Monday, August 16, 2021

BRICK WALLS: William Hudson, ca 1827

 Name: William Hudson

Born: ca 1827, England or Virginia or "At sea"?

Census record: 1870, Pigeon Twp. Vanderburgh Co., IND

Census record: 1880, Mound City, Pulaski Co., Ill

Tracking down theories:

1850 Census of Louisiana shows a William HUDSON, b. 1827, Virginia, working as a carpenter on a construction crew in Rapides, Alexandria Parish, Louisiana. The census was taken 26 Nov 1850.

New Orleans Passenger Lists of 1813-1963 shows a Wm Hudson, farmer, from England aboard the ship "FLORIDA", that departed from Liverpool and arrived in the US 6 June 1850.

As can be seen, it might be possible this young man from England arrived in June in New Orleans and found work in construction as he attempted to build a new life in America.

It would be a simple thing for him to jump a steamboat and sail up the Mississippi to arrive at Evansville in Indiana, a swiftly growing center of trade and a growing immigrant population.

This man appears to disappear from Louisiana in the 1860 census. There are Hudson listed but none seem to reflect this man by birthdate, place or occupation. There may be gaps in the census records and city directories might provide more insight into the occupants.

There is a William Hudson who appears on several ships that appear to travel the Liverpool to NY route and steamships that traveled the Panama mail route to NY. New Orleans could have been a recruiting center for crew and a man might have worked on such crossings building money for a future dream of his own farm or business. 

Is this the same man? 

About 1860, in Evansville, Indiana there will be numerous people named HUDSON, some from England, some from Ohio and some claiming Indiana.  To further confuse issues there are HODSONs, HUTSONS and local city directories frequently seem to apply the names interchangeably with people. 

Here is a brief overview of the people found (male heads) realated to the two areas of this Hudson search (see heading above):



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