Litton Family Section 28.52
Joseph Litton Grandfather: Sir Thomas Litton of Dublin, Ireland, whose will was approved 19 January 1741. Sir Thomas Litton was a descendant of the Lyttons of Knebworth House, Hertz., England, who were originally of Welsh descent. (Source: The Family of Early by Robert H. Early, 1920) Married: Catherine Warren on September 1, 1798, in Dublin, Ireland. Catherine Warren was born in Castlebar, Ireland, in 1777 and died in Nashville, TN, 26 December 1845. |
After 2009 Restoration
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Joseph and Catherine Litton lived in Dublin until they sailed for America in 1817. They lived at 63 Fishambel Street until 1800, then moved to Amant Street to 57 New Market Street to 89 Bride Street and finally to 173 Church about 1811. (These addresses come from the family Bible – records of the births of the children.) Joseph was a clothier and hatter in Dublin, and his store was on the north quay of the River Liffey. (The source of this information is an article by W. A. Byrn, a great, great grandson. ) According to his obituary in the Southwestern Christian Advocate, Joseph Litton had become a member of the Wesleyan Society in his nineteenth year, which would have been about the time of his marriage. The same source states that Catherine Litton had been a member of the Methodist Church of fifty years when she died in 1845 so she must have joined the Wesleyan Society in 1795, some three years before her marriage.
In 1817, Joseph and Catherine Litton and their nine children (ranging in age from almost eighteen years old to two months old) left Ireland and came to the United States landing in Philadelphia. The following statement is copied from the funeral notice of Elizabeth Litton Thomas, which appeared in a Nashville paper in 1898. Joseph Litton left Dublin, Ireland, July 16, 1817, and with his wife and nine children came to Nashville, all children grew up in Nashville. In Ireland, Mr. Litton, prominent member of Wesleyan Methodist Church when he emigrated to America, was accredited with the following letter: ‘To the preachers and members of the Methodist Church in America: The bearer, Mr. Joseph Litton, removing from this city to live in America, we have commissioned him as our steady friend to take with him a large quantity of the Methodist Magazine to sell for us in this time of our difficulty, and we know that our friends beyond the Atlantic will encourage Mr. Litton as far as possible. By so doing they will greatly serve our connection in Ireland. Praying that the great head of the church may crown our brother in America with all of blessings of the covenant, we remain dear and respected brethren, yours affectionately in the lord. Signed by order of the Conferences, S. Wood Secretary. July 15, 1817 After spending a short time in Pittsburg, Mr. Litton came to Nashville and was for many years a prosperous and successful merchant. He was the most prominent Methodist in his day and was the moving spirit in the erection of McKendree Church in 1833. It was said that he saw every brick laid. Mr. Litton was a sweet singer, teacher of music to the congregation. The Litton family reached Nashville by July 1818 and Joseph Litton soon opened a store on the west side of College Street (3rd Avenue) a short distance south of the Square. The family lived over the store. Ann was the housekeeper and remained such after her marriage in 1839 until the death of Joseph in 1846. Catherine died in 1845 and was followed by Joseph in 1846. Both are buried in the Old City Cemetery on 4th Avenue at Oak Street. (Information from Vaughn Washington Cooper, a great grandson). An article in the Nashville Banner (3/17/1995) quotes Historian Dorothy Gable as saying: “There is a check in the amount of $110. On the back, it said, ‘Presented by Andrew Jackson to his friend Joseph Litton.’ It’s dated June 6, 1845, written two days before Jackson died. According to the Library of Congress, that’s the last known signature of General Andrew Jackson. “ To find the Litton lot in the Old City Cemetery, go from the office to Central Avenue and turn right. The lot is several hundred yards on the right. A stone path runs through the middle. The Bostick stones are more legible than most of the Litton one. Catherine Litton’s stone (a table style matching Joseph’s) is gone. Litton Family.History Obituary of Joseph Litton from the South-Western Christian Advocate
His funeral was attended by a large number of his fellow-citizens, who deplore the loss of one of the most pleasant, cheerful and happy members of this community. His body was deposited in the city grave yard beside the remains of his excellent wife, who preceded him only a short time in her exit to a better land. Transcript by Sarah Frost Stamps. 2008 – Click on portrait for more information Joseph Litton History Joseph Litton left Dublin Ireland July 16, 1817 and with his wife and nine children came to Nashville, all children grew up in Nashville. In Ireland Mr. Litton, prominent member of Wesleyan Methodist Church, when he emigrated to America, was accredited with the following letter: “To the preachers and members of the Methodist Church in America: The bearer, Mr. Joseph Litton, removing form this city to live in America, we have commissioned him as our steady friend to take with him a large quantity of the Methodist Magazine to sell for us in this time of our difficulty, and we know that our friends beyond the Atlantic will encourage Mr. Litton as far as possible. By so doing, they will greatly serve our connection in Ireland. Praying that the great head of the church may crown our brother in America with all the blessings of the covenant, we remain dear and respected brethren, yours affectionately in the Lord. Signed by order of the Conference After spending a short time in Pittsburg, Mr. Litton came to Nashville and was for many years a prosperous and successful merchant. He was the most prominent Methodist of Nashville in his day, and was the moving spirit in the erection of McKendree Church in 1833. It was said that he saw every brick laid. Mr. Litton was a sweet singer, teacher of music to the congregation. Copied from the funeral notice of Elizabeth Litton Thomas which appeared in a Nashville paper in 1898. Transcript by Sarah Frost Stamps. 2008 Obituary of Catherine Warren Litton from the South-Western Christian Advocate,
In her last hours, our sister was sustained by the Lord Jesus, whom she had faithfully served so long. She died trusting in the merits of a crucified Savior. Her funeral was attended by a vast crowd of our fellow citizens, who thus testified their esteem of the character of this departed saint. Transcript by Sarah Frost Stamps. 2008 – Click on portrait for more information From the Litton Family Bible, between the Old and New Testaments Joseph Litton and Catherine Warren were married September 1, 1798 Benj Saml Litton born- August 13, 1799 633 Fishamble Susannah Litton born- April 16, 1802 Amant Street Margt Rebecca Litton- February 28, 1804 59 New Market Ann Litton- June 28, 1806 59 New Market Joseph Litton- July 10, 1808 89 Bride Street Elizabeth Litton- April 8,1810 89 Bride Street Isaac Litton- January 30, 1812 Abhm Litton- May 20, 1814 173 Church Street Jacob Alexander Litton- May 19, 1817 (Note: Address listings in Dublin, Ireland) Transcript by Sarah Frost Stamps. 2008 Nashville Banner Speaking o’green Here is a bit of the Irish in our own local history, in deference to Saint Patty’s Day. Historian Dorothy Gable has been writing a history of the Litton family, as in Isaac Litton, for whom the high school was named. Litton was one of nine children all born in Dublin, Ireland, to Catherine and Joseph Litton. The family then made its way to Middle Tennessee via Philadelphia and settled here. In her research, Gable (whose maiden name was Litton) discovered that Litton and Andrew Jackson were friends. Litton was a merchant, in addition to having several other business involvements, and Jackson traded with him. This led to an interesting discovery. “There is a check in the amount of $110,” Gable says excitedly. “On the back, it said, ‘Presented by Andrew Jackson to his friend Joseph Litton.’ It is dated June 6, 1845, written two days before (Jackson) died. “According to the Library of Congress, that’s the last known signature of General Andrew Jackson.” |
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