About us
Welcome to the new Redd Family History Y-DNA Project. This volunteer Redd family history investigation is designed to trace Y-DNA patterns of different Redd family direct paternal lines in America, the British Isles, Europe, and everywhere else back to their earliest detectable origins, and to find and either prove or disprove relationships between and within these family lines.
The surname Redd is generally used on this website to include similar and related spellings, such as Red, Ridd, Rudd, Read, Reid, Reed, Roth, and so on. Any prospective Reed/Reid/Read tester should first join the Reed group, just as any Roth or Rudd can join the Roth or Rudd groups. But any tester with one of these similar surnames who tests out to be genetically similar to one of our Redd lines, is cordially invited to join our Redd group, also. We hope to discover in the course of our testing program whether these similar surnames are genetically related to our Redd families.
The Y-DNA testkit for Redd-surname males -- swabbing the inside of the cheek -- is easy and quick -- three swabs at 60 seconds each -- no blood involved -- no medical information developed or recorded -- comes in the mail to the tester's own home -- uses the leading testing company with the largest databank. Female Redd descendants and male Redd descendants not having the Redd surname can readily participate and advance the study by encouraging their Redd-surname brothers, cousins or other relatives to submit a test representing their common Redd line. Tester results are identified on this website only by confidential testkit number and, if desired, by the name of the (earliest known) Most Distant Ancestor.
If you or your Redd-surname male relative decides to test, you will FIND OUT AS SOON AS YOUR TEST IS FULLY PROCESSED whether you are related to the families of Redds tracing down from WILLIAM REDD of Nansemond Co., VA, or NATHANIEL REDD of Washington Co., PA, or ANDREW REDD (formerly Andreas Roth) who apparently traces back to the Palatinate in Germany, or THOMAS REDD of King and Queen Co., VA, or WILLIAM REDD of SC. Or you may establish your own unique DNA profile, representing your Redd family in our investigation for possible matches with other Redd testers in America, the British Isles, Europe and elsewhere as they appear. Anyone who wishes to help advance our Redd family history investigation may do so by contributing to future important Redd tests through the Redd Family General Fund.
A. COLLECTION OF TESTS FROM IMMIGRANT REDD LINES IN AMERICA
Each immigrant Redd line to America represents an interesting snapshot of Redd DNA coming down from the time of departure and place of residence in the British Isles, Germany, or elsewhere. Consequently the first important objective of our tracing program is to collect tests representing the various principal Redd lines immigrating to America, including the lines of the following patriarchs:
1. WILLIAM REDD of Nansemond Co., Virginia, born during the early 1700's, was married to Rachel, and had a son WHITAKER SR. (1749 Nansemond VA - 1789 Onslow NC), who had a son WHITAKER JR. (c. 1765 Onslow NC - 1828 Onslow NC), who had a son JOHN HARDISON REDD (1799 Onslow NC - 1858 Utah UT). William owned land in Nansemond Co., and had his land processioned in 1759 and 1763. WHITAKER REDD, JR. is recognized as a DAR Patriot Ancestor for his military service during the Revolutionary War. Three testers have established the unique R1b1 profile for this important Virginia Redd line, including two Redds and one Rudd.
2. NATHANIEL REDD, born 15 Jan 1749, possibly in Pennsylvania or Virginia, was reportedly from a family of German origin. He married Barbara Zook 23 Jan 1771, and they produced an amazing family of at least fifteen children, including six sons and nine daughters. Nathaniel purchased land in Frederick Co., VA in 1771, which he and Barbara sold in 1773 when they likely moved northwest to Washington Co., PA , around 200 miles away. Nathaniel served in the Washington Co. Militia in Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War, and has been recognized as a DAR Patriot Ancestor for military service. In Washington Co. he operated a mill called Redd's Mill and an inn in a log house in Fallowfield. His son John later took over the mill and inn and replaced the original log structure with a large brick house. The house and the chimney of his mill building still stand today according to our most recent information. Nathaniel died 5 Aug 1824, and his estate was administered in Washington Co. Two tests by descendants of different sons of Nathaniel Redd have established the unique R1b1 profile for this line back to Nathaniel Redd, and they also match the test back to ANDREW REDD (ANDREAS ROTH), below.
