The William Todd Ludlow Family

 

L-R: Laura Eloise Ludlow (1871-1950), William Todd Ludlow (1841-1905), Ida Victoria Ludlow (1877-1900), Sarah Elizabeth Laing Ludlow (1838-1911)


My mother gave me this photo of her grandmother, the girl on the left, and her family. On the back, it says “Grandma and Grandpa Ludlow.” The two girls seen here were the youngest of six children born to William Todd Ludlow and his wife Sarah Elizabeth Laing. The two oldest were boys, Matthias and Lewis, and the two middle children were twins who died at birth.[1]  I always wondered why the older brothers aren’t in this photo. Was another photo taken of the parents with just the two boys?

From left to right, the photo shows Laura Eloise Ludlow; her father, called Billy; her little sister Ida Victoria Ludlow; and her mother. Ida was born in October 1877, and she looks about six here, so this was taken about 1883.[2] The family lived in Rahway, New Jersey, just west of Staten Island, New York.

Ida looks a little bit the way I remember my cousin Cynnie looked at that age. Ida died in 1900 when she was only 22 of “exhaustion of acute mental disease” at Long Island State Hospital.[3] That sounds so awful, and I suspect she would have lived a longer and healthier life had she lived today.

Laura grew up to be my grandfather’s mother. My mother remembered her clearly. She told me that her grandmother Laura lived with them for three months at a time, rotating quarterly between her four children’s homes. She was pious and “sang hymns all day long.” I think she was Methodist or Baptist, but I’m not sure about that.

Laura’s parents, William and Sarah, were second cousins, since they shared the same great grandparents, Matthias Ludlow and Sarah Williams.[4] William was named for his maternal grandfather William Todd, a British immigrant who was a cartman in New York City.[5] William’s father Matthias (not the husband of Sarah Williams; there were so many Matthiases in this family) became a wealthy man, owning a lot of property in Rahway and New York City. William had several occupations. He was a baker, a farmer, a porter, a florist, and a nursery salesman, living in Brooklyn and visiting customers on Long Island.[6]

Sarah had a very different early life. We’ve inherited her family Bible. That record and various other records show her father, a stonecutter, died when she was 7 and her mother died when she was 9.[7] They left four children besides Sarah: Robert Hale, Matthias Ludlow, Abraham and Emily Laing.[8] Early records I’ve found for Emily and Abraham were in Riverhead, Long Island and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, so as far as I can tell the children were split up, probably among different relatives.

 


[1] “1880 United States Federal Census,” database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com:

accessed 14 Nov. 2020); entry for William T. Ludlow, 4th Ward, Rahway, Union County, New Jersey, p. 27 (penned), sheet 548C (stamped), line 1, dwelling 261, family 285, image 27 of 28; from NARA T9, RG 29, Roll 801. Sarah E. (Laing) Ludlow Family Bible Records, 1809-1933, The Holy Bible (Philadelphia: E. Gately & Co., 1881), Births and Deaths pages; privately held by Lise Doss, Austin, Texas, 2020.

[2] Family Bible Record.

[3] "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6WSQ-6R1?i=110: accessed 18 Nov. 2020) > Brooklyn death certificates > Death certificates no. 11401-13700 1900 > image 111; Ida V. Ludlow, 15 Jun 1900, certificate 11501.

[4] For William’s parents (Matthias Ludlow and Sarah Todd): New York City, New York, death certificate no. 10741, (8 June 1905) William T. Ludlow; New York City Department of Records and Information Services, Municipal Archives, New York City. For William’s paternal great grandfather (Matthias Ludlow) and paternal grandfather (Ebenezer Ludlow): “New Jersey, Wills and Probate Records, 1739-1999” (Essex > Wills, vol. C, 1818-1823), database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 3 February 2020), image 666 of 710, will dated 6 May 1820, Mathias Ludlow, p. 593 of will book. For William’s great grandmother (Sarah Williams): "New Jersey, Church Records, 1675-1970," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSVY-99FX-Q?cc=2106099&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AQG5V-12BB: accessed 4 February 2020), image 175 of 298, Matthias Ludlow and Sarah Williams, 26 Mar 1763; citing Marriage, New Jersey, British Colonial America, Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. For Sarah’s father (Abraham): Essex County, New Jersey, death certificate no. 3250, (3 April 1911) Sarah E. Ludlow; New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, N.J. For Sarah’s paternal grandmother (Sally Ludlow) and paternal great grandparents (Matthias Ludlow and Sarah Williams): “New Jersey, Wills and Probate Records, 1739-1999” (Essex > Wills, vol. C, 1818-1823), database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 3 February 2020), image 666 of 710, will dated 6 May 1820, Mathias Ludlow, p. 592-593 of will book.

[5] For William’s mother’s father’s name and birthplace: New Jersey, death certificate, 13 Dec. 1897, Sarah A. Ludlow. For William Todd’s occupation: New York City, New York County, New York, Liber 418:44-46, Matthias and Sarah Ann Ludlow to William Todd, 1 July 1841; “New York Land Records, 1630-1975, > Conveyances v. 418 1841,”   (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WG-8P3K?i=497&cc=2078654&cat=313652:  accessed 30 November 2019), image 498-499, FHL film 888510, DGS no. 7178391.

[6] Baker: Trow’s New York City Directory for the Year Ending May 1, 1869 (New York City: John F. Trow,1868), 661; “New York City Directory,” images, The New York Public Library Digital Collections (https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c7aef1e0-5370-0134-55bb-00505686a51c/book#page/679/mode/2up:  accessed 21 Nov. 2020), person listed, image 677 of 2,802. Farmer: “1870 United States Federal Census,” database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 14 Nov. 2020); entry for William T. Ludlow, 4th Ward, Rahway, Union County, New Jersey, p. 27 (penned), sheet 753 A (stamped), line 8, dwelling 214, family 216, image 27 of 30; from NARA M593, Roll 891, FHL film 552390. Porter: “Situations Wanted – Males,” New York Tribune (New York, N.Y.), 24 Sep. 1887, p. 7, col. 4; image, GenealogyBank (https://www.genealogybank.com: accessed 17 Nov. 2020). Florist: “New York, State Census, 1905,” database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com:

accessed 16 Nov. 2020); entry for William T. Ludlow, 17th Assembly District, ED 11, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, p. 21 (penned), image 11 of 22; from NY State Library. Nursery salesman: “New York. News Notes,” The Florists' exchange : a weekly medium of interchange for florists, nurserymen, seedsmen and the trade in general, 17 June 1905, p. 790, col. 2; image, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/floristsexchange14newy/page/790/mode/2up?q=%22William+Todd+Ludlow%22: accessed 19 Nov. 2020).

[7] Family Bible Record. New York City Directory For 1845 and 1846 (New York: Groot & Elston, 1845), 240; “New York City Directory,” images, New York Public Library Digital Collections (https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/71b4f010-2171-0136-192d-0f9a33a715d1/book#page/257/mode/2up: accessed 26 Nov. 2020), Abraham Laing, image 255 of 590.

[8] "New Jersey Probate Records, 1678-1980," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-8933-ZHLQ?cc=2018330&wc=MQT3-X29%3A338013401%2C339318301: accessed 22 Nov. 2020), Middlesex > Orphans' Court minutes 1847-1857 vol F-G > image 243 of 728, p. 449 of Vol. F;  county courthouses, New Jersey.

Location: Rahway, NJ 07065, USA

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