Early Settlers
By: Hannah H., Alyssa M., Korcan A., Joshuah D.
Who were Ludlow’s earliest settlers?
Do you recognize any of their names today?
Ludlow's oldest home, the Aaron Colton house,
built around 1751; now a private residence
The History of Ludlow, 1912
We looked at the minutes at the Springfield Town Meeting that was on February 3, 1685. At this meeting, Springfield’s land was divided, which included the land in Ludlow.There were 145 men who received land in the two divisions in Ludlow.While looking in the list of people who received land, we noticed some familiar names.Some that were familiar to us were names of streets in town and even our school name, Chapin Street.Other last names we knew were Fuller, Miller, Holyoke, Hitchcock, and Stebbins. They measured the land in rods, inches, and feet.This is how many of Ludlow’s land owners got their land. People actually settled in Ludlow (called Stony Hill then) later.
No one knows for sure, but it is thought that Aaron Colton was the first settler in Ludlow just before 1751. His house still stands today on a hill on the corner of Miller and Chapin Streets, and for many years served as a tavern. Joseph Miller and his family were other early settlers who came to the area in 1751. James Sheldon, Shem Chapin, Benjamin Sikes, Joshua Fuller, James Kendall, and Jonathan Burr were also early settlers here.