South Carolina Rudds ~ Part 2

3rd Generation

Since we don’t know the age of Burlingham 1st and Elizabeth when they married and we don’t know how long Elizabeth lived, it’s not possible to predict how many children they could have had. We do know that in 1771, the Anson Co., NC General Assembly minutes record a motion that deemed Burlingham 1st aged and exempted him from taxes. I’ve seen databases that place Burlingham 1st as born by 1707 but that’s just a guess derived by subtracting 21 years from 1728 as his potential age at the time of his transportation. He could have been younger, actually as young as 14 according to tradition in 18th century England, and he could have been older. My guess is that if he was “aged” in 1771, he was somewhere in his early 70’s. If so, he was somewhere in his early 40’s when Walter, his last recorded child, was born in 1743. If Elizabeth was about his same age or younger, then there was potential for more children to be born into the second generation. And as I discussed in the previous narratives, somehow we have an extra Burlingham in 1800 that appears to be second generation.

But in order to establish a time frame for the third generation based on what we do know about the second generation I think we can use the birth year of Burlingham 3rd, 1760, as a beginning point and take into consideration that Burlingham 1st had a son named Walter (according to the Prince Frederick’s Parish baptism register) born in 1743. We don’t know if Walter survived to adulthood, we never see his name again in the Anson Co., NC records, but if he did, I would add 20 years to his birth year to allow for him to reach adulthood and then add another 30 years for offspring which would bring us to about 1790. So, third generation offspring can be defined, generally, as those born between 1760 and 1790, maybe a little later if Burlingham 1st had additional children after Walter. And of course, we need to allow for the overlapping of a fourth generation that probably begins about the early 1780’s.

First, let’s go back to the William Rudd that surfaces in Anson Co., NC on a 1787 land survey as a chain carrier on that land survey for George Lounsdell Rudd. He is either going to fall into the second or third generation. Of the known sons of Burlingham 1st, George Lounsdell (assuming he is one), Burlingham 2nd and Walter, he is either Walter by another name or another son of Burlingham 1st or a son of a son (grandson). This is the one and only mention of William Rudd I have found in Anson Co., NC. There is a Will/Wm. Reed in the indexes to the Anson Co., NC land records who in 1761 witnesses two deeds to other persons for land on the southwest side of the Pee Dee River. It is true that both Burlingham and George Lounsdell have instances where they appear in these indexes as Reed instead of Rud and their land was on the southwest side of the Pee Dee River, however, I’ve not been able to determine if the name Will/Wm. Reed is a transcription error. Personally, I think if there was a William Rud old enough to be a witness to legal documents in 1761, then we would have seen his name in the land records in Anson before 1787. Or he would appear as a witness to a land deed as a member of the Rud family. Based on not seeing his name any where before 1787, I tend to believe he was young, perhaps even a boy. I want to also point out that the date on this survey, 1787, is near the time that George Lounsdell is going to leave Anson. This land is his last recorded purchase and in fact this land will end up being seized as payment as the result of a court case and sold at auction. It appears that no one took up residence on this parcel of land. Another interesting point about this tract of land is that it is on the south side of Old Mill Creek which moves towards the Anson Co., NC/Chesterfield Co., SC border. This is the same area where a parcel of land that was granted to George Lounsdell was sold back to him in 1801 by Elizabeth Rudd which I discussed in the narrative, Who was Elizabeth Rudd?


Since we can identify George Lounsdell in the 1790 Fairfield Co., SC census and we can safely assume that Burlingham 2nd was still in Anson for the 1790 census, I looked for William Rud in the 1790 NC and SC census. I did find what appears to be documentation of “the Estate of William Rud” in 1790 Orangeburg, SC. You can see HERE that no family, but 43 slaves are listed. The last name surely does look like Rud instead of Reed, especially since the “u” appears to begin with a downward stroke instead of an upward stroke that could indicate an “e”. It would seem strange that our William Rud in 1787 Anson would have an estate in Orangeburg three years later with 43 slaves. There is another Rud family near Orangeburg located in Newberry Co., SC. This William Rud might be connected to that family.



Barnwell District, SC

The next mention of a William Rud is in the 1800 Barnwell Co., SC census on page 64, line 18; 4 males and 1 female under 10 years old; 1 male and 1 female 16/26 years old. That indicates the adults in this household were born between 1774 and 1784, therefore third generation. We don’t know if this is the same William Rudd as listed on the Anson Co., NC survey but that was thirteen years earlier. I think it surely is possible since we do know our Rud family is in Barnwell in 1800 as marked by the presence of Burlingham who we find on page 69, line 14.

