Fruits of One Tree

 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 ...