3. ANDREW REDD reportedly was born ANDREAS ROTH c. 1730 in the Upper Palatinate, Germany. He immigrated to America, possibly to Philadelphia PA ca. 1752. Andrew came to Chester Co., PA, where his likely brothers GEORGE and ADAM REDD also located. Quaker records show Adam was from Uppan, near Mannheim, Germany. George could not pay a lawsuit judgment, and consequently he and Andrew and Adam, as his securities, lost their farms. Andrew married Elizabeth Hollingsworth 11 Mar 1766 in Wilmington, New Castle, DE. Andrew and Elizabeth had seven boys (James, Andrew, Jacob, George, John, Nathaniel, Abner) and six girls (Hannah, Mary, Susan, Ann, Rachel, Elizabeth). Andrew and his family moved to Frederick Co., VA, before 1770. Elizabeth died 31 May 1819. Andrew signed his will Andreas Roth and died 1 Jul 1819 in Stephens City, Frederick Co., VA. All Andrew's sons were known by the name Redd, rather than Roth. Descendants have been found in many areas, particularly in Ohio. Sons Nathaniel and George both went to Fairfield Co., OH. John stayed in VA and his son, John B, later went to IN. One Redd tester who traces back on this important Redd family line to the Roths of Uppan in the German Palatinate, also matches testing descendants of NATHANIEL REDD of PA, above. Other descendants of this Roth line are also invited to test. We need to locate a Roth tester living near Mannheim, Germany for a confirming test, to walk the profile back to Roths from an even earlier century.
4. THOMAS REDD, SR., carpenter, reportedly was born c. 1675-1680 in Drysdale Parish, King & Queen Co., Virginia, and died in the same county. His father may have been JOHN REDD (bef. 1660 - c. 1686), born in the same county. Thomas married SARAH FARGESON, and they had five sons (John, Thomas, Joseph, James, Samuel) and two daughters (Anne and Sarah) -- all born in Virginia -- who produced many descendants. (Note: The dates for this family vary widely between accounts.) Descendant testers are invited to establish the verified profile on this important Redd familiy line.
5. WILLIAM REDD, born 1800 in South Carolina. One Redd tester traces back on this line, and a confirming test is needed.
All other immigrant Redd (and related spelling) family lines are also cordially invited to participate, test, and add to our knowledge of various Redd lines, and they will be identified as our study information develops. Some of these other lines may have come from the following Redd immigrants to America through 1850:
George Redd, 1651, MD
Asbell Redd, 1651, MD
John Redd, 1654, Jamestown, VA
Thomas Redd, 1670, VA
Adam Redd, 1753, Philadelphia, PA, naturalized -- from York County [brother of Andrew Redd above?]
James Redd, 1850, SC
T. Y. Redd, 1850, San Francisco, CA
The 1790 census showed three Redd families. IN 1880 most Redd families (753) living in the US lived in Virginia. The 1930 US census showed 4,848 Redds. The 1911 Canadian census showed 76 Redds.
Currently, Yahoo People Search phonebook listings show:
US -- 3,953 Redds, 603 Reds, 77 Ridds, 5,411 Rudds, 25,353 Roths, 7,233 Reads, 38,016 Reids, and 97,029 Reeds, and
Canada -- 12 Redds, 8 Reds, 47 Ridds, 352 Rudds, 1,955 Roths, 1,739 Reads, 13,905 Reids, and 2,485 Reeds.
B. COLLECTION OF TESTS FROM REDD LINES IN THE BRITISH ISLES AND EUROPE
Collection of Redd tests from the British Isles and key Redd-source areas in Germany and elsewhere in Europe is a second and equally important objective of our Redd family history investigation. We would like to trace each Redd family back through its immigrant ancestor and to the earliest possible location in the British Isles and Europe, and to develop matching testers in those source locations for each of the Redd family lines.
