The Little Dushore Puzzle

The material in this summary was contributed by Pj Little of Carthage, MO. Pj is a descendant of the Littles and can be reached at Pj Little. The Sullivan County Genealogical Web Page is grateful to Pj for her contribution of this information..

 

Little family research is a series of non-stop surprises. For instance the Theophilus found in Sullivan County is named after his grandfather Theophilus Longstreet of Holland, who in turn is an ancestor of the famous Civil War General, James Longstreet.

Theophilus had six sons. His sons John and Thomas married the daughters of Benjamin Jackson, a relative of President Andrew Jackson. Consequently, his grandchildren spent summers at The Hermitage in Nashville. Benjamin's descendants were in Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma and Sullivan County by 1850.

Theophilus' great grandson, Theophilus Little, grandson of Thomas, was the Acting Mayor of Abilene Kansas when Wild Bill Hickock was Marshall, and rode in the opening day of the Oklahoma Land Rush with his son Willliam Thomas Little (Will T.). This Theophilus was later elected to the first Board of Regents for the college at Stillwater, Oklahoma, and, while Will T. wrote the first Oklahoma Code, his brother Edward C., a US Congressman, wrote the first US Code.

Theophilus had six siblings, as well as relatives and friends who served in the Revolutionary War. A brother and brother-in-law were killed and a sister hung by the neck and left for dead. This sister, Hannah Little, later married the Acting Governor of New Jersey. Her brother Thomas was appointed Acting Lieutenant Governor. Both men later became US Congressmen. All of the Little men between the years 1724 and 1814 served as Judges on the Court of Common Pleas and Quarterly Sessions for Monmouth County, NJ., beginning with John Little, who held the position of Chief Judge until he died in 1752.

Before John died, his granddaughter (and sister of Theophilus), Isabel Little, in 1750 married Alexander McDowell, a widower and fellow Scotsman. He brought several children to the union and they had four more issue. Now the McDowell clan settled early in the 1700's on the East coast, claiming land from New York to the Carolinas. They were shipbuilders, investors, and merchants, and they fought side by side with the Little's during the Revolution. They owned land in seven states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and like the Little's, they too broke new ground and loved a challenge.

Your challenge is to find a relationship between Benjamin Jackson and Andrew McDowell of Monmonth County, New Jersey and their namesakes in Sullivan County, if indeed one does exist, using the following information:

In 1829, Matthew McDOWELL, erected a building for a store on the lands owned by George H. WELLES, on the North side of Main street in Dushore, PA, and engaged in the mercantile business. The store was in charge of Henry W. COOPER, who later purchased the business of McDOWELL. Mr. COOPER erected another building as his business increased. On May 17, 1834, McDOWELL bought, of Freeman FAIRCHILD, about four acres of land joining his store lot for $50. On May 6, 1836, he sold the same land to B. COOLBAUGH, who sold out to Samuel JACKSON on March 21, 1837. There is no current proof that Matthew McDowell was related to the McDowell family in New Jersey, although that may well have been the case.