Albert also moved to Manitoba & became a grain buyer at Morden Manitoba, 1901.
One girl, Mary, stayed near Erin & died of typhoid fever at the age of 62. The other 3 daughters immigrated to the USA, settling in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.
This family had one set of Twins.
Ref: McCutcheons From Donaghadee .
Transcripts by P J Ahlberg. Thank you. - - -
|
1827 - 1883 (56 years)