Sybil Ludington Fact or Fiction A small sculpture of Sybil Ludington was presented to the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution around 1960. For the better part of the last decade DAR members and staffers have been attempting to document the story of her reputed ride. Here are the facts as we know them. Sybil Ludington was born in 1761 in Dutchess County, New York. Her father was Colonel Henry Ludington. Sybil Ludington married Edmund Ogden, a Revolutionary War veteran about 1784. Edmund died about 1800 and Sybil spent the remainer of her life living with her son, Henry and his family. She died in 1839 and is buried near her father in what is now Putnam County, New York. The story of Sybil's "reputed ride" first appeared in an issue of the "Connecticut Magazine" in 1907 and was reprinted in a family history that same year. There is no mention of her ride in an 1886 History of Putnam County. A transcription of Henry Ludington's personal journal appears in that work. The Journal has no entries relating to the burning of Danbury, the activities of Henry Ludington, the deployment of the Dutchess County militia or Sybil's ride. No contemporary accounts, family papers or obituaries which refer to Sybil's exploits have been located to date. The only reference to Sybil Ludington during the Revolution is found in an 1881 account written by one of her nieces. She wrote: "The last time Aunt Ogden was here, she was telling us how she and her sister were alone in the house during the war. They had a fence built around the house and they each had a gun and once in a while they would fire off to make the soldiers think there were men in the house." At this time, the story of Sybil Ludington's ride remains an entertaining, but undocumented legend. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has found any CONTEMPORARY documentation which proves the legend. Hazel F. Kreinheder Assistant Director of Genealogy, NSDAR -----Original Message----- From: Janet Ariciu [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2005 2:01 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [AMER-REV] The Female Paul Revere Sybil Ludington The Female Paul Revere http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/1789/sybil.html Sybil Ludington was a typical 16 year old girl in 1777. She was the eldest of 12 children and was often responsible for taking care of her younger siblings. She was putting the younger children to bed on the night of April 26, 1777, when word reached her house that the British were burning the town of Danbury, Connecticut, which was only 25 miles away. Her father was a colonel in the local militia. His men were scattered over a wide area around the Ludington house in Fredericksburg, New York (now Ludington). Sybil convinced her father to let her ride and summon the men. She rode on horseback over 40 miles on dark, unmarked roads to spread the alert. Her course took her down through Carmel, on to Mahopac, and around to Kent Cliffs and Farmers Mills and back home. She rode alone with only a stick to prod her horse Star and to knock on the doors spreading the alert in time. The men whom she helped to gather arrived just in time to help drive the British, under the command of General William Tyron (who was also colonial governor of New York), back to their ships in Long Island Sound. In this day and age a sixteen year old girl alone on a darkened street is not safe. One can only imagine what it was like being a 16 year old girl aiding the rebellion during war-time within such a short distance from the fighting and alone with no one for protection. Sybil Ludington was a true American Hero. Sybil's contribution to the war was not forgotten. Present day visitors to Putnam County New York can trace her path on that midnight ride by following markers placed along the route, and view a statue of her erected in 1961 on Route 52 beside Gleneida Lake in Carmel on the route. There is a smaller copy of the statue located in Washington, D.C. in Constitution Memorial Hall in DAR headquarters. Written by Mrs. Todd James. And this site http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_for_children/113431 History For Children - The Female Paul Revere Author: Mary M. Alward Published on: February 5, 2005 Hi! My name is Sybil Ludington. I was born in 1761, in Fredericksburg, New York. (Now known as the Ludington section of Kent.) I was the oldest of twelve children. I spent most of my time taking care of my younger siblings and doing household chores. Those were the things that girls did in that era (time). My world changed suddenly on April 26, 1777. I was 16 years old at the time and was putting the younger children to bed when a rider galloped up to our house. He informed us that British troops were burning the town of Danbury, Connecticut. It was only a few miles from our house. My father was colonel of the local militia. His men were scattered over the countryside. Since the exhausted rider who had warned us of the British destruction could go no further, I convinced father to allow me to take my horse, Star, and ride to the homes of his men telling them to band together to defend our community. Father finally agreed and I jumped on Star and rode 40 miles alerting his men. The night was dark and I rode alone, using only a stick to prod Star and knock on doors. It was quite a trip, but I succeeded in alerting all the men. They banded together and drove the British back to their ships. The ride was kind of scary. After all, there was a war going on and I was alone with no one to protect me. Because of what I did, people hailed me as a heroine. I was just doing what I felt I had to do. If you would like to follow my path, you will have to visit Putnam County, New York. Markers have been placed along the route. A statue of me has been erected on Route 52, beside Gleneida Lake in Carmel. A smaller statue can be seen in Constitution Memorial Hall in Washington, DC. In 1975, a stamp was issued in my honor. After the war, I married Edmond Odgen, a lawyer from Catskill. We had one son, Henry. I died in 1839, and was buried in Maple Avenue Cemetery near my father. Janet ==== AMERICAN-REVOLUTION Mailing List ==== Check out other genealogy resources on the net at John Fuller's most helpful site http://www.rootsweb.com/~jfuller/gen_mail.html ============================== Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx