Who was the Spanish Sailor who was the Grandfather of Nathaniel Rudd.

Question

Nathaniel Rudd was born in VA and burried in Rudd Arkansas. He married Nancy Clark. Nancy was born in KY in 1801. I think Nathaniel's father's name was Willam Rudd and his mother's name was Mrs. Horn (a widow). It would have been William's father who was the Spanish Sailor. The only name I have for his mother is Mrs. Rudd. The sailor took her name instead of his own so we don't have any record of it that I have found so far.

Comments

I'll be posting some recent discoveries concerning William Rudd and the "Spanish Pirate" legend on Rudds of North Carolina.  

 

 

Answer 1

Hi Theresa,

I am Nathaniel Rudd's Great-Great grandaughter.   I was told that story as a Child. I was not sure if it was true or not.

I just got my DNA result and it shows Spanish, portuguese and north african heritage.  So I am thinking it not just a story.

Laura

Answer 2

I'm part of the Arkansas line descended from Nathaniel Rudd and heard the family legend about a Spanish or Portuguese captain, too.  Velma A. Rudd of the Arizona line did some research into this during the 1970's.  I've visited all the points along the Rudd migration, from Halifax County, North Carolina, to Haywood County, Tennessee, to Carroll County, Arkansas, and Apache County, Arizona.  There's also a Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, branch descended from James Jasper Rudd.  Anyway, I've found some firm evidence for William Rudd in Halifax County, but not proved anything about the legend yet.  DNA testing of a male Rudd descendant would provide better information, since the Y-chromosome passes down virtually unchanged from father to son.