Background
Noah Miller Ludlow was born on July 3, 1795 in New York City, New York, United States. He was the son of John and Phebe (Dunham) Ludlow, and a descendant of Gabriel Ludlow who emigrated to New York in 1694.
(In undertaking and performing the work of writing this bo...)
In undertaking and performing the work of writing this book, I have been urged by three leading motives, which will, I think, excuse me in the minds of my readers for obtruding myself upon their notice. First: The early history of so important a portion of the literature of our country as the Drama should not be lost in the obscurity of by-gone years, especially that portion of it which has made such unprecedented advancement toward perfection as may be found at the present day in the great Valley of the Mississippi, As this history should be written, and no one has hitherto published such a record, the writer of these lines has undertaken the task, and will leave behind him a true account of the early Drama of the West and South. This history, founded on a personal knowledge of, and intimate connection with, the subject-matter for sixty-five years, the writer hopes some reliable author may take up and carry forward to a successor ;and that in this way, in the course of time, there may be obtained an entire and complete history of the Drama of the United States of North A merica. A second reason, and one prompting the writer to the work, was the desire to fulfil a promise made, through a mutual friend, to William Dunlap, Esq., author of the History of the American Theatre, published in 1832, that should he continue any considerable length of time among the theatres of the West and South, he would leave behind him some account of them. Third: This book has been written that I may make a statement of facts in a representation made of me by my partner of eighteen years, a short time previous to his death, in a book published by him, wherein he charges me with duplicity in a transaction that took place a year before he and I became partners in theatrical management. (Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.) About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of hist
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Noah Miller Ludlow was born on July 3, 1795 in New York City, New York, United States. He was the son of John and Phebe (Dunham) Ludlow, and a descendant of Gabriel Ludlow who emigrated to New York in 1694.
At an early age Ludlow was placed in a mercantile house. During the summer of 1813, after the death of his father, he went to live at his brother's home in Albany. He was irresistibly attracted to the stage and in Albany he became acquainted with some actors and was soon playing small parts. In the spring of 1815 he was engaged as a member of Samuel Drake's company, who were to travel to Kentucky, giving performances at towns along the way. By the middle of August 1815, they had reached Pittsburgh where they played until about the middle of November. Traveling by flat-boat down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to what is now Maysville, Kentucky, thence by wagon, they arrived at Frankfort, after many thrilling experiences, and opened their season there in early December.
He had left the Drake company in June 1817 and had formed a partnership with two fellow actors. They took with them such members of their troupe as cared to go, and opened in New Orleans on December 24, 1817. These were the first performances given in English in New Orleans by a professional company, according to Ludlow's autobiography. For several years Ludlow traveled in the South, sometimes managing his own company, but more often acting under the management of others. In many towns in which he appeared, no professional performances had ever been given. On June 29, 1826, he made his debut in New York as Young Wilding in a one-night performance of The Liar at the Chatham Theatre. He reappeared in New York at a benefit at the Park Theatre on July 15, 1828, and in the fall of the same year his own company played at the Chatham. After this, he presented his company in Mobile, Louisville, Cincinnati, and St. Louis.
In the fall of 1835 he formed a partnership with Sol Smith which lasted till 1853. During this partnership, Ludlow assisted in the management of theatres in Mobile, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and New Orelans, where the local stock companies supported as visiting stars at frequent intervals the famous actors of the day. Ludlow himself occasionally found time during this period to act. From 1853 until his death he lived in retirement in St. Louis, occasionally appearing at benefit performances and engaging in literary work. In 1880 he published his book, Dramatic Life as I Found It. He also compiled A Genealogical History of the Ludlow Family (1884) and wrote a "sketch or tale, " "Manatua, or the Spirit of the Glen. " As a player he is said to have been "unquestionably a general actor of considerable merit". As a manager, with his partner, Sol Smith, he blazed the trail of the drama in what was then almost a wilderness.
(In undertaking and performing the work of writing this bo...)
Ludlow married on September 1, 1817, Mary (Maury) Squires (or Squire).