But, once again we should scrutinize transcription errors that turns Reed into Rud.





Looking at the “u” in Rud for William we see there appears to be an upward stroke that could indicate this is an “e” instead, but looking at the “u” in Burlingham’s last name we see the same possible upward stroke. This is an instance where we can be grateful for the name Burlingham! There is also this entry in the 1800 Barnwell census: Sarah Reed with a household containing “2 other free persons”.


It looks very similar doesn’t it? In the indexes it has William and Burlingham listed as Rud but Sarah is listed as Reed. She is the only Reed in the 1800 Barnwell census index and she very well could be Rud. All three of these entries are in the same census but for some reason the person who indexed them saw them differently.

We don’t know the exact route the census taker took to record the residents of the county and these two Rud households aren’t listed beside each other, but they are not that far apart, 5 pages of county residents. If you look back at the page for Burlingham you’ll see the family name Stinson two and four places above his. I’ve not done the research on this family but the landmark name Stinson’s Bridge appears on this map of the Barnwell District, marked #4. And later on this deed for George Washington Rudd we find Stinson’s Landing. This would indicate that either 1) Stinson is a person of some significance in Barnwell or 2) Stinson owns land that encompasses the bridge on the map and the landing to a waterway on the deed. I vote for the second option.

In 1803 there is a land survey for William and Edmond Jones in Barnwell that identifies land owned by William Rud as a boundary. Is this the same William Rudd in the 1800 Barnwell Co., SC census? It very well could be. The location of this land is in the same general area as we will later find George Washington Rudd according to land records.

In the language describing the location of this land it says “Situated in the District of Barnwell on the south side of Big Saltcatcher and near the Cowpens Branch”. The only Cowpens Branch I’ve found on an 1825 Mill’s Atlas map is located in upper Colleton near the intersection of the Beaufort and Barnwell borders. The area I’ve marked as #1 on this map of the Barnwell District is the general area that would be on the south side of the Big Saltcatcher and inside the Barnwell District while being near the Cowpens Branch in Colleton. Coincidently, the Cowpens Branch inside Colleton is where we find the Jones and Vaughan families that are the ancestors of Mary Jones who will later marry Elias David’s son, Elias Trowell Rudd.

You’ll notice that this area isn’t very far from the Lower Three Runs. And let’s remember that the survey is for 468 acres to another person, there was no directional arrow on the plat to identify north, but since there is no graphic denoting the Saltcatcher River on this survey, all of this land is adjoined on the same side of that river, south. The land identified for William Rud begins at the boundary of that survey. If the survey is drawn do north, then it appears that William Rud’s land is southwest, moving towards the Lower Three Runs River which is the area where we will find an 1811 Land Grant to George Rudd, brother of Elias David, marked #4 on the Barnwell map. Also we don’t know how large a parcel of land William Rud owned nor do we know who owned the land on the other side of his boundary. The survey denotes who owns the land, not who may be living on the land. We know that it was very common for land owners to begin with a parcel of land that they homesteaded, then to add to their lands through subsequent acquisitions and it was also very common for other family members to acquire adjoining parcels or for portions of land to be given to children when they married or the father died. All of these practices are very well documented with our Rudd family in Anson Co., NC. On this 1803 survey you’ll see the name Robert Bradley as a boundary and appears to have adjoining land to William Rud. Robert Bradley also appears in the 1800 Barnwell census on page 70 which would be one page over from Burlingham Rud.

There is no conclusive evidence that the William Rud on this 1803 Barnwell survey is the same William Rud in the 1800 Barnwell census, but it is likely since this land survey is only three years later. I also think it’s very likely the William Rud and the Burlingham Rud in the 1800 Barnwell census are related to each other. They do appear to be the only Rud head of households in that census and I’ve look through the entire census line by line several times. Other than the Sarah Reed/Rud mentioned above, I’ve found no name that looks like Rud or Reed in the 1800 Barnwell census.

But as often happens, the next census year throws us a curve. In the 1810 Barnwell census we find a William Rudd on page 76, line 1. But the age progression of a decade doesn’t fit for those that appear to be the parents, even though it could fit for the children in the household more of less. So let me make an observation about the 1800 census. Listed there are 5 children under the age of 10 years old. Unless there is a set of twins, these adults (under the age of 26 years old) are very young to have 5 children under 10 years old. That causes me to question if the recording of the age of the adults is in error, or they are not the parents but perhaps older siblings.