The 1891 census in England shows 260 Redd surname families with the primary concentrations of Redd surnames in the following areas:
London -- 18%,
Hertfordshire -- 12%,
Somerset -- 6%,
Lancashire, Lincolnshire, and Leicestershire -- 5% each, and
Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, and Sussex -- 4% each.
C. COMPARISON OF REDD-VARIATION FAMILY SURNAMES
REDD Name Meaning and History:
English: variant of Read 1.
RED Name Meaning and History:
1. English (Durham): variant of Read 1.
2. Translation of German Roth.
READ Name Meaning and History:
1. nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, from Middle English re(a)d ‘red’.
2. topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing, from an unattested Old English ried, r¯d ‘woodland clearing’.
3. habitational name from various places: Read in Lancashire, the name of which is a contracted form of Old English r?gheafod, from r?ge ‘female roe deer’, ‘she-goat’ + heafod ‘head(land)’; Rede in Suffolk, so called from Old English hreod ‘reeds’; or Reed in Hertfordshire, so called from an Old English ryhð ‘brushwood’.
REED Name Meaning and History:
English: variant spelling of Read 1.
REID Name Meaning and History:
1. nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, from Older Scots reid ‘red’.
2. topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing, from Old English r¯d ‘woodland clearing’. Compare English Read.
RUDD Name Meaning and History:
1. English: nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, from Middle English rudde, Old English rud ‘red’, ‘ruddy’.
2. Americanized shortened form of any of various Jewish surnames beginning with Rud-.
ROTH Name Meaning and History:
1. German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname for a person with red hair, from Middle High German rot, German rot ‘red’. As a Jewish surname it is also at least partly ornamental: its frequency as a Jewish surname is disproportionate to the number of Jews who, one may reasonably assume, were red-headed during the period of surname adoption.
2. German and English: topographic name for someone who lived on land that had been cleared, Old High German rod, Old English rod, roð.
3. German: from a short form of any of the various Germanic personal names with the first element hrod ‘renown’. Compare Rode 1, Ross 3.
SOURCE: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press
The surname Redd is generally used on this website to include similar and related spellings, such as Red, Ridd, Rudd, Read, Reid, Reed, Roth, and so on. Any prospective Reed/Reid/Read tester should first join the Reed group, just as any Roth or Rudd can join the Roth or Rudd groups. But any tester with one of these similar surnames who tests out to be genetically similar to one of our Redd lines, is cordially invited to join our Redd group, also. We hope to discover in the course of our testing program whether these similar surnames are genetically related to our Redd families.
The Y-DNA testkit for Redd-surname males -- swabbing the inside of the cheek -- is easy and quick -- three swabs at 60 seconds each -- no blood involved -- no medical information developed or recorded -- comes in the mail to the tester's own home -- uses the leading testing company with the largest databank. Female Redd descendants and male Redd descendants not having the Redd surname can readily participate and advance the study by encouraging their Redd-surname brothers, cousins or other relatives to submit a test representing their common Redd line. Tester results are identified on this website only by confidential testkit number and, if desired, by the name of the (earliest known) Most Distant Ancestor.
If you or your Redd-surname male relative decides to test, you will FIND OUT AS SOON AS YOUR TEST IS FULLY PROCESSED whether you are related to the families of Redds tracing down from WILLIAM REDD of Nansemond Co., VA, or NATHANIEL REDD of Washington Co., PA, or ANDREW REDD (formerly Andreas Roth) who apparently traces back to the Palatinate in Germany, or THOMAS REDD of King and Queen Co., VA, or WILLIAM REDD of SC. Or you may establish your own unique DNA profile, representing your Redd family in our investigation for possible matches with other Redd testers in America, the British Isles, Europe and elsewhere as they appear. Anyone who wishes to help advance our Redd family history investigation may do so by contributing to future important Redd tests through the Redd Family General Fund.
