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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Allen County, Ohio
And Representative Citizens
Edited and Compiled by
Charles C. Miller, Ph. D.
Assisted by
Dr. Samuel A. Baxter
Lima, Ohio
Published by Richmond & Arnold
George Richmond; G. R. Arnold
Chicago, Ill
1906
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ISAAC LUDWIG,
one of the prominent farmers of Marion township, residing on a
well-improved farm in section 32, is a survivor of the Civil
War. He is a member of a stanch old American family and of
a pioneer one in Ohio. He was born Jan. 3, 1842, at
Stringtown, Pickaway County, Ohio, and is a son of Jacob and
Louisa (DeLong) Ludwig, and a grandson of Jacob and
Elizabeth (Fink) Ludwig.
The Ludwig name in America dates back to the
time of George Washington, for it was during the
War of the Revolution that an ancestor of the subject of this
sketch joined the army under Washington. He was the
great grandfather of Jacob Ludwig, our subject’s
father, who came as a pioneer into Marion township, Allen
County, Ohio. One of the sons of the above named
Revolutionary soldier, Jacob by name, married a Miss
Reece, who is supposed to have been a native of Germany.
She became the mother of nine children and died at her home on
the banks of the Susquehanna River, near the towns of
Mifflinville and Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, many years before her
husband, who lived to the age of 90 years. One of their
children was given the family name of Jacob and he was
the father of Jacob Ludwig, grandfather of our
subject.
This Jacob Ludwig was born in
Pennsylvania, probably near the Susquehanna River. He
married Elizabeth Fink, a member of an old
Pennsylvania Dutch family which was established near Milton,
Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. Their children were:
Sophia, William, Jacob and George W. Grandfather
Ludwig was a soldier of the War of 1812. In 1818 he
moved to Pickaway County, Ohio, and died on his farm in that
county in 1824, aged 33 years. His widow married George
Crites, and they had two daughters - Fredericka
and Ozilla, the former of whom married John
Deal and the latter, Josephus Drum, both of
Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Mrs. George Crites
died Sept. 26, 1879, and George Crites died in
Pickaway County, prior to this. Sophia Ludwig,
the only daughter of Jacob Ludwig, married Charles
Crites in 1833, and removed with her husband to Allen County
in 1839; it was at her home that her mother passed away.
The children of Charles and Sophia (Ludwig) Crites were:
Daniel, Jacob, Catherine, Betsey,
Rebecca, Cyrus, Elias, Emanuel, Mary
E., Charles. George and Fredericka.
Jacob Ludwig, father of our subject, was born in
Salt Creek township, Pickaway County, Ohio, Dec. 10, 1818, and
was six years old when his father died. At the age of
eight, on account of his mother’s straitened circumstances, he
was bound out, first to Peter Maney and then to
John Pontius. His experience with these men,
both of whom were harsh task-masters, was the sad one to which
childhood, in those days, was obliged to submit. He
endured privations, indignities and long hours of labor until he
was 15 years old, when his mother took him to the home of
John Crites, where he remained until he was 18 years
of age. He was then apprenticed to the blacksmith trade, with
Charles Crites, his brother-in-law, with whom he
almost completed his apprenticeship. Then he returned to
John Crites, with whom he lived two more years,
during a part of this time being proprietor of a blacksmith
shop.
On Mar. 2, 1841, Jacob Ludwig was married
to Louisa DeLong, who was a daughter of Andrew
and Catherine (Laudig) De Long, a family originally from
Pennsylvania; later, pioneers in Pickaway County, Ohio.
The DeLongs had 11 children, and Louisa, mother of
our subject, was the seventh child. Their names were as follows:
John, Rebecca, Isaac, Elizabeth,
Susan, Catherine, Louisa, Caroline,
Sarah, Amelia and Andrew. Louisa
DeLong was a descendant of Huguenot families, which were
driven out of France, about 1620, during their persecution.
An ancestor by the name of Peter DeLong came to
this country in 1720. On his arrival at Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, he took his family to Berks County near the
present city of Reading, Pennsylvania. A descendant of his
was drowned or crushed under a raft of logs in the Little
Schuylkill River about 1799, leaving a wife and five children,
one of whom, Andrew, was the father of Louisa
DeLong, the mother of Isaac Ludwig.
Andrew DeLong married Catherine Laudig,
a daughter of Peter and Catherine Laudig.
Peter Laudig was a descendant of a Huguenot
family; his wife Catherine was a descendant of a Hebrew
family, which were driven out of France and came to New York on
account of religious persecutions.
