Will and Margaret Little came to Terrace in 1912. Will was from Atwood Ontario. His parents were John Little and Janet McGreggor. Will's mother died when he was I year old. John married a widow by the name of Helen Watts. The blended family made up 15 children. Will and his brothers George, Ab and Duncan went to the gold rush in the Klondike, in 1899. Duncan remained in the Yukon. The other brothers started south. George started his endeavor to founded the community of Terrace. Will and Ab went to Vancouver. It was in Vancouver that Will and Margaret met.

Margaret Griffith was from Liverpool England. Her mother, Elizabeth Hill, was Irish and her father Griffith was Welsh. Margaret’s eldest sister Elizabeth (Bessy) on a visit home from Canada, managed to persuade her 5 sisters to come back to Canada with her. Leaving 4 brothers and 2 sisters behind in Liverpool with their parents. Elizabeth Griffith put on a brave face to say her good-byes. After they left she sat down and cried, knowing that she would never see her 6 daughters again. They left in 1914. War broke out soon after they got to Canada. The sisters were very worried about the family they left behind. Communication in those days was very limited.

Will was 52 and Margaret was 35 when they married. When they came to Terrace Will told Margaret it would be a temporary move just to help his brother George with some carpentry work. As things turned out they raised 7 children (6 girls and I boy) in Terrace and spent the rest if their days here. Will and Margaret out lived two of their children. John died in a prisoner of war camp in Hong Kong in 1942 at age 18. Amy died having her first baby in 1946 at age 26.

My grandfathers carpenters shop was near to where the Co-op is now. That area was referred to as China Town. Later Will moved his shop next to their home, which was where the Royal Bank is today. My mother remembers playing knee-deep in the curled wood shavings on the floor. I am always amazed at the fine craftsmanship when I look at remaining of pieces of his furniture. There were no power tools, everything was done by hand, and even the skis my grandfather made on order for people. That involved steaming and bending wood to just the right curve. Will’s brother George imported exotic types of wood such as, Yaka and Mahogany from Figi from which his brother Will could make furniture. Will finished his furniture with oils. He did carpentry work on a bigger scale too. He worked on the Skeena Bridge and other bridges in the area. One of the log homes at Lakelse Lake that he built was for a Mr. Poe who came here from Chicago in the 1920’s. Will also built the old Jail and Police Station which still stands next to the Happy Gang Centre, he built the school and teacherage at Kitselas. Another thing I found amazing about my grandfathers career was the independent struggle to carve out a career and raise a family. In all their years of raising children there was no vacation, no UIC, or Social Assistance. At one time Will broke his leg and could not work. The family survived on the care of good friends and neighbors. Will worked on into his 70’s not wanting to collect his pension as he viewed it as a kind of charity. Will passed away in 1952 and Margaret in 1965.

Amy was born Sept 21, 1920, the second child of Will and Margaret. She was a beautiful person, from without and within. She was known for her gentle nature and compassion for others. When Amy finished grade 12, she worked at the Terrace Hotel, for Mr. & Mrs. Emil Willie (the owner). Mr. Willie was from Belgium. He had a passion for gardening. Mrs. Willie was from England. She had been a barmaid there. In those early days the Hotel was a busy place. Amy worked long hard hours, starting at 5 am when mining crews came in. 3 or 4 times a week the train would come in at midnight. Mr. Willie would meet the train to see who might need a room.

A lot of Scandinavians who were mostly employed as pole cutters stayed at the Hotel.  In 1944George Best came to Terrace. He worked for the CN. He and Amy were married in 1945. Sadly, their time together would be too short. Amy was expecting their first child. Dr. Mills noticed problems and sent Amy on the train to Smithers. Her daughter Brenda was born on May 28, 1946. Amy hemorrhaged to death. George sent a telegram to her parents, which read "The Lord called and Amy answered." The baby girl was premature and had to be kept in an incubator. When it was time to go home, Amy's sister Margaret, took Brenda home to join their family. Margaret had two boys, Bill and Mike, ages 2 and 1. In 1946 the road from Smithers to Terrace barely existed. The trip home with the new baby was quite treacherous. Her Grandmother, (Margaret Little) held her new granddaughter all the way home. When Brenda was 5 years old she went to live with her Dad and new stepmother.

John Little was born Dec. 21, 1924. He was named for his grandfather. He had three older-sisters; Ruth Amy, and Margaret and then had three younger sisters: Mary, Grace, and Phyllis.

John joined the army. He signed up in Prince Rupert, where he was working for Albert and McCaffery. He was under age but managed to sign up anyways. He went to Halifax for training. As soon as he went into action he was taken prisoner in Hong Kong. He died six months later. I was told that he was the youngest prisoner in the camp. In 1993 a waterfall on Andesite Creek, 31 km west of Terrace was named for John Little.