Scaling a Genealogical Brick Wall: A Brief Case Study

by Lewis M. Ruddick

In about 1980 while I was on a visit to Ukiah my father handed me a three page piece of paper which was a very

brief Ruddick history and family tree outline. He asked me to research it for him and come back with some answers.

He wanted to know about the family generally and where we came from specifically.

Knowing exactly where the answers were, I accepted the assignment and charged off to our family Home Place. I

asked my cousin, who now lived there, for Aunt Myrt’s Ruddick’s history that she used to keep on the old family

radio. My Great Grandaunt Myrt had died in 1968. The blank look I got from my cousin sent a chill up my back

because I already knew that many of the old family books and photographs had “left” not too long after her death.

My cousin not only had no idea what I was looking for but also had no memory of the Ruddick history that I was

referring. Shortly m

y Uncle arrived and he said he didn’t know either but then suggested that maybe my father had

it. It was gone and my easy task instantly had become very difficult.

Thus began my entry into the world of genealogy. I went back to my home and stared at the pages of the skimpy

history and went to work. It began with our first ancestor William Ruddick being one of three brothers who had

come over from the old country; Ireland, England or possibly Alsace-Lorraine. Fortunately our family came from a

long line of Quakers and my search was reasonably easy until I researched back to Pennsylvania. Our first

generation William Ruddock, as I was now finding his surname spelled, had owned nothing. I could find nothing

whatsoever about where he came from or his nat

ionality In the late 1980’s I encountered a distant cousin on the

same mission I was on. He was a bit ahead of me and was collection materials for a Ruddick Family History book

and had even written some advance history. We began sharing. He guessed that our William had probably come

from Ireland but he had not ruled out England. Unfortunately he became ill and it was terminal. He began the race

against the clock to finish his book before the hand was extended to him. At the time that he completed the Ruddick

Family in America and sent it to press we still did not know where William Ruddock was from although we guessed

Ireland. He passed away immediately after his project was completed.

In the meantime the computer and internet resources were advancing at an incredible speed. In addition DNA

testing had become affordable and was being offered for genealogical purposes. I had become fairly good at

“surfing the net” and had assembled all that I could

. I had even found the vessel of my maternal 9th great

grandfather who had come to the colonies in 1635. But absolutely nothing on our William Ruddock

’s arrival.

I felt that yDNA just might be the answer and I tested. Two years passed and nothing! In April, 2006 the flood

gates came open. I was contacted by the Family Tree DNA folks and told that I had a match. The surname was

different but he was a first generation American from

Ireland. Together we tested out to the then maximum of 67

markers and we were a perfect match until the last segment. In the last segment we differed by +/- one keeping us

as definite relatives with a common ancestor within 9 generations (95% probability).

Ireland!

Now I began my search of Ireland. I searched everything I could find in print or on the internet. No William

Ruddock who would fit. In July, 2008 my father passed way. I had been able to answer all of his questions but one.

Where had our original ancestor William Ruddock come from? At least he died knowing our great grandfather had

in fact come from Ireland. In the meantime I found an Australian who I talked into testing. He tested a perfect 67 for

67 yDNA match. His family was from Bunclody, Co. Wexford. Together we searched his tree and could find no

connection. I then traveled to Ireland and searched what I could and visited possible locations; nothing. I hired two

different research companies. Again nothing! But my yDNA matches continued to grow. Last month it reached 12

individuals. All have Irish connections or are Irish. I learned that one of the matching individuals had family who

had become Quakers in Ireland but he was a more distant match than my perfect match and was farther north.

My latest match is from the area of many of my matches and the Irish Ruddock Quakers. I now went back to my

Quaker history literature and started digging again. On a page I had looked at many times over the years was the

answer! My wife thought I had lost my mind when I let out the shout of pure joy! The answer was with my fifth

great grandfather’s neighbor and another witness at one of the family weddings. Both men were from Grange

Lower, Co. Armagh, O’Neiland West, Ulster, Ireland. One of

the men had even lived directly across the small road

from the Ruddocks in Grange Lower. At one time the area was even known as

 

Ruddock's Grange.

Our place of origin in

Ireland had finally been identified! The wall had been scaled! I still have not identified

William Ruddock’s father.

Perhaps that is another story?