EARLY HISTORY OP CAPE MAY COUNTY. 183 



manifested, together with stern integrity and strict impartiality in 

 his various business relations with his fellow man. It will be seen 

 he was a member of the Legislature nine years, and closed a life of 

 general usefulness in the year 1825, aged about fifty-six years. 



These biographical sketches of the pioneers pf Cape May, might 

 be extended much further, if the space allotted to the purpose 

 would permit. I must therefore close with the following notices : — 



Joseph Ludlam was here in 1692, and made purchases of land on 

 the sea-side, at Ludlam's Rnn, upon which he afterwards resided; 

 and likewise purchased, in 1720, of Jacob Spicer, a large tract in 

 Dennis's Neck. He left four sons : Anthony (who settled upon the 

 South Dennis property, which is yet owned in part by his descend- 

 ants), Joseph, Isaac, and Samuel, from whom all the Ludlams of 

 the county have descended. He died in 1761, aged eighty-six years.* 



John and Peter Corson came about the same time, 1692. The 

 second generation was Peter, Jr., John, Jr., Christian, and Jacob. 

 Peter represented the county in the Assembly in 1707. This 

 family, all of whom are descendants of Peter and John, numbered 

 in the county, at the census of 1850, 295 souls ; 253 of whom belong 

 to the Upper Township, 6 to Dennis, 26 to the Middle, and 10 to 

 the Lower Township. 



The Hand family was well represented amongst the early settlers, 

 there being eleven persons of that name previous to 1700. 



John Townsend, the ancestor of all of that name now in the 

 county, and of many in Philadelphia and elsewhere, came from 

 Long Island by way of Egg Harbor, in or previous to 1691. He 

 traveled down the sea-shore until he found a spot to suit him, where 

 he cleared land, built a cabin and a grist-mill, and in 1696 located 

 six hundred and fifty acres of land. Capt. Thompson Vangilder 

 now owns the mill site, and a part of the adjacent property, for- 

 merly John Townsend's, upon which he resides. He left three sons, 

 Richard, Robert, and Sylvanus. He was sheriff of the county five 



^' A, Learning's Memoirs. 



