David Hudson (pioneer)
David Hudson (1761–1836) was an American businessman who founded Hudson, Ohio.
He was born February 17, 1761, in Branford, Connecticut, and grew up in Goshen, where he ran a farm and married Anna Norton in 1783. In 1795 he invested in the Connecticut Land Company, which planned to settle the Connecticut Western Reserve in present-day Ohio. In 1798–1799 he led a small group of settlers to survey and claim a tract called Hudson Township.
Hudson traveled from New England through New York to reach the land along the Cuyahoga River. The journey by boat and overland took about 56 days. By mid-1799 the settlers had built a small shelter and began preparing the land for farming. The settlement grew, and in early 1800 Hudson and his family moved there permanently. The settlement was officially known as Hudson Township by 1802.
Hudson played a key role in buying, selling, and farming land in the area. By 1808 he owned nearly 3,000 acres and ran crops and livestock. His home, built in 1805–06, was the town’s first frame house and also served as the first post office, tavern, and courtroom. Hudson was the township’s first postmaster, a position he held from 1800 until 1829.
Religion and education were important to him. He spoke of a religious awakening around the time of the French Revolution and considered it his duty to lead a moral life. Anna Hudson died in 1816, and Hudson later married Mari Robinson. David Hudson died on March 17, 1836, at the age of 75.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:32 (CET).