BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
SAMUEL WILKINSON HUDSON
The grandfather
of the subject of this sketch lived in Yorkshire, England. He was captain of the militia, or Home
Guards, and one of six brothers who, while the war between England and France
was in full sway, as members of the militia, volunteered to go to Doncaster
Races, now so celebrated, and repulse the Danes, who, taking advantage of the
absence of the regular army, frequently invaded that part of the 
country.
Not one of these patriotic brothers was permitted to return, all having
fallen in battle.
Capt.
Hudson's only child, James, was born Aug. 20, 1792, being thus left an orphan
in early life, he was soon thrown on his own resources. After obtaining a fair education, he learned
the machinist's trade, which he followed in after-life. In 1815 he married Miss Lydia Wilkinson, who
was born in Yorkshire, 1794. Her father
occupying the position of honor and trust as butler to Lord Ribelsdel, she had
more than ordinary opportunities of securing education, refinement, and
culture, so that their marriage proved a happy and fruitful one, the result of
which was five children,--three sons and two daughters,--of which Samuel W. is
the fourth in descent. He was born in
the homestead at Kethla, near Leeds, Yorkshire, May 29, 1821. In January of 1827, Mrs. Lydia Hudson, his
mother, died after a short illness; the oldest daughter died in August,
1840. In July, 1829, his father, with
the remaining family, set sail in the sailing-ship "John Wells" for
America. After a long and tedious
voyage they landed in Philadelphia, which they made their home. On July 21, 1831, his father apprenticed
Samuel W. for a period of ten years, dating from May 16, 1832, to Michael
Dyott, of Philadelphia, the said Michael Dyott agreeing to teach him as
compensation for his labor the trades of glass-blowing and wicker-making, also
to provide him with clothing and board, allowing him the privileges of
attending night- and Sabbath-schools.
This firm failed, owing to the financial panic of 1837, so that the
indenture was canceled. In October of
1837 he was apprenticed to Jacob Kits, of Chester, Pa., who was engaged in
general foundry business. Here he learned
the moulding trade, together with his two brothers, who were employed by the same
firm. In 1840 he returned to
Philadelphia, where he worked at his trade with the firm then known as Rush
& Muhlenberg.
In
1841 he removed to Pottsville, Pa., and remained there until 1845, when he went
to Weatherly, Pa. For one year he was
unsettled; finally located at Tamaqua, Pa., where he started in business for
himself, in the shops now known as Carter, Allen & Co.'s. After two years of fair success he sold out,
and removed to Sugar Loaf, Luzerne Co., where he started machine-shops, the
firm then being known as Hudson & Allen.
These shops were destroyed by fire in 1850, after which they moved their
machinery to Beaver Meadow, Pa., where they began business on a larger scale,
manufacturing all kinds of heavy and useful machinery. Among other work was that done for the
Bowman Brothers, at Parryville, in furnishing the principal material for
erecting their new furnace. In 1859 he
sold out his interest to his brother, Brice Hudson, and moving to Hudsondale,
Pa. (then known as Hartz's), in Packer township, Carbon County, he invested in
large tracts of farming and timber land.
Here also he started again in general foundry business, and continued in
the same until 1876, building a large grist- and flour-mill during that
time. About the year 1880 his mind took
an inventive turn, and he began to originate to such an extent that he has
taken out letters patent to the number of sixteen. The most important are in hydraulics and pneumatics, among
others, one for ventilating mines, another an air-compressor, used for
transmitting energy by means of compressed air. The latest and most important is a compressed0air pump, or
pneumatic water-elevator. These patents
as a class are useful and practical.
Mr.
Hudson has taken an active interest in politics for many years, casting his
first vote as a Whig for Henry Clay in 1844.
His party being largely in the minority in the county, his public record
has not been as extended as might have been desired by his political allies. On Dec. 11, 1846, he was married to Mary,
daughter of Thomas and Ann Carter. She
was born Sept. 21, 1825, at Marazion, Cornwall, England. Her family came to this country in 1842, and
located at Tamaqua, Schuylkill Co., Pa.
The Carter family has since become so successful that to-day they represent
some of the largest coal interests in Carbon County.
The
issue of their marriage resulted in three children. Lydia, the oldest, was married to Joseph J. Poole, January, 1869,
and died March, 1870. The next, Samuel
B., married Miss Susan Dennier, of Tunkhannock, Pa., October, 1876. He is engaged in farming lumbering, and
milling at Hudsondale. Annie Carter,
the youngest, is residing with her parents at the old homestead.
Mr.
Hudson's life thus far has been one of great activity and usefulness, and his
greatest pleasure is laboring for the advancement of science and mechanics.
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RETURN
TO THE MATHEWS & HUNGERFORD
INDEX
PAGE
From
The History of the Counties of Lehigh & Carbon, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
By
Alfred Mathews & Austin N. Hungerford
Published in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1884
Transcribed from the original in July, 2002 by
Vincent
E Summers
[3X-great-grandson of David Weatherly Sr., namesake of the town of Weatherly]
Web
page by
August
2002