And this time, this William Rud is living next to Burrel H. Rud. He could still be a third generation male based on his reported age. You’ll also notice in this 1810 Barnwell census there is for the first time a George Rud. Based on his age, he is either third generation or early fourth generation. What struck me about the make up of his household is the two 16/26 year olds. It appears that he and his wife are 26/45 years old and have 4 children under the age of 10 years old which might mean they were married within the decade. This could explain why he doesn’t show up in the previous census as head of household. So perhaps the two 16/26 year old males are not his sons? Or they are from a previous marriage and this George Rud moved into the county between 1800 and 1810? Both possibilities would correspond with the 1811 Land Grant to George Rud in Barnwell who based on the chain of custody of this land is George Rudd, brother of Elias David. This George Rudd in not living next to the other two households, but based on the recording of names in the census, they are not far from each other.

There is another record of William Rudd in Barnwell in an 1818 land deed where he sells property jointly owned with John Jackson to James Bates. And this time the name is spelled Rudd so there is no mistake that it is Rudd and not Reed. The land is located above James Furses’ Mill Creek which I’ve designated by #2 on this map of the Barnwell District. You’ll notice just how close it is to where George Washington Rudd’s 1811 land grant is located, designated by #4 on the map.

Based on the census and the surveys, I think we can safely assume there is a William Rudd well documented in Barnwell, but I get the impression that there are at least two William Ruds in Barnwell over the course of 20 years between the 1800 and 1820 census. One appears to be the same genereation of the Burrel H. Rud in the 1810 census and the other seems to be the same generation as the George Rud in the 1820 census, which I'll show you in the following. One thing for sure, there is no mention of William Rud at Four Hole Swamp in any document.

The 1820 Barnwell census is both challenging and interesting. The census itself appears to be recorded in segments that are alphabetized almost like the county residents were recorded over the course of time and transcribed in groupings. So it’s even harder to determine who might have been living next to whom.

Also it appears to me that the Rud/Reed transcription problem starts with this census. There is a female indexed on page 13a in the census as Charity Reed, the name looks like Rud, and in the land records she’s listed as Charity Rud. I’ve followed the chain of custody on her land and she appears to be a Reed not a Rud. Likewise, on page 9a in this census there is Hugh, Samuel and John who are indexed as Reed and look like Rud. I’ve followed up on them in the following census and they are Reed. Also there is a land deed from a W. Samuel Rud, Jr. to a son, John Rud, that appears to be this Samuel and John Reed. So you see what a problem we have with the transcribing of our surname and this is most likely the reason that for so long Rudd family researchers were unaware of the continued residence of our Rudd line in Barnwell. But the land records show us something different.

To begin with, on page 20a we find what looks like George Rud. Then on page 20b we find what looks like the name L. P. Rud. You can’t make it out clearly on this scan but I’ve looked at the census page and it’s clearly L. P. I have no idea what name those initials represent. And the only one instance I can think of is the Lias in the 1797 Screven Co., GA Deed of Gift from George Lounsdell Rudd. These two households are very near each other. And the George Rud household is very near two Breland households that represent the Breland family that Fannie Tanner, Elias David’s wife, somehow connects too.

Another interesting aspect of this George Rud household is that in the 1820 census, one of the features that year was to identify males between the ages of 16 and 18 years old. Based on information we have that Arthur Rudd, who is an assumed son of George Washington Rudd, was born about 1802, he would be about 18 years old in 1820. And son, David born in 1808, would be about 12 years old. Son, Burrel born in 1818 would be 2 years old. That’s a perfect fit for the sons in this household. This looks to be Arthur Rudd's father's household, however, a problem presents itself with this:

There is still another possible group of Rud households in Barnwell in the 1820 census. George Rud, Sr. George Rud, Jr. and Wm. Rud. You can clearly see that on the census page they clearly look to be Rud. They are listed next to each other and therefore indicate they are indeed a family group. I haven’t been able to determine their geographic location in this census because of the alphabetizing of the residents as I mentioned earlier. I haven’t been able to determine if they are indeed Rud and if they have some relationship to the two other households, but with this group on page 17a and the others located on page 20a and 20b, they are pretty near each other geographically.