After this marriage, Jacob Ludwig settled
at Stringtown, Pickaway County, where the family lived until
after the birth of our subject, and then removed to Adelphi,
Ross County, for. seven years and from there to near Elida,
Allen County, in May, 1849. He worked there at his forge
until the following September, when he purchased a tract of land
containing 39¼, acres in
section 33, Marion township, Allen County, situated on the
Auglaize River. The land was all wild with the exception
of 16 acres, on which Mr. Ludwig found a log
cabin, which served for the family home until the following
year, when he completed the residence which still stands in good
condition. He became a very large land owner before his
death, having accumulated some 575 acres, mainly situated in
Marion township. He had excellent business perceptions and
was of industrious habits, and was aided in his work by the help
and advice of his good wife Louisa. He was also a
man of moral purpose and religious conviction. Prior to
moving to Allen County, he had been a Lutheran, later he
attended the Methodist Church, but on Feb. 12, 1869, he united
with the Presbyterian Church, of Delphos, Ohio, under Rev.
Reed. Two of his sons, Isaac and Obed A.,
are elders in the Presbyterian Church - Isaac in the
Delphos church and Obed A. in the Bluffton church.
The children of Jacob and Louisa Ludwig were as
follows: Isaac; John D., born Oct. 14, 1849, who
lives at Fort Wayne, Indiana; Charles C., born May 12,
1853, who lives in Marion township; Mary Jane,
born Feb. 2, 1856, who is the wife of George W. King,
residing near Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio; Obed A.,
born Mar. 20, 1859, who resides at Bluffton; and Jacob L.,
born Dec. 13, 1861, who resides in Marion township near the
residence in which he was born.
Jacob Ludwig died Feb. 21, 1903, at the age of
84 years, 2 months and 11 days. At that time six of his
nine children were living, 25 grandchildren and five
great-grandchildren. He was also survived by his second
wife, formerly Mrs. Sophia (Crites)
Dennis, a daughter of John Crites. At
the time of his first marriage Mr. Ludwig’s means
were so small that he was obliged to borrow the money with which
to pay the minister his fee, Mr. Ludwig lived to
see his signature honored at every financial institution where
it was presented and for almost any amount. Although his
education was meagre, attending but part of a three-months term
of school, he was a well-read man and a thorough student of the
Bible, many of the leaves of a number of copies in his home
being worn from constant perusal as to be no longer usable when
his kindly eyes were no longer able to read over promises
precious to him. His was no lip service at his church, for
he loved the sanctuary and was seldom absent from his accustomed
place, until he partly lost the sense of hearing. He still
continued. however. to pay liberally to the support of the
church when asked.
Isaac Ludwig was the eldest born of these
estimable, worthy parents and his home training was all in the
direction of industry, temperance and morality. He was
seven years old when his parents came to Allen County and his
schooling was secured in the little log structures, which at
that time were considered entirely adequate for the educational
needs of the children. He was reared a practical farmer
and prior to the outbreak of the Civil War his horizon was
probably bounded entirely in his thoughts with the limits of his
county. When recruits began to pour into the towns from
the peaceful, surrounding farms, our subject was one of the
first to offer his services and was en listed in Company B,
McLaughlin’s Squadron, Ohio Vol. Cav., in which he served
three years, receiving an honorable discharge as a paroled
prisoner from Libby Prison, where he had been incarcerated for a
time. Mr. Ludwig relates many interesting
incidents of war times, many of those which seldom get into
print and in many of which he took part. Space must be
given here for at least one of these on account of its pleasant
sequel. On Mar. 11, 1865, while the command was stationed
near Fayetteville, North Carolina, he, with four companions, was
detailed to go on a foraging expedition. The party soon
reached a mill not a great distance from their camp. Two
of the party were detailed to grind corn in the mill while the
other two went to the farmhouse to prospect for some chickens.
In the meantime a squad of Wheeler’s troopers, belonging
to the Ninth Kentucky Cavalry, slipped up to the mill, and in
short order our subject and his companions were made prisoners
of war. The officer in charge of the arresting party was
Lieut. Albery K. Houk, who, with southern courtesy,
treated his prisoners well. Before sending them on to
Richmond, the officer asked a favor of Mr. Ludwig,
to whom he seemed especially attracted. This was, that
when exchanged, the Union soldier should write up the
circumstances and send the account to the father of
Lieutenant Houk, the son he could not reach, and
assure him of his son’s welfare. It is needless to add
that Mr. Ludwig did so, and the reply he received
he values as one of his treasures. This did not close the
incident. In 1895, when attending the National Encampment
of the Grand Army of the Republic, held at Louisville, Kentucky,
Mr. Ludwig learned that the former Confederate
officer was living on a farm near. Rowletts, Kentucky, on
the route to the Mammoth Cave. He quickly made his
decision to call on his former captor after visiting the great
natural wonder. He relates that the genuine Southern
hospitality afforded him and his wife by members of the Houk
family, will never be forgotten. The acquaintance
and friendship is still maintained, pictures have been
exchanged, and it is likely that should either Mr.
