The collection consists of papers of John Hustis and members of the Lewis Ludington family. Ludington, a resident of Carmel, New York, his son James, and his nephews Harrison (later governor of Wisconsin) and Nelson, began a merchandising business in Milwaukee in 1838, but expanded into assorted land, timber, and townsite speculations elsewhere in the state. Lewis Ludington's daughter Laura was wife of John Hustis, mill owner and developer of the town of Hustisford in Dodge County, Wisconsin.
Thirty-seven letters, 1834-1864, compose the major portion of the collection. Most were exchanged between members of the Ludington family, with the majority written by or to Laura Hustis. Brief references to the activities of Harrison and Nelson Ludington occur throughout the letters. Other topics discussed in more detail include territorial legislative affairs (1839, 1841), the contest over the selection of the county seat for Columbia County (1847), the founding and development of Hustisford and its competition for railroad service (1852-1854), and Lewis Ludington's financial troubles in the 1850s due to his overspeculation in Wisconsin investments. One letter by Byron Kilbourn to John Hustis (August 26, 1841) discusses Kilbourn's allegiance to Henry Dodge in the contest for the territorial governorship between Dodge and Doty. Accompanying the manuscripts are a few miscellaneous items, chiefly printed, involving the Milwaukee and Rock River Canal Company, and one printed circular letter (1857) by Sherman Booth to “Delinquent Subscribers” of the Milwaukee Democrat. The manuscripts are well written and contain above average descriptive content on social and economic conditions in early Wisconsin.
