|
Early Life
Christopher Ludwick was born in the town of Griessen in Germany on October
17, 1720. His father was a baker. He taught Christopher to be a baker too.
When Christopher was 14 years old, he went to a free school. He learned to
read, write, and work with numbers. He also learned about the Lutheran
faith.
Soldier
Christopher joined the Austrian Army when he was 17. He was a private. He
fought in the war against Turkey from 1737 to 1740. When the war was over,
Christopher was in a group of 100 soldiers. They were a long way from home.
The men had to march home across cold, empty land. 75 of the men died on the
way. Christopher lived to reach Vienna. He stayed in Vienna for a short
time, and then went to Prague. While he was there, the French army
surrounded the town. They kept the people captive for 17 weeks. Then the
town surrendered. Christopher joined the Prussian army.
Sailor and
Baker
Christopher grew tired of being a soldier. He went to London. He became a
baker for the ship The Duke of Cumberland. The ship sailed to many
ports. The voyage was over in 1745. Christopher was paid his wages. He
earned 111 guineas and 1 English crown.
Christopher
wanted to see his father again. He went back to his hometown. He learned
that his father had died. His father left all that he had to Christopher.
Christopher sold his father’s estate for 500 guilders. He went back to
London. Christopher decided to have a good time. He spent all of his money.
When his money was all gone, Christopher became a sailor. He saved the money
he earned on this trip.
A Fresh Start
Christopher had 25 English pounds. He bought some clothing with his money.
He sailed to Philadelphia. He sold the clothes at a profit of 300%. Then he
went back to London. He studied baking, and learned how to bake gingerbread
and other good things.
Baker
In 1754 Christopher went back to Philadelphia. He started a bakery in
Laetitia Court. He sold wheat bread and gingerbread. His was the first
gingerbread bakery in Philadelphia. He bought his flour from the farmers
around Lancaster. He did not buy it from England. People liked him. He was a
good baker. He was honest. He did kind things for other people. His
neighbors called him “The Governor of Laetitia Court.”
Christopher
married Catharine England in 1755. They had one child, but the child died.
Christopher was a baker for over 20 years. He saved his money. He bought
some houses. By 1774 he owned a farm, 9 houses, and had quite a lot of
money.
Revolution
In 1774 everyone was talking about going to war with England. There were
meetings and committees. Christopher was elected to go to every convention
in Pennsylvania. At one convention Governor Mifflin asked for money to buy
guns. Many people thought that no one would give money. Christopher Ludwick
gave 200 pounds.
In the Army
Christopher joined the Continental Army. He volunteered his time. He did not
take any pay or any food. He helped the soldiers to keep their spirits up.
He told them about life in his old country. He reminded them that freedom
was important.
Christopher spoke
German. The British army had many hired soldiers. They were called Hessians.
They came from the same part of Germany as Christopher. They spoke the same
language. Sometimes Christopher would sneak into their camp. He would
pretend to be a deserter. He would tell the Hessians how good life was for
the Germans in Pennsylvania. He would convince them to run away from the
British army. The British never caught him. Christopher was also a good
interpreter. He would help question the Hessian prisoners.
Baker General
For a while the war did not go well. George Washington lost the battles at
Brandywine and Germantown. He took his soldiers to Valley Forge. There was
not much food. The bread was not good. General Washington asked for one man
to be in charge of baking the bread for the army. This man was Christopher
Ludwick. Congress made him the Superintendent of Bakers. Christopher had to
work hard. He went to the camps. He looked for men who could be good bakers.
He taught them how to bake bread. He was in charge of their work.
Some bakers had
cheated the army. Congress told Christopher that for every 100 pounds of
flour, his bakers must make 100 pounds of bread. Christopher Ludwick
refused. He explained that water and yeast are added to bread. This makes it
weigh more. He said that for every 100 pounds of flour, his bakers would
make 135 pounds of bread. He did not want to cheat the army.
At the end of the
war General Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington. This meant that
there were many English prisoners. They all needed to be fed. George
Washington ordered Christopher to bake six thousand pounds of bread. His
bakers did it.
Character and
Appearance
Christopher Ludwick was a tall man. He always stood very straight, like a
soldier. One of his eyes was lost in an accident during the war. George
Washington liked Christopher Ludwick. He called him “his honest friend.”
Christopher Ludwick had a quick temper, but it did not last long. He was
good at telling stories. He could make people laugh. He loved his country
very much.
Life after the
war
When the war ended, Christopher went back to his farm. The British soldiers
had been there. They had stolen everything. Christopher did not have much
money. He had given a lot of money to help with the war. He had been paid in
paper money. This money was not worth much. Christopher did without. He
slept between blankets because he had no money for sheets. After a while he
sold some land. Then he had money for clothes and furniture.
Honor from
George Washington
George Washington knew that Christopher had done a lot to help the new
country. He wrote a note saying that Christopher was a good man. Christopher
was proud of this note. He hung it on his parlor wall.
Later Life
Catharine Ludwick died in 1795. Christopher sold most of his property. He
kept one house. He put his money into bonds and stocks. He moved from his
farm. He rented a room from Frederick Fraley, a baker.
Christopher kept
on doing kind things for people. He would find out which people were in
need. He would help them in secret. No one knows all of the good things he
did. We do know that he paid for the freedom of three African slaves. He
paid for over 50 people to go to school.
During the yellow
fever epidemic in 1797, many people left Philadelphia. Christopher stayed.
He helped bake bread in Frederick Fraley’s bakery to give to poor people.
After the
epidemic was over, Christopher moved into his house at 176 North Fifth St.
He married Mrs. Sophia Binder in 1798.
At the end of his
life Christopher Ludwick was often sick. He stayed in bed. His wife read to
him. When he felt better, he would visit his friends. He read his Bible and
other religious books. On Monday, June 15, 1801, Christopher became very
ill. He had a high fever. He died on Wednesday, June 17. He was 80 years
old. He was buried in the Lutheran Churchyard in Germantown.
Christopher
Ludwick’s Will
Christopher left behind a generous will. He left money to family members. He
left money to educate poor children. He also left money to help people who
were poor and sick. He left a large amount of money to start a school for
poor children. His will said that the school must be started in five years.
Where we see
his name today
The
Christopher Ludwick Foundation is still at work. Every year it gives money
for the education of children in Philadelphia.
|