Hi Rudds, Boy has everyone been busy, I hadn't checked the messages in awhile and I find over 100 postings! Lots of discussions on Jonathan, but also a lot on other lines which I like as I am also an orphaned line. My James Rudd shows up in Maryland in the revolutionary war time and emmigrates to Springfield, KY in 1796 where he is responsible for a lot of Rudd's in Louisville, KY and the surrounding areas. One interesting note about this James Rudd (and all descendents) was that he was Catholic. This leads me to believe that he might possibly be from Ireland rather than England, but this is pure speculation at this point. I do know that there is a book called "Irish Rudds" which details a fairly large linage of Rudd's from Ireland. A couple out in southern California wrote this book and if anyone wants more details, I'll look up the publishing and contact information (its self-published and you can call to get copies.) Anyway, another book that was brought to our attention by Nancy describes a root of the name Rudd in the Vikings who conquered and immigrated to the British Isles around 1000 AD. Again, its late, I don't have the stuff in front of me, but please ask if you are interested and I will dig up the relevant information. So my conclusion is that we are all from Ireland/England, but we are originally Vikings! How's that for covering all bases? Regards, Van Rudd Ann Arbor, MI