Henry Little and Margaret Tait - Our Direct Ancestors - my generation’s g g g g grandparents

Henry Little was born in 1807 at Roberton, Roxburghshire. He was descended from early Presbyterian covenanters who had lost their ancestral lands in Meikledale, on the Scottish borders. Henry’s parents were James Little and Helen Burton, who was born circa 1785 and died on the 28th of March, 1839 at Moffat, Dumfries. James was born circa 1784 at Crawford and died on the 31st of December, 1859 at Beattock Bridge. His parents had been William Little, born circa 1755 and died on the 11th of May, 1832, at Craiglandhill and Mary Anderson, who had been born circa 1757 and died in 1830 at Hairswood. I have no further information on the Little family to date.

Henry Little, my generation’s great great great great grandfather

Margaret Tait was born during 1815 in Moffat, Dumfries and her family is outlined in the previous sections. Henry and Margaret married on the 7th of February, 1834 in 'Tweedshaws', south of Tweedsmuir, in the Scottish Borders.

According to most sources, Henry and Margaret lived at Courhope, Eddleston, Peeblesshire, in the Scottish Borders. ‘Courhope’ is an old shepherd’s cottage approximately 1/2m south of Ewes Hill, where Margaret and Henry are thought to have lived from late 1830s. It is believed that Henry and the children occupied this property through to about 1860. Another source state that all Margaret and Henry’s children were born at ‘Tweedshaws’, a farm homestead to the north and slightly west of Moffat, in the Scottish Borders. These locations places are approximately 50 kilometres apart.

Henry Little and Margaret Tait’s children included

1. James - born on the 22nd of October, 1834; emigrated to New Zealand in 1864; was instrumental in developing the Corriedale sheep breed in New Zealand. In 1882, when the first New Zealand shipment of frozen meat was exported from Otago, James's Corriedales were ideal and firms competed to market them. His highly adaptable dual purpose stud rams were sold throughout New Zealand and exported to South America, Australia, South Africa and East Africa. James won prizes and cups at Agricultural and Pastoral Association shows throughout New Zealand for his Corriedales and also for English Leicester sheep, Ayrshire cattle and shire draught horses. He won a gold medal in France, and in 1915 gold and bronze medals at the Panama Pacific Exhibition. James became a wealthy landowner in North Canterbury. He built a home on a North Canterbury property he called Dalmeny, naming it after the home of Lord Rosebery

2. John - born on the 8th of September, 1836; emigrated to New Zealand; died in 1912

3. Robert - born on the 22nd of July, 1839; died in 1912

4. Henry - born on the 28th of July, 1842; died in 1869

5. Jane - born on the 1st of December, 1844 - our direct ancestor - more about her in a separate post

6. William - born on the 18th of December, 1847; died in 1918

Margaret Tait Little’s headstone at Eddleston Parish Churchyard

Margaret Tait Little died on the 11th of August, 1849 at Courhope. Margaret Tait was only 34 years old. Her youngest child was only 2 years old, and her oldest was 13. She is buried at Eddleston Parish Churchyard, and has a head stone that was erected by James and John, New Zealand, her oldest sons.

Henry remarried Margaret Stevenson in 1853.Their children included

1. Janet (Jessie) Cochrane - born on the 9th of February 1853 in Eddleston, who later married George Paterson, my generation’s great great great grand uncle and Jessie is buried alongside him in Herbert cemetery (more about George and Jessie in a previous section)

2. Hellen (Ellen) Margaret Burton - born during 1858 and died in 1940

3. Thomas Stevenson - born during 1854 and died in 1940

The entire Little family moved to New Zealand in the 1860s, possibly in 1864 or 1867. It seems at least Henry was in Scotland for the 1861 census. I have been unable to find their names on passenger lists, but according to some sources at least, James Little, Henry’s oldest child, immigrated to New Zealand in 1864 at 34 years old.

Memorial card for Margaret Stevenson Little and Henry Little

Henry Little and Margaret Stevenson Tait lived at ‘Fleetwod’ Ngapara, North Otago. Henry’s obituary in the North Otago Times stated that he had been a long time resident of the district, ‘having managed Messers Gillies and Streets’s property, and was instrumental in laying the foundation of the flock of Border Leicester sheep that have made themselves a colonial reputation’ and ‘to him we are indebted for improvements in the quality of a description of stock that has done much to advance the interests of sheep breeders and the colony’. As well as being knowledgeable about sheep, he must have been a respected sheepdog handler, as he judged the first New Zealand sheepdog trials at the Duntroon racecourse on the 2nd of October,1878, which was attended by over 100 spectators, according to the North Otago Times.

Henry’s obituary went onto say that he had a ‘pleasant, hearty manner, was diffident in obtruding himself, and when he was elected presidency of the Association he had been connected with so long, it was with great reluctance he could be prevailed upon to accept the honour his fellow members conferred upon him.’

Henry died on the 5th of November, 1885, aged 77–78. Margaret Stevenson Little died on the 10th of November, 1901. They are both buried in Block 54, plot 3 and 4 of the Oamaru old cemetery. A memorial card made for them, pictured above, that reads

‘In loving memory of Margaret Stevenson Little who died at Ngapara, N.Z. on the 10th of November 1901 aged 78 years. In loving memory of Henry Little who died at Ngapara, N.Z. on the 5th of November 1885 aged 80 years. Thy will be done. “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.”