Ludwig or Lieutenant Houk be questioned as to
what is the present point of issue between the Blue and the
Gray, both would answer with emphasis, “Nothing.”
In 1866 Mr. Ludwig was married to Sophronia
J. Harbaugh, a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Exline)
Harbaugh. Thomas Harbaugh died in Steuben
County, Indiana, Apr. 7, 1884. He was born in Harbaugh’s
Valley, near Sabillasville, Frederick County, Maryland,
in 1796, and was a son of Yost Harbaugh, a farmer
in the valley. He and his family were among the first
converts of Otterbein and Boehm, the founders of the United
Brethren Church. His commodious barn was used for many
years as a temple of worship. His grandfather, named
Ludwig Harbaugh, born in Switzerland about the year 1728,
was a member of the original family that emigrated from
Switzerland to America in 1732.
Thomas Harbaugh’s education was limited in
scope, his chances for attending school being very small.
He was apprenticed in boyhood to a cabinet-maker, and became a
thorough workman at the craft. He always said that what
was worth doing at all was worth doing well and carried this
idea out in all his activities. His pioneer life taught
him frugal habits and these he retained through life. His
character was steadfast; his manner of life, simple and
unostentatious. He lived every day alike. His word
was one of honor among all his acquaintances.
Mr. Harbaugh was married in Maryland, but soon
after marriage moved to Muskingum County, Ohio, and later to
Sandyville, Ohio, where all his children were born, except the
first four. In 1846 to 1847 he removed to Putnam County,
Ohio, and bought a quarter section in Pleasant township, and the
next year moved his family to the new home, which at that time
was in the midst of a forest. Set tlers were few and far
apart. His children numbered 13; three of these died in
infancy, and one at the age of 17 years. Nine lived to marry and
rear families of their own and, of the nine, six are still
living, the youngest of these nearing his 60th birthday.
Two sons were volunteers in the Civil War; one of these,
Valentine Harbaugh, now resides at Bunker Hill,
Kansas, while the other, Rev. T. J. Harbaugh, is a
minister well known all over this part of the State.
Mr. Harbaugh, wife and daughter lie side by side in Truro
Cemetery near Columbus Grove, and an enduring granite shaft
marks their resting place.
The children born to Isaac Ludwig and
wife were four in number, namely: Thomas J., Omar I.,
Luella and Edwin Guy. Luella died at the
age of 16 years, a crushing grief to the family. Thomas
J. married Daisy Peters, of Allen County and has two
children - Mary and Lawrence Dana.
They reside on “Sunny Side Farm,” owned by Mr. Ludwig.
The second son married Daisie Musetta Taylor,
and they have four children - Cecil Rowland, Sidney Merwin,
Nellie and an infant. They live on the old
homestead farm, in section 28, a property owned by Mr.
Ludwig. Edwin Guy, the youngest son,
lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is employed in the operating
department of the P., Ft. W. & C. Railway. He is not only
a splendid specimen of physical man hood, weighing over 200
pounds, but is also a manly, pleasant young gentleman. He
spent three years in the Philippine Islands as a member of the
Hospital Corps, in the United States Army.
Mr. Ludwig has long been one of Marion
township’s representative citizens, foremost in all movements of
local importance and one of the solid, substantial,
well-informed men of his neighborhood. He is president of
the Fanners’ Institute in Marion township, is a member of Marion
Grange, No. 302, of which he has been master, and belongs to
Edith Lodge, Knights of Honor. For many years he has been
identified with Masonic bodies, being a member of Hope Lodge,
No. 214, F. & A. M.; Delphos Chapter, No. 105, R. A. M.; Council
No. 72, R. & S. M., and is also a member of the Order of the
Eastern Star. He takes an active interest also in Reul
Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, of which he is a valued
member. Politically he is identified with the Republican
party.
Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Ludwig accompany
this sketch, being presented on a foregoing page.
Source: History of Allen County, Ohio, Publ.
by Richmond & Arnold, Chicago, IL - 1906 - Page 827 |
NOTES:
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