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ANCESTOR NO. 24: WILLIAM TODD LUDLOW (1841-1905)

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 My grandfather’s grandfather, William Todd Ludlow, was born on 15 February 1841, almost certainly at 89 Clinton Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. [1] His father, Matthias Ludlow, was a mason, and William’s mother was born Sarah Ann Todd in Manhattan. [2] They lived at the same address as William’s maternal grandfather, William Todd, an immigrant cartman (similar to today’s delivery truck drivers). He is one of the few nineteenth century ancestors of mine for which I have a photo. Inscribed "Uncle Billy Ludlow" on the back. By 1850, William was living with his family in Rahway Township, New Jersey, just west of Staten Island, New York. The family included his older sisters Sarah Ann and Eliza. [3] The Ludlows had deep roots in Rahway, going back at least a century, so they would have been surrounded by relatives. William’s father bought land in Rahway and Manhattan and gave up masonry for farming. Another brother, Ebenezer, was born in 1852. They were still in Rahway ...
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ANCESTOR NO. 23: MARGARET E. TIMMONS (c. 1832/33–1907)

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 Margaret E. Timmons left behind no diary, no photograph, and no obituary that has yet been found, but she left a paper trail across three states and more than fifty years. Piecing those documents together tells the story of a woman who moved often, who at times managed property and money in her own name at a time when few women did, and who lost a husband and three sons before she died. A Connecticut Household, 1850 The earliest record found for Margaret is the 1850 federal census, taken in Milford, New Haven County, Connecticut. She was seventeen years old, living in the household of Archibald Timmons, a 47-year-old plater, and Eliza Timmons, 45. Also in the household were William Timmons, 18, a carriage maker, and Daniel, age 3. [1] Archibald and Eliza were Margaret's parents, and William and Daniel her brothers. [2] The 1850 census listed Margaret's birthplace as New Jersey, which, combined with her age, suggests she was born around 1832 or 1833. The family attended a...
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