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Hmmm. I'm drawing a blank on this lady. This was taken in 1979, so in theory, I should've crossed paths with her at one or more Ludwig get-togethers in my youth. So where does she fit into the family tree?
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About Me
- terry
- Delusional skeptic, reveling in a multiple-personality disorder. Alternating between a 21st-century blogger, a 3rd-century BC Carthagenian general, a 5th-century BC druid, a 23rd-century BC Beaker-people trader, a 20th-century Estonian freedom-fighter, a time-traveler, and a sheepdog in Wyoming.
5 comments:
Oh, Esther Ludwig ! How many times our family would speculate on her status and lifestyle ! Was she married? We never knew. She lived with (and was in business wit) a Mr. Ritter from Shoemakersville, and they had a lot of money, and were probably married. But she never changed her name, so ............. Anyway, they didn't have children. They enjoyed their wealth. She dabbled in raising race horses. They built a big lovely home on top of a hill overlooking several of the farms they owned, just south of Hamburg. I think they traveled a lot, and they collected antiques - so much so that when Esther died a few years ago, at the age of 98 or something, her estate was auctioned off by Sotheby's or Christie's, at 3 or more auctions, bring several million dollars. And that was just the antiques, not the land and houses.
Anyway, I never actually met her. Mother and Daddy did, but Esther was not close to any of our family, she might as well have lived on the moon. I once asked Aunt Sallie what she looked like, and she said "Popeye !!" Now that I see her picture, I agree. And yet I also see the family resemblance. She was the daughter of Grandpa's brother William Ludwig, who was a tax collector in Shoemakersville. I never met him either, until Grandpa's funeral. He looked a lot like Grandpa, but was taller. Aunt Sallie was their only sister. They all grew up on a farm outside of Centerport, and could hardly wait to leave it.
Janet
The auctions of Ester's stuff at Freeman's was amazing! I remember that all the cases were filled with that blue pottery...to the gills
Are you sure her spouse / companion/ business partner's name wasn't Riddle? She was into race horses and Samuel Riddle owned several. Famous ones too. Man o' War is one one of them. He's on Wikipedia. No mention of a wife though. A friend of mine told me her estate donated 20 million to Hamburg schools. Can't find any reports on that....yet.
Her companion was Clarence Ritter. They were both big stockholders in the Bulova watch company. She owned a lot of race horses.
My great grandfather helped Esther and Clarence with breeding and caring for their race horses
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