Wells B. Littig
Wells B. Littig
Born
Nov. 20, 1865
Rancho del Esperanze
Nueces Co., Tex.
Died
April 16, 1912
Corpus Christi, Tex
Photo Credit: Rosa G. Gonzales
Biography
Wells B. Littig was born 29 November 1865 at the ranch owned by his father near the site of Nuecestown. The Ranch is referred to on his gravestone as "Rancho del Esperanze", but this is clearly a "typo" in stone. The word "Esperanza" would mean "hope", and the Spanish word for a person who has hope is "Esperante." Thus either the word is meant to be "esperanza" with an ending of "a" (and "de" rather then "del") or else the "z" should be a "t". It may be that this led to Fred Hays adding to the list of burials a "Del Esperante". Most likely he saw the phrase on a list attempting to correct the mistaken words "Del Esperanze" and mistook the correction for the name of another person buried in Old Bayview Cemetery. In fact the obituary of the sister of Wells—Rachel Littig Wright—says that she grew up on the Rancho de "Esperanza" (see her obit on this web site) so this would seem to be the proper name of the ranch that Joshua Wells Littig owned near Nuecestown. The middle initial "B" in the name of Wells B. Littig probably stands for "Beynon" which is the maiden name of the mother of Wells. His father was Joshua Wells Littig who was a native of Baltimore who came to this area when it was still only a "rancho" owned by Aubrey and Kinney as a trading post. Local newspaper accounts say that J. W. Littig first came to this area in the winter of 1839-40 and was engaged as a clerk or agent for Aubrey and Kinney. However, because of the number of depredations by bandits and Native Americans, he decided to move further north to Jackson County to protect his family. There he had a son George and a daughter Mary Jane before his wife died and he returned to the area of Corpus Christi. Once here he found a mother for his young children in the person of Mary Ann Beynon. She was a native of Pembrokeshire, South Wales and had come to Texas with her family in response to agents of Kinney who was interested in land development in this area after Texas became safer because of its acceptance into the United States. Her father was Thomas Beynon and her mother was also named Mary Ann. J. W. Littig married Mary Ann Beynon in Nueces County in Nuecestown on 5 August 1856. He had initially purchased a home site on Water Street and Twigg Street (Lots 1-2 of portional block 24 in the Beach addition). However, he also purchased a large tract of land west of and adjoining the town tract of Nuecestown (Deed Records vol. G page 381) in 1859. The family settled there where Mr. Littig was a stockman. This was presumably "Rancho de Esperanza". Joshua and Mary Ann also had two children of their own—Wells B. Littig and his sister Rachel. Wells' half-brother George R. Littig married Merriam Hobbs on 31 March 1869 (Nueces County Marr. Rec. Volume C page 410) when Wells was only a toddler. Well's half-sister Mary Jane never married, and when she died she was buried in Old Bayview in the plot where her father and stepmother and half-brother would also rest from their labors. When Wells was only about 5 years old, his father died. His mother sold the ranch and moved into the city where she would be safer and better able to raise Wells and his sister Rachel. They had a house on the corner of Leopard and Tancahua where they resided until their deaths. Rachel Littig married J. Wright on 30 March 1891 (Vol. F p. 174) before Rev. Horace Clark of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church and settled nearby. In the 1900 census Wells is living with his mother and half-sister Mary Jane. The women are both listed as dressmakers while he is employed as a printer (probably for the local Caller). In the 1907-08 city directory, Wells and his mother still live at 701 Tancahua, and Wells is now foreman of the Caller publishing company. A special edition related to the founders and builders of Corpus Christi (published on the Centennial of the early settlement 1839-1939) noted that Wells was engaged in the newspaper business for 25 years. He was formerly with the Corpus Christi Free Press and later with the Corpus Christi Caller when it was owned by Eli T. Merriman. His half-sister Mary Jane died on 5 May 1907 and mother Mary Ann on 8 January 1910. Wells B. Littig died only two years later on 16 April 1912 and was laid to rest beside his mother, father, and half-sister. There is also indication that his half-brother George may be buried in the same area. Documents on the Hobbs family (while George R. Littig married Miriam/Merriam Hobbs, Miriam's father George Hobbs was married to Margaret "Beynon" after the death of his first wife), indicate that George died shortly after his marriage in 1869. Wells B. Littig's sister Rachel died 19 August 1952 and was also buried in Old Bayview Cemetery. Wells represents the early generation that was born in south Texas of parents who came from far away. His father had traveled from Baltimore to this area when it was still a separate nation—the Republic of Texas. His mother had traveled from foreign shores across the Atlantic to begin a new life in an area that was truly frontier. They were here when Corpus Christi was first incorporated as a city in 1852 and began the growth that would make it a center of commerce and agriculture.
Research and transcription: Michael A. Howell