Submitted by Gina Sherrard



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LITTLETON BERRY ABBETT AND WIFE SARAH


* Written by Peggy Rockett, it appeared in the Bernice Banner 12/03/1999.

Since Little Berry, my great-grandfather, also fought in the Civil War, I feel I should profile
him as I did with John J. - but know even less about him, because no one ever talked about him 
to me. I credit Helen Evens of the Adcock family with part of this, but my mother did give her 
a little information.
He was born in Georgia (County unknown) on August 10, 1825 to parents unknown. I feel like his 
mother's last name was Berry, because it was quite common in the 1800's to name a son the maiden 
name of the his mother. When Littleton had a son many years after his five daughters- why in the 
world would you give a child three names unless it was a family name. He married Sarah Elizabeth 
Caroline Land and they had six children (to be listed later). He and Sarah were married on 
January 6, 1850 and they lived with her parents, Solomon and Lurena (Doster) Land in Tallapoosa 
County. Alabama before they settled down in Walnut Hills Community- where their five daughters 
were born. 
Littleton Berry also fought for the South and was in D Co. of the 29th Alabama Infantry. He was 
captured in the battle of Atlanta when General Sherman's Army marched through, burning nearly 
everything in their path. He was sent to a prison in Louisville, Kentucky- then transferred to 
a prison in Camp Chase, Ohio. After the war he was released in May 1865. One of my distant 
cousins told me that prisoners were released to get back home however they could- just like in 
"Gone With the Wind". I'm sure with so mush desolation in Alabama and Georgia they decided to 
try a new life with a homestead in Louisiana and that is how they ended up in Camp Creek in 
Union Parish. 
My mother remembers her mother talking about a wagon train and crossing a ferry and another 
great-granddaughter remembers her mother talking about a train trip- so they probably did both- 
we certainly had no railroads near Union Parish at that time. His first occupation was as a 
doctor, although he had no medical degree. He also farmed and had a small country store on his 
property (now known as the Henry Byram place). Later he became a Baptist preacher - preaching at 
Zion Hill; Canaan; Bethel; Camp Creek; and New Prospect in Lincoln Parish.
Littleton and Sarah are buried in the Camp Creek cemetery in an enclosed iron fence near the 
front of the cemetery, I call it the "pen". All of their children are buried there, even Emma 
and husband Larkin Risinger - who have no headstone. When I finished the Abbett  (spelled with 
an E) Family Book, I invited all the branches to the Camp Creek for a one time only reunion. My 
mother, Ora Ward Manning, was the last surviving Abbett grandchild and younger than many of her 
nieces and nephews and one of the Oklahoma Wards showed up with an 8 x10 photo of a baby in a 
casket sitting over a grave right beside their "pen" and on the other side was a wooden roofed 
structure over some graves that were unmarked.  I just know it has to be Emma and Larkin, as she 
died young leaving a baby girl, Leona, for them to raise. I had looked to no avail for Emma and 
felt it had to be the two spaces next to them, as most of the children are buried in the same 
line. The picture was given to me in hopes the baby could be identified - but I let it get away 
from me that day passing it around. I remember Mama saying a tornado ripped through the cemetery 
and the community and destroyed many things many years ago and I'm sure that's what happened to 
the shed built over the graves. No one could identify the baby and it goes unmarked and my 
grandmother. Callie Ward, is either buried on top of it or very near to it.
But the Abbett's pride and joy, a boy was born late in their life, named Solomon Joshua Berry 
Abbett - a son to carry on the name. But sad to say, Uncle Berry had only one daughter, Vera 
Cole, and she died leaving no children, so the name of Abbett ended, but their five daughters 
left them descendants all over the U.S.A.. Their children were: Anna Elias Abbett Lambert, 
Lorena Frances "Fannie" Abbett Adcock, Louisa Narcissa Abbett stone, Sarah Elizabeth Caroline 
Abbett Ward "Callie", Emma O. Abbett Risinger, and Solomon Joshua Berry Abbett.
I must give credit also to the late Mr. James Franks of Richmond, Va., who sent me some of this 
from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. It was a birthday gift from my former 
brother-in-law.

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