• Pherrel / Pherril / Pheril / Pherel / Ferrel / etc. all appear to be phonetic misspellings of the English given name Farrell, which would certainly be in keeping with the fact that LITTLETON is an English surname.  That this is the case is supported by the fact that George WASHINGTON spelled it Farrell, as did contemporary writers of other documents discovered by historians of the period.  In other words, the highly educated spelled it correctly, while the barely educated misspelled it.
• Some say Farrell's father came to Virginia as a widower with his children, which would mean we not only need to look for records of them in Virginia, but that Farrell had to have been born in England.  The birthyear given for the Honorable John is a guess based on a guess of Farrell's birthyear based on the birthyear of Farrell's son, John.  The guess for Farrell's age is thus at least a decade off from his probable birthyear.
• Farrell is given deathdates of anywhere from the 1760s to 1801.  He is said to have been killed by a falling tree when his son was about ten years old, which would place his death at ca. 1775.  Of course, we're assuming that son, John, was born in 1765.
• The fact that George LITTLETON, grandson of our subject, named a son, Augustine, possibly supports the occupational connection of Farrell to John Augustine WASHINGTON.  Augustine is not a common given name, then or now.

1.  Marriage Record:

2.  Worthington Chauncey Ford, compiler and editor.  1889. The Writings of George Washington.  G.P. Putnam's Sons, The Knickerbocker Press, New York and London (online at GoogleBooks):

Vol. II, Under the heading for 1760.
p. 158	Monday Mar. 31st...
p. 159	Wrote to Lieutt Smith to try if possible to get me a careful Man to overlook my Carpenters.  Wrote also to Hardwick ordering down two mares from thence and desiring him to engage me a ditcher.  Inclosed a letter from my Brother John to his Overseer, Farrell Littleton, and directed him what to do if the Small pox should come amongst them...

"Hardwick" was Christopher HARDWICK, overseer of George WASHINGTON'S Bullskin plantation.

3.  George Washington's Mount Vernon: Estate & Gardens (online at www.mountvernon.org):

George WASHINGTON's brother, John Augustine WASHINGTON, apparently lived some times at Mount Vernon, Fairfax Co., VA (viz., 1736-38 and ca. 1752-60), and the rest of his time at a plantation inheritied by his wife called "Bushfield," in Westmoreland Co., VA.

4.  The Washingtons of Jefferson County: John Augustine Washington's "Prospect Hill" (online at the web site of the Shepherdstown Public Library, Shepherdstown, Jefferson Co., WV):

In 1750, Lawrence WASHINGTON, George WASHINGTON's half-brother, began accumulating acreage in Jefferson Co., (W)VA.  In 1752, Lawrence died and his brother, John, inherited 1534 acres of this land.  John added additional acreage in 1768 and 1772. GW = George Washington; JAW = John Augustine Washington

"Washington family tradition holds that men under Gen. Braddock in 1755 built a well and blacksmith shop on JAW's 613-acre parcel farmed under overseer Farrell Littleton... "By 1758, Overseer Littleton and possibly tenants appear to have grown wheat flour in great quantities from Prospect Hill plantation. "June 24, 1758 - Perkins' Mill near Winchester, VA. - GW indicates in Ledger A, P. 51, that Commissary Thomas Walker received 6,308 pounds of flour valued at 31.10.10 pounds and 1,500 pounds of flour from his younger brother, John Augustine Washington." That this grain was ground to flour at the mill of Isaac Perkins (Parkins) near Winchester suggests the grain came from the JAW's Prospect Hill plantation, the closest of his farms. (Papers, Colonial Series, Vol. 5. "March 31, 1760 - Winchester, VA - George Washington wrote his overseer at his Bullskin plantation, Christopher Hardwick:  "'ordering two Mares from thence & desiring him to engage me a Ditcher. Inclosed a Letter from my Brother Jno. to his Overseer Farrell Littleton and directed him what to do if the Small Pox shd. come amongst them.' (Diaries, Vol. 1, P. 259)."

5.  Archive of the VAFairfa Mailing List (online at RootsWeb.com):

A post there indicates Pheril/Farrell was born ca. 1740, either in England or Alexandria, Fairfax Co., VA.  He is said to have been mentioned "many times" in the county court records of Fairfax County.  Says he is the son of "Honorable John" LITTLETON of England.  Pheril is said to have been killed by a falling tree when his son, John, was about ten years old, making his death in the mid-1760s.

If Farrell was killed when his son was around ten years of age, he had to have died in the mid-1770s, not the mid-1760s.  This looks like a mistake in reading or copying the sketch from the next source.

