Hannah I Little

Biography contributed by Mrs Colyn Storer, Sydney, Australia

Hannah I Little, was born Hannah Sarah Doggett in the March Quarter of 1846 at Norwich Norfolk, the eldest child of William David (David) Doggett and Matilda nee Ivory married in Norwich on 24 March 1845. Matilda’s father was a Baptist Minister in Norfolk. She had four younger siblings, Matilda Rebecca, (Bradley, Maria (Keir), John and Lucy (Harman), all the sisters signed the petition.

They arrived in New Zealand on the Glentanner on 3rd October 1857 from Gravesend. However, tragedy struck two months later when her father William died on 8 December from the effects of the voyage. Her mother who was a school teacher opened the first school at Rangiora. She re-married Louis Marin.

Hannah married Hudson Little on Christmas Day in 1871 at Rangiora. He was a farmer at Oxford near West Eyreton where many relatives lived. They had four children, William Hudson, Arthur died 1911, Amy married Augustus Crawford, died 1921 and Alfred Mounsey.

He won prizes for the Oldest Ploughman, at age 38, and was on the School Committee and many other community groups and nominated for the local council. In September 1878 their farm at Carleton suffered extensive damage in severe wind storms. They sold the farm in 1891 and moved to Bunnythorpe near Palmerston North where Hudson and his sons farmed till his retirement in 1899.

In 1931 they celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary and the report said that ‘Mrs Little has devoted much of her time to matters which do not interest farming people. She made a study of graphology, and also devoted a great deal of her time to literature.” In 1883 she won first prize in a competition by the run by Canterbury Times and another one in Palmerston North.  She wrote poems under the pen name of ‘Amur’, some of which were sold during the war for patriotic purposes. She continued her writing with articles about Graphology in the local newspaper.

Hudson Little took ill in November 1934 and died early on the morning of 23rd. Hannah, who was already frail, also died when she heard the news. There were detailed newspapers reports and an Obituary in the North Canterbury Gazette of this double sorrow for the family. He was 92 and she 90. They were buried at Bunnythorpe Cemetery.

Others of her extended family who also signed the Petition were her three sisters. All were grandchildren or their daughters from John Ivory and Sarah nee Emms of Norfolk.

Her three sisters Maria Keir (sheet 241), Rebecca Bradley (262), Lucy Harman (237) and Rebecca’s daughters, Lucy Emily and Maud M Davies both sheet 262.  

Also Margaret Jennings (nee Stapleforth) sheet 241, both she and her husband’s mothers were Ivory family descendants. Cousin by marriage – Helen Ivory (nee Bartrum) Sheet 240.

References

Birth: and her siblings: 

UK GRO Indexes: https://www.gro.gov.uk/ (NOT the indexes on free.bmd or Ancestry or findmypast). These GRO indexes give mother’s maiden names and age at death

Her Parents’ Marriage: 

British Newspapers on findmypast 
Norfolk News 29 March 1845, Marriages Page 3 of 4
On Monday last (*= Easter Monday 24th March) at the Baptist Chapel, St Clement’s Mr William Doggett to Miss Matilda Ivory, daughter of Mr John Ivory, Baptist minister Cossey. 

Census: 

1851 Census at Glemsford Suffolk

Emigration: 

Family Search
New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Passenger Lists, 1839-1973
William Doggett Arrival 03 Oct 1857 Canterbury, New Zealand
Ship Name Glentanner (and his wife and children) 
"New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Passenger Lists, 1839-1973," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FSBY-J6L : 8 August 2017), William Doggett, 03 Oct 1857; citing ship Glentanner, Archives New Zealand, Wellington; FHL microfilm 4,407,309.
Arrival Lyttleton: Shipping News. Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 514, 7 October 1857
Page 4 Passenger List, Page 5 description of a storm near South Africa when the ship almost turned over and would have been lost
Page 5 Advertisements for Passengers to collect their luggage.

NZ BDMs: 

https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz

PapersPast: 

Many records of the extended families, from the 1860s onwards, occupations,
Community involvement, Church associations, Deaths, Obituaries.
Golden Wedding: WOMEN'S CORNER. Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17342, 31 December 1921 page2 
Diamond Wedding: Celebration on Christmas Day 1931, 
DIAMOND WEDDING. Horowhenua Chronicle, 30 December 1931 Page 7
DIAMOND WEDDING. Otaki Mail, 6 January 1932 Page 3

Death, Burial: 

DEATH OF HUSBAND AND WIFE. Horowhenua Chronicle, 23 November 1934 p5
And many other newspapers across New Zealand
“Having been married for over 62 years, Mr and Mrs Hudson Little, of Bunnythorpe, who had resided in that place for 43 years, passed away within a few hours of each other. Mr Little, who was approaching his 93rd birthday died at half-past one in the morning in the Palmerston North Hospital. Overcome by the news of her husband’s demise, Mrs Little, who was also a nonagenarian, died about 11 a.m.”
DOMINION GOSSIP Waikato Independent, Volume XXXIV, Issue 3239, 29 November 1934 page 6

Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Cemetery Records, 1800-2007 
[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

Obituary: 

OBITUARY Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 125, 23 November 1934 page 11
And other newspapers as above.