Ann Eastwood was also sometimes said to be Avah Eastwood. I believe the name “Avah” comes from the 1850 census which is a very difficult to read document. The entry in this census could be Avah or Anah or it could possibly be a terribly written, “Ann.”
For many years we have seen Ann Eastwood (1788-1860) buried in Maple Ave Cemetery in Patterson, NY. We have also seen a different person whose name was Ann Ludington (1781 -). She was the daughter of the Minuteman Comfort Ludington and Elizabeth “Nellie” Nickerson Ludington. There is very little known about her. She has no burial record. We sometimes see her as Ann Smith but there are no records of a husband whose last name is Smith either.
We believe that in the year 2024 we have discovered that this Ann Eastwood and this Ann Ludington are the same person.
The evidence we have is:
1) The people Ann and John Eastwood and buried amongst. This is circumstantial evidence and of course, wouldn’t stand up by itself.
2) The death record of her daughter, Olive Eastwood Fraser. And,
3) Shared DNA between descendants of Olive Eastwood and Elizabeth Nickerson’s family tree.
It is in the will of Ann Ludington’s father, Comfort Ludington, which was read in 1805, that we see his daughter mentioned as Ann Smith. This is the only indication Ann might have had a husband whose last name was Smith.
It is possible Ann was married before she married John Eastwood. This could be true because it appears her first child was born around 1808 – 1810. Ann would have been 27 – 29 years old at this time. Though there is absolutely no information on a potential husband named “Smith,” Ann’s grandmother’s name was Mary Smith Nickerson. So, Ann’s middle name could have been Smith because she was named in honor of her grandmother. Therefore, Ann’s maiden name could possibly have been Ann Smith Ludington. Or Ann possibly was married to a man named Smith but he passed away after 1805 but before Ann started her family with John Eastwood around 1808.
We believe Ann Ludington, daughter of Comfort Ludington and Elizabeth Nickerson was the wife of John Eastwood (1786 – 1851) and their children were Olive Eastwood Fraser (1809 – 1904), Rachel Eastwood (1823 -) and William H Eastwood. (1826 -1911). She had more children, probably 2 more but as of yet, we don’t know their names.
In Maple Ave Cemetery, Patterson, NY, Ann and John Eastwood are buried in close proximity to the following:
Henry Ludington – This is Col Henry Ludington of Revolutionary War fame, and we believe he is Ann’s uncle.
Sibbell Ludington wife of Edmond Ogden – She is better known as Sybil Ludington.
There is a lot more that could be said about Sybil Ludington, and indeed, much more has been said about her. In fact, books have been written about her. She is the female Paul Revere of the American Revolution. Today, children are taught about her in schools. Ann Ludington Eastwood and Sybil Ludington Ogden were first cousins.
Sybil Ludington on her horse “Star” warning of the British attack on Danbury, CT
Abigail Ludington (1776 – 1816) – Daughter of Henry Ludington. We believe she is fist cousin to Ann Ludington.
Sophia Caverly (1784 – 1860) – We believe she is the daughter of Henry Ludington and first cousin to Ann Ludington Eastwood.
Derrick Ludington – We believe is a son of Henry Ludington and first cousin of Ann Ludington Eastwood.
There are many more relatives of Ann Ludington Eastwood buried in Maple Ave Cemetery including George Eastwood who was John’s father, members of Olive Eastwood Fraser’s family and grandchildren of Seth and Mary Smith Nickerson. We believe Ann is a granddaughter of Seth and Mary Smith Nickerson as well.
In the 1810 Fishkill, NY census, both Zalmon and De Lafayette Ludington who are sons of Comfort and Elizabeth Nickerson Ludington and therefore brothers of Ann Ludington Eastwood, live close by the John and Ann Eastwood family.
In the 1850 census, it says Ann Eastwood is 68 years old. This is the same age as Ann Ludington, born in 1781, daughter of Comfort and Elizabeth Nickerson Ludington. In the 1860 census, it is recorded that she is 72 years old. However, it is common for ages to be incorrect in censuses, especially older ones, and this particular census happened to be taken after she passed away. A person still has to be counted in the census if he or she passed away on or after April 1st of a census year. This is true, even though most censuses are usually taken in July or August. It is also true, someone else fills out the census for the dead person in this instance. Probably, this is overstating the obvious. Often times though, this person doesn’t know the dead person’s age or isn’t really interested in making sure he or she gets the age right.
The interesting thing about An Eastwood being registered as 72 in her death year census is that it looks like her gravestone also says she died at 72 years of age. However, look at what happens when you take a closer look at her gravestone. (Below)
Closer look (below)
The fact is it looks like, at first glance, her gravestone is telling us Ann Eastwood was 72 years of age at death but upon closer inspection, you can see, her gravestone is actually telling us she was 78. If we assume her birthday was later in the year than June 30th, which is the date she passed, we can be certain she was born in 1781. This is the same year that is recorded as Ann Ludington’s birth year. By the way, the picture above of Ann Eastwood’s gravestone was taken on November 14, 2025. The bottom picture is just a blown up version of the first.
Comfort Ludington was born in Connecticut but by the time the Revolutionary War started in 1776, he was living in Fishkill, NY. This is the town where Ann Ludington was born and we see the John Eastwood family also living in this town in the 1810 census.
We also have Ann Eastwood’s daughter Olive’s death record:
It could be Olive Eastwood Fraser’s birth date on her death record is not accurate. In the 1860 census she said she was 44 and in the 1830 census the oldest daughter living in this Eastwood household was 14 years old. It does make sense Olive was born in 1816 instead of 1809 due to the fact the 2 girls less than 10 years old in the 1810 census could have been no longer living in the household in 1830. Also, in the 1850 census Olive says she was 35 and in the next decade she mothered 4 children. If she was born in 1809, she would have turned 41 in December of 1850. In spite of this, my best guess is her true birth year was 1809. For sure, this is a guess but Olive’s death record seems to be particularly accurate! Olive’s son or daughter or whomever filled it out seemed to have known exactly how many years, months and days Olive lived and he or she has provided us with the only paper trail we have that tells us Ann Eastwood’s maiden name was actually Ludington.
In any event, we know Ann Ludington Eastwood’s Daughter is Olive Eastwood Fraser and we also know Ann Ludington’s mother was Elizabeth Nickerson Ludington. However, probably our biggest clue that Ann Ludington and Ann Eastwood is the same person is that there is shared DNA between descendants of Olive Eastwood Fraser and Elizabeth Nickerson’s family tree. There is no way possible for these two families to share DNA unless Olive Eastwood Fraser is a part of this Nickerson family and the only way for this to be possible is for her mother, Ann Eastwood to be the daughter of Elizabeth “Nellie” Nickerson Ludington.
In total, we feel we have very solidly proven that Ann Ludington, daughter of Comfort and Elizabeth Nickerson Ludington is Ann Eastwood, wife of John Eastwood who is buried in Maple Ave Cemetery in Patterson, NY.
Edward J Lathrop
Lathrop Genealogy