This is a photo of a woman (possibly Charlotte Littlefield) from the collection of Joseph Littlefield's papers belonging to Terri and Dave Mabon. Dave Mabon is Joseph Littlefield's great-grandson. Born in Peoria County, Illinois in 1842, Joseph Littlefield served almost three years in the Civil War as a private in company C of 102nd Illinois volunteer regiment. After the war he returned to Illinois and married Hellen Crandle. In 1879 Joseph Littlefield and his family that included his mother Joanna, who was 71 at the time, came to Nebraska Clear Creek area, Sherman County to homestead. Hellen died in 1881 and six years later Joseph, now 47, married 24 year-old Lotta (Charlotte) Roberts, and had 7 more children with her, of whom only 5 survived. Charlotte's family came to Nebraska from Illinois in 1864 to homestead in Cass County. The style of the photograph is similar to earlier portraits of Joseph Littlefield (Joseph Littlefield, Cabinet Card(2) and Joseph Littlefield, Cabinet Card(1)). The face of the woman is similar to that of Joseph's second wife Charlotte (Charlotte Littlefield's Portrait Photograph), but differences in the eyes and hairstyle suggest that ruling out the possibility of the photo being that of Hellen Littlefield, Joseph's first wife, might be premature. For interviews and oral histories of this and other items please visit the History Harvest YouTube Channel.
Terri and Dave Mabon, Nebraska City History Harvest, 2010
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