Little, Henry G. Papers, 1836-1900 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Henry G. Little (1813-1900) , born in Hollis, N.H., moved in 1835 from Wethersfield, Conn., to Illinois, where he served on the "Committee of Purchase" for the Wethersfield Settlement in Henry County. As an agent of the Connecticut Association, he surveyed the future site of Wethersfield and prepared it for settlement. He resided there until 1854, when he and a group of Wethersfield residents founded nearby Kewanee. Little held several offices, including sheriff of Henry County and representative in the Illinois General Assembly.

This collection contains biographical information about Little and his wife, Fidelia M. Stoddard Little, as well as a small amount of correspondence, including letters which detail the development of the Wethersfield Settlement in Henry County. Correspondents include L. F. Berry of Chicago, Joshua C. Dodge of Arlington, Mass., Henry D. Smith of Plantsville, Conn., and the Rev. C. J. Tenney of Wethersfield, Conn. The collection also contains newspaper clippings of Little's reminiscences about the early history of Newington, Conn. (once part of Wethersfield), written for the Hartford Daily Times, and about the early history of Henry County, written for several local newspapers.

The granddaughter of Henry G. Little, Mrs. W. A. Noyes of Urbana, Ill., donated this collection to the Library. A related donation, by M. L. Macy of Grinnell, Iowa, documents Little's time in Wethersfield, Ill., and is included in this collection.