David Hudson (pioneer)

David Hudson
Portrait of David Hudson by J. O. Osborne (circa 1851)
Born	(1761-02-17)February 17, 1761 Branford, Connecticut, US
Died	March 17, 1836(1836-03-17) (aged 75) Hudson, Ohio
Known for	Founding Hudson, Ohio

David Hudson (February 17, 1761 – March 17, 1836) was an American businessman noted for founding Hudson Township, the present-day Hudson, Ohio. Hudson was born in Branford, Connecticut and lived there until the age four when his family moved to Goshen, Connecticut. He lived in Goshen for many years, owning a farm, marrying Anna Norton in 1783 and raising the oldest seven of their nine children there. In 1789, Hudson joined a group to purchase a parcel of land in the Connecticut Western Reserve. The following year, he left Goshen to survey the parcel and settle it as Hudson Township. Hudson traveled through the state of New York, west along Lake Erie and south along the Cuyahoga River to reach his land.

At the settlement, Hudson and his men built a home and the township's population increased steadily over the next few decades. Hudson's wife and children eventually moved to the township, where they had two more children. Hudson cited religion as a major influence on his life. He died on March 17, 1836 at age 75.

Hudson was born in Branford, Connecticut on February 17, 1761, the youngest child of David Hudson and Rebecca Fowler. Four years after his birth, his family moved to Goshen, Connecticut.

According to a family legend, Hudson served as a drummer boy during the American Revolutionary War (which began in 1775, when he was 14). His service is unconfirmed, however, and his name does not appear in the Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army. There is also doubt about Hudson's claim that his property was "spent" at the hands of the British. If his land had been raided, he would have received a share of the Firelands, a tract of land given residents of Connecticut in compensation for war damages, and Hudson would probably not have later invested in and settled land in the Connecticut Western Reserve.