6a.  Archive of the LITTLETON Mailing List (online at RootsWeb.com):

One message there states that she had a professional researcher work on Farrell LITTLETON.  She says he found him "in court documents in Alexandria, VA."  While the timing was right for Farrell to be the father of the John LITTLETON who married Leanner GODDARD, she said she had no proof that he was.  She also says there was a Pherel LITTLETON in Loudoun Co., VA, who "witnessed many marriages."  This same message also cites the following source:

1984. Buchanan County History.  Vol. 1 "AUGUSTUS LITTLETON "This branch of the Littleton family probably came to the United States when the immigrant, John, Sr. sold the family jewels in England to pay for passage for himself and several children to Virginia.  He was a widower at the time.  His son, Pherel, Loudon County, Virginia was killed by a falling tree around 1775.  "John, son of Pherel, married Leanner Goddard around 1785-86.  "Leanner was one of a large family who lived on Fox Creek in Fleming County, Kentucky. They became progenitors of many Buchanan County early families"

WARNING:  You have to be careful with these county histories.  Very often they present romantic family legends, even deliberate fabrications, not hard facts — I wouldn't believe the "family jewels" tale for a second.  But the big question here is whether John really is a son of "Pherel."  The connection was not to some illustrious person, so the incentive to fabricate it hardly exists. As for "winessing many marriages," that most often happens when the man is the county clerk or a justice of the peace.  The minister isn't usually listed as a "witness." I can find no reference to a book title beginning, "Buchanan County History."  I can find references to four book titles beginning "History of Buchanan County..." published in 1881, 1915, 1904, and 1974, but not one in 1984.  If only people would use full citations!  I suspect 1984 is a typo for 1974, but I'll have to find the book to be certain.  That it is the 1974 book is supported by the fact that it came out in two volumes.

6b.  Archive of the LITTLETON Mailing List (online at RootsWeb.com):

A post there indicates Pheril/Farrell was born ca. 1740, either in England or Alexandria, Fairfax Co., VA.  He is said to have been mentioned "many times" in the county court records of Fairfax County.  Says he is the son of "Honorable John" LITTLETON of England.  Pheril is said to have been killed by a falling tree when his son, John, was about ten years old, making his death in the mid-1760s.

If Farrell was killed when his son was around ten years of age, he had to have died in the mid-1770s, not the mid-1760s.  This looks like a mistake in reading or copying the sketch from the above source.

6c.  Archive of the LITTLETON Mailing List (online at RootsWeb.com).  A post there states:

Here is the information that I have seen on Pherryl / Farrell / Pherel Littleton In a Fairfax Co. VA Will Book (abstracts) at the Seattle Public Library, I found references to him on pg 48, 51, 57, 62, and 103. On these pages, he is a witness in wills dated 1750, 1751, 1752, 1753, and 1761 (or 1765).  His name is spelled Ferrill or Ferrell Littleton.  These wills are not connected to other Littletons as far as I can tell.

The fact that he is a witness to numerous non-LITTLETON wills suggests he may have been an attorney or some kind of legal or civil clerk.  If so, it lends credence to his being an overseer for John WASHINGTON because his skills and/or status would have been useful to an overseer. Farrell cannot have been a witness to a will unless he was of age.  Witnessing a will in 1750 places his birth year back to 1729 or earlier.

7.  Messages posted to the Littleton Family Genealogy Forum (online at GenForum.com):

From a deed, I believe that Solomon Littleton's wife's name was Margaret. A will in Fairfax co, Va may be related to these people. Parish Truro, County Fairfax, Va: John Littleton's will, wife Sarah to have plantation and after her demise goes to my son Solomon Littleton.  Also mentions son, Charles Littleton.  Mentions cousin William Littleton to have 1 musket. Will written 01 Oct 1745.  Will proved 15 Apr 1746.

Our subject died in 1743, which would explain his not being mentioned.

8a.  LDS.  Family Search: Internet Genealogy Service:  AF - Ancestral File (online at FamilySearch.org).

8b.  LDS.  Family Search: Internet Genealogy Service: IGI - International Genealogical Index (online at FamilySearch.org).

8c.  LDS.  Family Search: Internet Genealogy Service: Pedigree Resource File (index to CDs, online at FamilySearch.org).

9.  WorldConnect / Ancestry World Trees (online at RootsWeb.com/Ancestry.com).

10.  Email from Faye (MICK) LITTLETON, C. Scott LITTLETON, Terry LITTLETON.