Battle of Lundys Lane

Harvey Samuel Ludington

New York

Harvey Samuel Ludington was born in Phillipse Patent, Dutchess County, New York in 1796 to Zalmon and Phoebe (Simpkins) Ludington. His father passed away at a young age and his uncle, DeLaFayette Ludington, adopted the children. Harvey married Mary (Unknown) in 1816 and moved with his wife and his brothers and sisters and Uncle LaFayette to Indiana

They descended the Ohio river from a point near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, on a "push boat", landing first at Shawneetown, Indiana and thence up the Wabash river to Vincennes, Indiana, where the party scattered, Harvey and his wife Mary moving to Danville, Vermilion County, Illinois.

Harvey and Mary had 6 children, Elsie b/1824, Phoebe b/1826, John Quincy Adams b/1829, Harvey Samuel b/1835, James b/1843 and Samuel b/1845.

Mr. Luddington received the appointment of Indian agent by the government and came over into Illinois. He served in this capacity for several years and then was appointed a government surveyor. He established all the important corners in this county, with Jonathan Kilbourn, deceased, as assistant, which have never been changed by other surveyors. Harvey handled the auctioneering chores during the sale of the original lots for the city of Danville, Illinois and taught in the first school along with Dr. Norton Beckwith and Enos Kingsbury. He rode over a greater portion of this state in the year 1817, working to have the state a free one, and it was his boast that was entitled to the honor when the state was declared anti-slavery.

He was a Democrat up to the time of the formation of the Republican party with which he afterwards affiliated.

Harvey was a Methodist of the old kind, and formed the first class meeting between Danville and Vincennes and carried in his pocket at all times an exhorters license.

Harvey served in the War of 1812, New York Militia, Captain Seymour Kellogg's Company and fought in the battle of Lundys Lane. He was a pensioner of the war (Pension # SC-5737). Harvey's younger brother Zalmon and cousin Archibald also served in the New York Militia during this war.



Article: Luddington's Troubles:

One of the earliest settlers in the vicinity of the Vermilion was Harvey Luddington, who came to Butler's Point in 1822.

When the county was first formed, Chicago was included, and Luddington collected the first taxes for the county in that place. William reed was tax collector in 1826, and the total tax was $205.50, in state paper, on which Reed declared a deduction of $7.03 for delinquents and 7 1/2 percent of $14.89 for collecting the amount, which left $183.07, which was equal to $91.83 in specie. The annual tax from Chicago was $9.

Coffeen, an early historian, has this to say about it. "Chicago was then included within the limiits of Vermilion County and was so included within Mr. Reed's assessments. Harvey Luddington, having a business in the extreme northern part of Illinois, offered to collect the tax on Chicago (or Fort Dearborn, as it still may have been called) for Mr. Reed. His traveling expenses were nearly ten dollars, and three dollars was the amount collected. His business northward was to look after a Frenchman who had stolen one of his horses and escaped in the direction of Chicago. The next year, Sheriff Reed, to save the expense of going after the tax in Chicago, paid it himself. It amounted to a few cents over three dollars."

Original Source: Harvey Ludington, Vermilion County, Illinois
Periodical: Heritage of Vermilion County, Illinois
Volume 13, Issue 2, Spring 1977

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