St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-06-05
THE LATE HENRY LITTLE.

The Caledonian announced last
week the death of the venerable
Henry Little at Kalamazoo, Mich,
on May 25. So many of our readers
have enjoyed his valuable contribu-
tons to the Caledonian upon ST.
Johnsbury in the early part of this
century that this sketch of his life con-
densed from the Kalamazoo Tele-
graph will be read with interest:
Henry Little, son of William, and
Phoebe (Merchant), Little was born
at Cambridge, N. Y, April %, 1897.
His ancestors were from the island
of Guernsey, Great Britain. His
father served in the Continental
army, his mother then living at Dan
bury, CT. After the war, in the year
1900, his father settled at Danville,
VT
In boyhood he worked on a farm.
At the age of 3 he entered as an
apprentice and acquired the trade of
mill-wright, machinist and master
mechanic, and in 1915 established
himself in business at St. JOhnsbury,
where he became extensively engaged
in the erection of mills, iron-works,
church edifces and other branches of
his profession. He was married
March II. 1922, to Miss Ruth Fuller,
daughter of Abraham Fuller of
Wilbraham, Mass. Mrs. Little
died in this city Feb 8, 1883, aged
81 Mr.. Little and his wife both
united with the Congregational
church at st. Johnsbury prior to
their removal to the West.
In 1926, Mr.. Little was engaged
in constructing mills upon the big
dam" at Boston. Returning to St.
Johnsbury in 1927, he entered the
employ of Messrs. E. and T. Fair
banks, then conducting a foundry,
iron-works and machine shops upon
the site now occupied by their extern
sive scale mandatory, and in 1880
superintended for them the erection
of a mill for cleaning and preparing
hemp fibre for market. An impera-
tive necessity arising for some i'm
proved apparatus for weighing hemp
as brought to the mill, the Fairbanks
brothers instituted various expert
ments in reference to scales upon an
entirely new plan, and Mr.. Little
materially aided them in originating,
planning and bringing to a successful
result the world renowned, valuable
invention known as 1.-The Fairbanks
platform scales"
October 3, 1881, Mr.. Little, wife
and two children, Frank and Ellen,
in company with the brothers John,
Hiram and Lovel Moore, the latter
being a brother-in-law-an Alanson
Crossman, left st. Johnsbury, for the
territory of Michigan, and after a
months journey arrived at Hollands
Prairie, (Galesburg) in this county
Nov 5, 1881. The winter of 1881
80 was spent at COmstock in a log
house. The next spring they moved
to Richland and in 1888 the family
moved to Grand Rapids, Mich. He
was engaged as a mill-wright in
1888, 80 and 40, in the construc-
ton of Touring mills at Yorkville,
Paw Paw and Kalamazoo. Leav-
ing the farm at Richland in charge of
his two younger sons, Vim. Henry
and Albert, in 1868, he took up his
permanent residence in this city.
Mr. Little has devoted his latter
years to general reading, and has
written and furnished for publica ton
many essays and papers upon vari
Gus subjects, particularly scenes and
incidents of frontier life, personal
"reminiscences of boyhood days in
New England, and of stirring events
of pioneer life connected with the
early settlement of Michigan.
The life-acts and character of such
a man as Henry Little need no praise,
for, of themselves, they are his eulogy.
Singularly pure, void of offense, free
from contention, ever DESTROYS of do
ing his best for the welfare of others,
capable of filling any public position
with distinction, yet never self-seek
ing, esteemed by his neighbors and
all who have ever been associated
with him in the affairs of life, during
his long and active career, one of the
most loyal and best of citizens in the
highest and noblest sense which the
term implies, he fully presents the
type of a true American.
OUTLYING all his early associa ties
and contemporaries, he died at the
extreme age of 90 years, leaving three
sons-Frank, VIM. Henry, and AL
bert, and their descendants, to re-
we're and cherish his memory.