Great Grandmother Little

Fannie Monroe Long was born 7 March 1885 in Jacksboro, Texas, in Jack County. She was she oldest child of Jake M. Long and Elizabeth Obarts. She married Jessie Bester Little 7 November 1901. Their children were Bonnie Elizabeth Little, Sam Bester Little, Nancy Edith Little, Fannie Mae Little, Eula Alma Little, Mertie Jake Little, and Clarabelle Little.
This is a photo of Grandmother Little with her oldest child, Bonnie Elizabeth, who was also known as Willie. All the children had nicknames that were given to them by their older half brother Earl and these were the names that most of us remember them being called by.

This is a photo of Grandmother Little's youngest brother John, who was born January 1898.

This is Jake Long, born 1892, and died April 1914, of meningitis. Grandma Pat told us the story of going to his funeral and having to kiss him in his coffin. It was a wonder that more of them didn't die from meningitis too. He died the same week that Aunt Babe (Mertie Jake) was born and so she was named after him.

This is a photo of another brother, Sam Long, born 24 April 1896, he had only one leg. This photo shows them in front of an oil rig. According to the 1930 census of Love County, Oklahoma his wife is Vinnie, and children are Albert W., Gladys L, Ruby L, and Sam R.J. I wonder if he lost his leg in an accident in the oil fields or as a farm worker. Probably will never know.

This is Great Grandmother's sister, Bonnie Elizabeth Long Sigman and her husband Jim. They had three children, Dottie, Jake and Elizabeth. They are listed in the 1920 census but then in the 1930 census they are both gone and the kids are living with the oldest sister in Wichita Falls. I don't know what happened to them.

Some things I do know about Great Grandmother Little. She was greatly loved by her husband, Jessie Bester Little. She died of breast cancer in 1916, when they went to Dallas to the doctor and received the diagnosis of cancer he took her and bought her a cameo brooch, that is now owned by my sister Elizabeth. He sold his farm to pay for her medical bills. While she was sick, my grandmother was taught to run the house, and do the cooking at the age of eight years. She also was the one who changed the dressings on Grandmother Little's breast as the cancer advanced. Grandma Pat told my sister Elizabeth that she was the first woman in her family to live past the age of forty. All her female relatives had died of cancer before the age of forty, including her mother, Fannie Monroe Long, grandmother,Elizabeth Obarts, aunt, Bonnie Elizabeth Long and sister, Nancy Edith (Billie). I wonder what that would feel like to be approaching that birthday and wondering what would happen to you? I am making the assumption that Elizabeth Obarts died of cancer, as well as Bonnie Long Sigman and we do know that Billie (Nancy Edith) also had breast cancer and died of a brain tumor after the cancer was treated. Billie was actually 42 when she died.

I also know that Fannie Monroe Long loved her family very much, since she named all of her children after her own brother's and sister. She is buried in the Illinois Bend cemetery in Montague County, Texas.

As I study the family history information and talk to my family members about the different stories that they've been told I feel even more close to the past away relatives. I love my family so much that sometimes it hurts!

Malachi 4:6.