You’ll notice in this last group there is a George, Sr. and a George, Jr. living beside a William Rud. George, Sr. and William appear to be third generation or early fourth but George, Jr. is clearly fourth generation. We know that the use of Jr. doesn’t necessarily mean that Jr. is the son of Sr. but rather that there is a older person who is the senior and a younger person of the same name who is the junior in the same family. So in this case it appears that George, Jr. is either the son of George, Sr. or William. Again, in 1820 Arthur would be 18 years old, David would be 12 years old and Burrell would be 2 years old. Unless Arthur is already out of the house and not reflected in this census, he's not reflected in either the George, Sr. nor the William household. David isn't either unless his age is off by two years, but knowing that Burrell's father was named George, he clearly could be reflected in the household of George, Sr.

Well, there is an 1821 Land Grant for 170 acres to George Rudd, Esq. that has an accompanying land survey that denotes existing land owned by George Rudd, Sr. According to the language in the survey, George, Esq. and George, Sr. are the same person. But this would indicate there is a George Rudd, Jr. And this census clearly shows George Rudd, Sr. and George Rudd, Jr. Note that on the survey there is adjoining land owned by Curtis Owens. In 1822 George Rudd sells land to Curtis Owens but the acreage, 134 acres, doesn’t match to be sure it’s the same parcel, it might be only a portion of it. But George Rud uses the mark “R”. There is a waiver of dower rights by Susannah Rud, George Rud’s wife. Then there is another land deed in 1823 from George Rud to Lyman Hubbard that appears to be in the same general area based on the land owners named as boundary that names George Rud, Sr as the seller and he uses the mark “R”. And remember the 1811 land grant and survey for George who we have determined to be George Washington Rud? When he sells this land in 1831 to Moses Sanders, his mark is “R”. These are all transactions by the same George Rud who used the legal mark “R”. This is George Washington Rud, brother of Elias David. Unfortunately, we don’t know which George is the correct George in the 1820 census, but they both report the same age, so for our purposes, they both appear to be either third generation or early fourth generation born between 1775 and 1794, as is the William Rud in the 1820 census.

However, if it is the case that there are two George Ruds in the 1820 Barnwell census and as it appears one household (not the George Rud, Sr.) reflects the possibility of male children fitting the birth year of Arthur, David and Burrell Rudd, but the other household (George Rud, Sr.) with three males under 10 years old would only reflect Burrell, born 1818, unless the George, Jr. next door is Arthur Rud. This raises the possibility that Arthur and perhaps David are not the sons of George Washington Rud. Perhaps they are nephews and these two George Ruds are cousins. As a matter of fact, we have no documentation at all that Arthur and David were the sons of George Washington Rudd and brothers to Burrell Rudd of Coffee Co., AL.

One other point I want to make about the 1811 land grant and survey to George Rud, on the survey it identifies the road from Col. Brown’s mill, who is Talton Brown and the grant identifies Ed Brown’s mill road who is Talton Brown’s uncle. In 1820 there is a Deed of Transfer of Property that will serve as the Last Will and Testament for Burrelham Rud. He appears to have died before the 1820 census since the deed is recorded in June 1820. The witnesses are Talton Brown, Talton’s 2nd wife, Judith and his daughter. Talton Brown lived in the same vicinity as George Washington Rud based on the landmark descriptions in his 1811 land grant and survey. And as I noted in the previous narrative, this Burrelham Rud appears to be the same Burrel H. Rud in the 1820 Barnwell census and might be the same Burlingham Rud in the 1800 Barnwell census. If not, they are most assuredly related to each other.

A curious thing about all these potential Rud male households in 1820 which reflect many male children, in the next decade, the 1830 Barnwell census, we find only George Rud and Arthur Rud. Where did they all go?




Beaufort County, SC

In the 1820 Beaufort census we also find Elias (David) Rud who is indexed as Elias Reed. We see the familiar family names of Tanner and Breland living near by. And on this 1813 Survey for Beaufort we see land owned by G. Rud across the way from Absolom Breland. If you compare the names on the survey with the names on the 1820 Beaufort census, they match up very well even seven years later. Notice that Elias David and Fannie have five children under the age of 10 years old in 1820. We also know now from Elias David’s War of 1812 Pension Application, that he was born between November 2, 1787 and October 31, 1788, so he is either late third generation or early fourth generation. And since he and George Washington are brothers they are of the same generation. Determining their generation is important in identifying their descendant line. And probably the closest we will come to identifying their father.

Four Hole Swamp

To be continued