The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 507

JOHN J. LUDENS.

John J. Ludens, who has departed this life, was born in Gibbsville, Wisconsin,
October 14, 1872, and was called to his final rest on the 2d of December, 1905.
His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Ludens, were both natives of Holland. They made
the long voyage across the Atlantic and established their home in Wisconsin.

After acquiring a public school education John J. Ludens engaged in farming with
his father in his native state and afterward became a resident of Sioux county,
Iowa, where he lived until 1900, when he made his way to the northwest.
Attracted by the opportunities which report told him were to be found in Yakima
county, he traveled to this district and made investment in twenty acres of
land, to which he afterward added another twenty acre tract. His place is
situated on the Moxee and thereon he erected a comfortable residence and made
other substantial improvements in accord with the spirit of modern progressive
agriculture at the present day. His time and attention were devoted to farming
interests here until his death.

On the 28th of February, 1895, Mr. Ludens was married to Miss Bertha Bakker, who
was born in Holland in 1872, a daughter of Jacob and Grace (Stavinga) Bakker,
who in 1890 became residents of Sioux county, Iowa, where the mother passed
away, but the father is now living in Yakima county. Mr. and Mrs. Ludens'
children are Nellie, the wife of Rev. R. Kroodsma, residing at Clymer, New York;
and Gertrude, Jacob, John and Jeannette, all at home.

The family are all members of the First Reformed church. Mrs. Ludens and the
children manage the old homestead and are meeting with substantial success in
the conduct of the property. Mr. Ludens was one of the pioneers of the Moxee
valley and became widely and favorably known in that section of the state,
leaving behind him many friends when he was called to his final rest and leaving
to his family the priceless heritage of an untarnished name.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.