Samuel Trawin Little

By Donald T. Little

A powerful tale that enfolds fore bearers and extended family. From England to Maryland and India. From Ireland to Pennsylvania. From Germany to Cumberland. From Cumberland to CheeFoo, China. Privilege to hardship, from health to sudden death, peace to war and back. Wealth to poverty. Included you will find a printing press that refused to die as it traveled from Swansea to Baltimore to Georgetown, to Hancock, to Welch's Run to Delphi. A devotion to family, confronted with teh depth of faith that was at the core assumption and reality in their daily lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 29, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257197170

Book preview

Birthday

Samuel Trawin Little

Samuel was born in Martinsburg, VA to John Little, Jr.. and Ann Webber on the 27th of August in the year 1828. Samuel was the third of six children born to Ann and John. He apparently was named for Samuel Henry Trawin, the brother in law of his mother, who had gone with his Aunt Mary Webber Trawin to India at the behest of the London Missionary Society. Samuel Trawin died in Calcutta, India in 1827, and the new baby, Samuel Little was born in Martinsburg the next year.

Little is known about the childhood of Samuel, except the general family circumstances. His father being a Watchmaker/ Jeweler, and mother a teacher, a proprietress of a number of schools over time. The family lived near Martinsburg on a farm. There is no record of ownership nor of taxes paid, so it is presumed that they rented or leased the farm. Since John had apparently grown up in a farming in Ireland, I presume that they must have grown food for their own use, or more.

His Grandmother, Sara Brett Webber, had probably just died. Before she went to Middleburg, VA, she had likely lived with the family and taught in the school owned and operated by Ann Webber Little. His Aunt Mary, returned from India after 1827 and was in America by 1828. She too may have lived in the household with her son and daughter while she was part of the teaching staff; particularly Art.

Samuel’s other grandparents had emigrated from Armagh, Ireland four years prior to his birth and bought a farm near Chambersburg PA. Grandmother Susanna died when he was but seven and his Grandfather Little when he was 16 years old. The family traditions state that Samuel spent parts of his summers on the Little Farm. Visiting, and I presume working doing the tasks that a farm demanded. This schedule also allowed him to know his Aunt Mary Little Witherspoon and her two sons on the adjacent farm.

The senior Littles were Presbyterian and I presume that John Little 2nd. was as well. He was married in the Presbyterian Church, Greencastle, PA, on 24 July 1822. I know that Ann had grown up in England, South Molton, Devonshire as a Congregationalist. Anyway, I think it reasonable to think that the family was brought up in a Presbyterian manner.

Samuel and the family moved to Upperville in Virginia for a few years. The purpose was apparently for his father to learn the skills of Dentistry, in any event they moved back to Martinsburg soon after where his father continued as a Watchmaker, Jeweler for a time, as well as Dentistry and eventually just Dentistry. In about 1844, Samuel became an apprentice to a Watchmaker/ Jeweler in Chambersburg. In the book Recollections of Chambersburg 1830-1850, Cooper, 1900.. only one watchmaker and silversmith is mentioned and that is Thomas Scott. Therefore he is my choice for the apprenticeship experience for Samuel.

By 1848, STL went to Cumberland. His parents arrived there after leaving Martinsburg and living in Hedgesville on their new Farm. Samuel then worked for Mr. Archibald McNeal. A letter from Ann W. Little says that STL was trying to buy the business from McNeal, where he had worked for at least three years as a journeyman, and that McNeal, seemed not to be able to say yes or no. Samuel gave him a deadline. Since there is no lore regarding taking over that business, I believe that the words, he started his own business are clear enough.

His parents tried to sell the Little Dale farm in Hedgesville, apparently to assist STL in the capitalization of his new business on Baltimore St. The farm did not sell at this time, despite a request from John Little that $80 would be fine (I presume for a down payment for a sale. John and Ann had recently paid $1000 for Little Dale.)

S.T. was on his own and in business. The business opened as planned. On 1 May 1851 the S. T. Little watch repair shop was opened on Baltimore Street, very near Wills Creek and the RR depot. Within a year or so, he started stocking the shop with clocks and watches, and in particular the Rockford Watch. He continued to grow his business, using high quality, low prices for cash, high integrity, friendly and courteous service, and presumably accurate watches, to say nothing of quality goods.

In 1853 he advertised for clocks, watches, fob chains, rings-finger and ear, bracelets. The advertisement in the paper for 29 December 1853 lists such items as watches, gold and silver pencils and pens, silver spoons, card cases, trays, butter and fruit knives, daguerreotype lockets, gold spectacles and that all this would be sold at unusually low prices for