Marshall County KS Archives Biographies.....Ludwick, D. W. 1866 - living in 1917
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com July 21, 2005, 8:08 pm

Author: B. F. Bowen

D. W. LUDWICK.

    D. W. Ludwick. a well-known retired grainman and farmer, now living at
Frankfort, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 2, 1866, a son of
Conrad and Lucy A. (Byers) Ludwick, who later became residents of this county
and here spent their last days.

    The Ludwick family formerly spelled the name Ludwig and is directly
descended from the stock from which sprang old King Ludwig, of Bavaria, D. W.
Ludwick's great-grandfather, Conrad Ludwig, the founder of the family in this
country, having been a first cousin of the king. He came to this country in
Colonial times and his sons fought in the patriot army during the Revolutionary
War. One of the grandsons of this old Bavarian immigrant, Conrad Ludwick, father
of the subject of this sketch, was born in Pennsylvania and there grew up,
trained to the trade of millwright, he and his brother, Charles, building mills
along the Monongehela river. Later he built mills in Iowa. In 1845 Conrad
Ludwick and his brother, Jacob, settled on the prairie just west of the city of
Chicago and there bought a farm of eighty acres, land now comprised within the
Garfield Park section of the city. Jacob Ludwick was killed while serving as a
soldier during the Civil War and Conrad Ludwick later traded that land for a
farm in the Onarga neighborhood of Iroquois county, Illinois, and there, in
1867, built a big flour-mill which he operated for years and in the operation of
which he became quite wealthy. His mill was twice destroyed by fire and after
the second fire, in 1879, ne came to Kansas and settled on a farm on the line
between Marshall and Washington counties, where he made his home until 1897,
when he moved to Barrett, but after a sometime residence there moved to
Frankfort, where he spent his last days, his death occurring in 1908, he then
being eighty-four years of age. His widow survived him until in April, 1913, she
being seventy-nine years of age at the time of her death. They were the parents
of eight children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the fourth in order of
birth, the others being as follow: Belle, deceased; Frank, deceased; Ellis, a
lumber dealer of Bellville, this state; Mrs. Minnie Schmidt, of Waterville, this
county; C. W., of Ft. Cobb, Oklahoma; A. B., who is engaged in the lumber
business at Glasgow, Kansas, and Mrs. Mary E. Thrumm, wife of a cigar
manufacturer at Bellville.

    D. W. Ludwick was about thirteen years of age when his parents came to
Kansas and he grew to manhood on the home farm on the line between this county
and Washington county, remaining there until 1894, when he located at Barrett
and there engaged in the grain business. He presently sold his elevator at
Barrett and in 1898 bought his present property in Frankfort and was engaged in
the grain business in that city until 1908, in which year he erected a splendid
grain elevator at Winifred and operated the same until 1915, when he sold it to
the Farmers Union and then returned to Frankfort, where he since has made his
home, now living practically retired. Mr. Ludwick is the owner of a fine place
of twenty acres on the river at Frankfort and takes much pleasure in his
poultry, hogs and cows. However, he is not content to lead so comparatively
inactive a life and is now contemplating the erection of a flour-mill at
Frankfort. Mr. Ludwick is a Democrat and has ever given his close attention to
local political affairs, but has not been a seeker after public office.

    In April, 1915, D. W. Ludwick was united in marriage to Alice Devendorf, of
Topeka, daughter of Capt. Henry Devendorf, a Civil War veteran, who settled at
Topeka in 1876 and there spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in
1912. Mr. and Mrs. Ludwick have a very pleasant home and take a proper part in
the general social activities of their home city. They attend the services of
the local branch of the Church of Christ (Scientist) and take much interest in
the general good works of the community.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

History of Marshall County, Kansas: its people, industries, and institutions
by
Emma E. Forter

Indianapolis, Ind.: B.F. Bowen & Co. (1917)

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