In 1852 Benjamin Little immigrated from England. He came to Chesterton in 1859. He married Mary O'Connor on Feb 26, 1862 who died in childbirth in 1863 in Chisago, MN.

Benjamin came back to Indiana with the baby Mary Elizabeth Little born May 3, 1863 in Chisago, MN and married Catherine Maher O'Connor. Catherine was first married to Peter O'Connor and they had a baby, Bridget O'Connor. (Peter died in 1862.) Catherine's daughter, Bridget O'Connor was later a Catholic nun.

Catherine raised Benjamin's daughter, Mary Little who grew up to marry Joseph Weitzel (both buried at St Patrick's cemetery, Chesterton).

Benjamin Little was a charter member of the Masonic Lodge in Chesterton in 1868.

Catherine and Benjamin were the parents of a son Robert Little (born c1870 Indiana).

Catherine was originally buried in Chesterton Cemetery on Feb 17, 1897. After Catherine died, Benjamin moved to Chicago to live with Mary and Joseph Weitzel. After Benjamin died, Catherine's daughter Bridget moved her grave to St Patrick's Cemetery to be near Catherine's first husband and Bridget's father, Peter O'Connor.

- - -

Benjamin Little had a brother Jesse Little who lived in Chesterton and Chicago -

"Jesse Little - The remains of Jesse Little were brought here from Chicago Thursday morning for burial. He died on Tuesday, Dec. 27, [1898] of enlargement of the heart, aged 71 years and 7 months. He leaves a family of a son and two daughters to mourn his loss. Deceased located in Chesterton in 1859, and ran a stave factory where the organ factory now is. He remained here about a year and a half, and then went to Chicago, which has since been his home. He is a brother of Benjamin Little of this place." -- Chesterton Tribune - December 31, 1898

Jesse Little is buried at St Patrick's cemetery, Chesterton.

- - -

LOOKING BACKWARD -- Chesterton in 1859

Chesterton Tribune, June 25, 1914

"Ben Little, one of Chesterton's oldtimers, came to Chesterton from Chicago Tuesday to visit some of his relatives and old friends. He was standing on Valparaiso street, looking at the workmen excavating for the sewer. Three feet below the surface the diggers came upon the remains of the once famous plank road, which ran from Valparaiso to Michigan City.

Mr. Little grew reminiscent, and began recalling old times. He said: "I came here in the spring of 1859. The old plank road had been abandoned a short time before, and was in a bad state of repair. It was built in 1850-51 by Chauncey Blair, of Michigan City, and was the great highway for the farmers to haul their grain to the vessels at Michigan City. When it was built there were no railroads in this county, and a plank road was a necessity. The road was built of oak plank, made from virgin timber that grew along the road. The plank was nine feet wide, and two inches thick. The plank were laid on oak stringers 8 by 8 inches square, and toll gates were built at a number of stations and a fee would be charged for the use of the road. A toll gate was stationed at the corner of Porter avenue and Valparaiso street, and John Coulter was the toll gate keeper. He lived in a house where Snyder's store now stands. Coulter afterwards became station agent for the Lake Shore railroad here. Blair had a packing house at Michigan City, and also bought the grain that was hauled over the plank road. Their packing house was where the prisoners of the state were kept while the prison was being built there, and the prisoners were marched in a body from the packing house to the prison while it was being built. The clay for the prison was hauled from a bank at the crossing of the Michigan Central railroad and Salt Creek, west of here, and the prisoners did the work. The brick was made from this clay in a yard in Michigan City. I had been connected with a stave factory in Chicago, whose plant was on Michigan avenue. They got their timber in Michigan, but concluded to come here where timber was plenty. We located on the ground where the organ factory now stands. After the timber was exhausted here we moved to Flint Lake, and had one plant at Wild Cat, and the other near Gospel Corners. The concern moved to Kentucky in 1865.

When I came here Chesterton was called Calumet. It had a population of about 400. Hopkins had a cooper shop employing about 100 men, and the Thomas' boys had a shop that worked about 60. There was no Porter. Old Porter was a station for the Michigan Central, and there was a depot here for the Lake Shore. Vince Thomas, a democrat, was sheriff of the county [1850-52]. The Lincoln campaign was on, and politics were red hot. Thomas was running for a re-election, but was beaten in the fall of 1859 by a man named [Thomas B] Cole who was on the Lincoln Ticket. This township had always been strong democratic, but this election it went 25 republican. This was the first time it ever went republican. I was building a shed to dry flour barrel headers in 1865 and fell from the roof, breaking my hip. This lamed me for life. I ran for the sheriff of the county once. I don't remember the year, but I was beaten out the nomination on the republican ticket by Ike Cross, a Valparaiso man, by 66/100 of the vote in the convention. Jim Malone got the democratic nomination and beat Cross in the election. This was just after Bob Jones had finished his last term of office.

I am 77 years old now, or will be if I live until October, and I have seen a great many things in Chesterton since I first saw it. It looks now as though the next twenty-five years would bring to pass the dream of us old fellows who thought the location was all right. There are mighty few of us left now, who were here in '59 and it won't be long before there won't be any of us left. We all did what we could to get the place ready for what is coming now."