Israel Ludlow
Encyclopedia
Israel Ludlow was a government surveyor who helped found Cincinnati
, Dayton
and Hamilton
in southwest Ohio
.
Israel Ludlow was born near Morristown, New Jersey
in 1765. In 1786, each of the thirteen states was to appoint a man to help survey the Seven Ranges
in the easternmost portion of the Northwest Territory
under the Land Ordinance of 1785
. Ludlow was appointed to fill the vacant South Carolina
surveyorship. Ludlow was one of two surveyors to stay in settlements near the Ohio River
the winter of 1786-1787, and completed the survey of the seventh range, plats, and notes by August 1787.
Later in 1787, a land company called the Ohio Company of Associates
contracted with the Congress of the Confederation
to buy a one million five hundred thousand acre tract along the Ohio River to the west of the Seven Ranges. Ludlow surveyed the north line of this tract that is known as Israel Ludlow's Survey.
Virginia was granted lands between the Scioto River
and Little Miami River
in Ohio for bounties for her war veterans in a tract called the Virginia Military District
. John Cleves Symmes
purchased a large tract between the Little Miami River and the Great Miami River
called the Symmes Purchase
. Symmes had Ludlow survey a line between the sources of the Scioto and Little Miami to determine the boundary between the tracts, afterwards known as the Ludlow Line, the subject of decades of legislation and court action due to the difficulty in determining the source of the Scioto River.
On August 25, 1788, Matthias Denman, Robert Patterson, and John Filson
entered an agreement to found Cincinnati, with Ludlow taking Filson's place upon his death. The town was settled December 28, 1788 by Ludlow and twenty-six other people. He surveyed the town by January 1789.
When Hamilton County, Ohio
was formed January 2, 1790, Ludlow was named clerk. In 1790, Ludlow established the community of Ludlow's Station. In 1794, as proprietor, he laid out Hamilton, Ohio
, and in 1795, with Governor Arthur St. Clair
, Jonathan Dayton
, and William McMillan
, he planned Dayton, Ohio
.
In 1796, Ludlow married Charlotte Chambers of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
. That year he built the largest house in Cincinnati, known as the "Ludlow mansion". He died January of 1804, and was buried with Masonic honors in the Presbyterian Graveyard in Cincinnati. One historian said: "By the time of his death in the early 1800's he had surveyed more land in the Ohio Country
than any other federal surveyor."
His remains were later moved to Cincinnati's Spring Grove Cemetery (Section 113/lot 170).
Israel and Charlotte (Chambers) Ludlow had four children:
James Chambers Ludlow (1797-1841)
Martha Catharine Ludlow (1799-1834)
Sarah Bella Ludlow (1802-1882)
Israel L. Ludlow (1804-1846)
One of Ludlow's granddaughters married Salmon P. Chase
, another married Randall Hunt, and his daughter, Sarah Bella Ludlow married John McLean
.
No portraits of Israel Ludlow are in existence.
is located near Dayton. Two streams named Ludlow Creek are in Miami County, Ohio
and Greene County, Ohio
.
Ludlow, Kentucky, directly across from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
and Hamilton
Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
in southwest Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
Israel Ludlow was born near Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
in 1765. In 1786, each of the thirteen states was to appoint a man to help survey the Seven Ranges
Seven Ranges
The Seven Ranges was a land tract in eastern Ohio that was the first tract to be surveyed in what became the Public Land Survey System. The tract is across the northern edge, on the western edge, with the south and east sides along the Ohio River...
in the easternmost portion of the Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
under the Land Ordinance of 1785
Land Ordinance of 1785
The Land Ordinance of 1785 was adopted by the United States Congress on May 20, 1785. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress did not have the power to raise revenue by direct taxation of the inhabitants of the United States...
. Ludlow was appointed to fill the vacant South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
surveyorship. Ludlow was one of two surveyors to stay in settlements near the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
the winter of 1786-1787, and completed the survey of the seventh range, plats, and notes by August 1787.
Later in 1787, a land company called the Ohio Company of Associates
Ohio Company of Associates
The Ohio Company of Associates, also known as the Ohio Company, was a land company which is today credited with becoming the first non-American Indian group to settle in the present-day state of Ohio...
contracted with the Congress of the Confederation
Congress of the Confederation
The Congress of the Confederation or the United States in Congress Assembled was the governing body of the United States of America that existed from March 1, 1781, to March 4, 1789. It comprised delegates appointed by the legislatures of the states. It was the immediate successor to the Second...
to buy a one million five hundred thousand acre tract along the Ohio River to the west of the Seven Ranges. Ludlow surveyed the north line of this tract that is known as Israel Ludlow's Survey.
