Luddington - Ira T.
Ira T. Luddington was the first child born to Elizabeth Jane Campbell & Heisler Luddington, son of Ira Luddington from Ohio. He came along in April 1876 in Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, Indiana, a mere 6 months after his parents were wed. According to his friends, Ira was a vigorous and affable youth who joined the army to fight in the War with Spain on April 26, 1898. He served only six and a half months
till November 4 but was promoted to Corporal during that time. He spend most of his service encamped at Chicamauga Park, Georgia, where the conditions were rough on mind and body. He was treated for nervous exhaustion, malaria and dysentery. He developed liver spots on his abdomen, and his poor health remained with him the rest of his life. Fellow Crawfordsville residents Charles McQuown and Harry Lucas were comrades in Company M, 158th Indiana Infantry. While there's no evidence of a friendship among the three, they later became related by marriage. Charles married Ira's sister Hattie and Harry married his sister Jane. Ira himself married later in life, and had no children. In 1923, when Ira was 47, he married Gertrude Ballanger Foster, widow of the farmer Lura Foster who hanged himself in 1920. Gertrude was younger, having been born in 1889 when Ira was 13. Ira had a habit of loafing with his friend George Harney, who worked at the local newspaper, till the morning edition was off the press. George convinced Ira to run for sheriff of Montgomery County, since he wasn't able to perform physical work. Ira ran, was elected, and served from 1920 to 1924. Ira was a farmer, and later worked for the Electric Light Power Company of Crawfordsville where he earned $100 per month in 1934. He was partially disabled from a hernia, interstitial nephritis and chronic myocarditis. He received a military pension, which continued after he died in 1938. His widow Gertrude lived on $110 combined Social Security and military pension in the house that had belonged to Ira's parents at 1009 S. Grant St., Crawfordsville, till 1961. She had great difficulty making ends meet, and wrote to President Eisenhower for help at one time. It was declined. Gertrude died in 1962, and was buried with Ira in Oak Hill Cemetery (formerly the Masonic Cemetery) in Crawfordsville. # # #
Information from the military pension file of Ira T. Luddington, in the possession of Louise Hales, ggdaughter of Ira's sister Hattie Luddington McQuown. Thank you Louise for this!!
Waveland Independent
Waveland, Montgomery County, Indiana
Thursday, Oct 6, 1938
Waveland, Montgomery County, Indiana
Thursday, Oct 6, 1938
Ex-Sheriff Ira LUDDINGTON 62, died in Crawfordsville on
Monday.