Virginia was granted lands between the Scioto River
Scioto River
The Scioto River is a river in central and southern Ohio more than 231 miles in length. It rises in Auglaize County in west central Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets the Ohio River at Portsmouth...
and Little Miami River
Little Miami River
The Little Miami River is a Class I tributary of the Ohio River that flows through five counties in southwestern Ohio in the United States. The Little Miami joins the Ohio River east of Cincinnati. It forms parts of the borders between Hamilton and Clermont counties and between Hamilton and Warren...
in Ohio for bounties for her war veterans in a tract called the Virginia Military District
Virginia Military District
The Virginia Military District was an approximately 4.2 million acre area of land in what is now the state of Ohio that was reserved by Virginia to use as payment for veterans of the American Revolutionary War....
. John Cleves Symmes
John Cleves Symmes
John Cleves Symmes was a delegate to the Continental Congress from New Jersey, and later a pioneer in the Northwest Territory. He was also the father-in-law of President William Henry Harrison .-Early biography:He was the son of the Rev...
purchased a large tract between the Little Miami River and the Great Miami River
Great Miami River
The Great Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southwestern Ohio in the United States...
called the Symmes Purchase
Symmes Purchase
The Symmes Purchase, also known as the Miami Purchase, was an area of land in Southwestern Ohio in what is now Hamilton, Butler, and Warren Counties. It was purchased by Judge John Cleves Symmes of New Jersey from the Continental Congress...
. Symmes had Ludlow survey a line between the sources of the Scioto and Little Miami to determine the boundary between the tracts, afterwards known as the Ludlow Line, the subject of decades of legislation and court action due to the difficulty in determining the source of the Scioto River.
On August 25, 1788, Matthias Denman, Robert Patterson, and John Filson
John Filson
John Filson was an American author, historian of Kentucky, pioneer, surveyor and one of the founders of Cincinnati, Ohio.-Biography:...
entered an agreement to found Cincinnati, with Ludlow taking Filson's place upon his death. The town was settled December 28, 1788 by Ludlow and twenty-six other people. He surveyed the town by January 1789.
When Hamilton County, Ohio
Hamilton County, Ohio
As of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
was formed January 2, 1790, Ludlow was named clerk. In 1790, Ludlow established the community of Ludlow's Station. In 1794, as proprietor, he laid out Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
, and in 1795, with Governor Arthur St. Clair
Arthur St. Clair
Arthur St. Clair was an American soldier and politician. Born in Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office...
, Jonathan Dayton
Jonathan Dayton
Jonathan Dayton was an American politician from the U.S. state of New Jersey. He was the youngest person to sign the United States Constitution and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving as the fourth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and later the U.S. Senate...
, and William McMillan
William McMillan
William McMillan was a Delegate to the United States Congress from the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio....
, he planned Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
.
In 1796, Ludlow married Charlotte Chambers of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Chambersburg is a borough in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is miles north of Maryland and the Mason-Dixon line and southwest of Harrisburg in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley. Chambersburg is the county seat of Franklin County...
. That year he built the largest house in Cincinnati, known as the "Ludlow mansion". He died January of 1804, and was buried with Masonic honors in the Presbyterian Graveyard in Cincinnati. One historian said: "By the time of his death in the early 1800's he had surveyed more land in the Ohio Country
Ohio Country
The Ohio Country was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake Erie...
than any other federal surveyor."
His remains were later moved to Cincinnati's Spring Grove Cemetery (Section 113/lot 170).
Israel and Charlotte (Chambers) Ludlow had four children:
James Chambers Ludlow (1797-1841)
Martha Catharine Ludlow (1799-1834)
Sarah Bella Ludlow (1802-1882)
Israel L. Ludlow (1804-1846)
One of Ludlow's granddaughters married Salmon P. Chase
Salmon P. Chase
Salmon Portland Chase was an American politician and jurist who served as U.S. Senator from Ohio and the 23rd Governor of Ohio; as U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Abraham Lincoln; and as the sixth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.Chase was one of the most prominent members...
, another married Randall Hunt, and his daughter, Sarah Bella Ludlow married John McLean
John McLean
John McLean was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice on the Ohio and U.S...
.
No portraits of Israel Ludlow are in existence.
Namesake
Ludlow street is located in Cincinnati. Ludlow FallsLudlow Falls, Ohio
Ludlow Falls is a village in Miami County, Ohio, United States. The population was 210 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Ludlow Falls is located at ....
is located near Dayton. Two streams named Ludlow Creek are in Miami County, Ohio
Miami County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 98,868 people, 38,437 households, and 27,943 families residing in the county. The population density was 243 people per square mile . There were 40,554 housing units at an average density of 100 per square mile...
and Greene County, Ohio
Greene County, Ohio
Greene County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. The population was 161,573 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Xenia, and it was named for General Nathanael Greene, an officer in the Revolutionary War. Greene County was established on March 24, 1803.Greene County is part...
.
Ludlow, Kentucky, directly across from Cincinnati, Ohio.