A. COLLECTION OF TESTS FROM IMMIGRANT REDD LINES IN AMERICA
Each immigrant Redd line to America represents an interesting snapshot of Redd DNA coming down from the time of departure and place of residence in the British Isles, Germany, or elsewhere. Consequently the first important objective of our tracing program is to collect tests representing the various principal Redd lines immigrating to America, including the lines of the following patriarchs:
1. WILLIAM REDD of Nansemond Co., Virginia, born during the early 1700's, was married to Rachel, and had a son WHITAKER SR. (1749 Nansemond VA - 1789 Onslow NC), who had a son WHITAKER JR. (c. 1765 Onslow NC - 1828 Onslow NC), who had a son JOHN HARDISON REDD (1799 Onslow NC - 1858 Utah UT). William owned land in Nansemond Co., and had his land processioned in 1759 and 1763. WHITAKER REDD, JR. is recognized as a DAR Patriot Ancestor for his military service during the Revolutionary War. Three testers have established the unique R1b1 profile for this important Virginia Redd line, including two Redds and one Rudd.
2. NATHANIEL REDD, born 15 Jan 1749, possibly in Pennsylvania or Virginia, was reportedly from a family of German origin. He married Barbara Zook 23 Jan 1771, and they produced an amazing family of at least fifteen children, including six sons and nine daughters. Nathaniel purchased land in Frederick Co., VA in 1771, which he and Barbara sold in 1773 when they likely moved northwest to Washington Co., PA , around 200 miles away. Nathaniel served in the Washington Co. Militia in Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War, and has been recognized as a DAR Patriot Ancestor for military service. In Washington Co. he operated a mill called Redd's Mill and an inn in a log house in Fallowfield. His son John later took over the mill and inn and replaced the original log structure with a large brick house. The house and the chimney of his mill building still stand today according to our most recent information. Nathaniel died 5 Aug 1824, and his estate was administered in Washington Co. Two tests by descendants of different sons of Nathaniel Redd have established the unique R1b1 profile for this line back to Nathaniel Redd, and they also match the test back to ANDREW REDD (ANDREAS ROTH), below.
3. ANDREW REDD reportedly was born ANDREAS ROTH c. 1730 in the Upper Palatinate, Germany. He immigrated to America, possibly to Philadelphia PA ca. 1752. Andrew came to Chester Co., PA, where his likely brothers GEORGE and ADAM REDD also located. Quaker records show Adam was from Uppan, near Mannheim, Germany. George could not pay a lawsuit judgment, and consequently he and Andrew and Adam, as his securities, lost their farms. Andrew married Elizabeth Hollingsworth 11 Mar 1766 in Wilmington, New Castle, DE. Andrew and Elizabeth had seven boys (James, Andrew, Jacob, George, John, Nathaniel, Abner) and six girls (Hannah, Mary, Susan, Ann, Rachel, Elizabeth). Andrew and his family moved to Frederick Co., VA, before 1770. Elizabeth died 31 May 1819. Andrew signed his will Andreas Roth and died 1 Jul 1819 in Stephens City, Frederick Co., VA. All Andrew's sons were known by the name Redd, rather than Roth. Descendants have been found in many areas, particularly in Ohio. Sons Nathaniel and George both went to Fairfield Co., OH. John stayed in VA and his son, John B, later went to IN. One Redd tester who traces back on this important Redd family line to the Roths of Uppan in the German Palatinate, also matches testing descendants of NATHANIEL REDD of PA, above. Other descendants of this Roth line are also invited to test. We need to locate a Roth tester living near Mannheim, Germany for a confirming test, to walk the profile back to Roths from an even earlier century.
4. THOMAS REDD, SR., carpenter, reportedly was born c. 1675-1680 in Drysdale Parish, King & Queen Co., Virginia, and died in the same county. His father may have been JOHN REDD (bef. 1660 - c. 1686), born in the same county. Thomas married SARAH FARGESON, and they had five sons (John, Thomas, Joseph, James, Samuel) and two daughters (Anne and Sarah) -- all born in Virginia -- who produced many descendants. (Note: The dates for this family vary widely between accounts.) Descendant testers are invited to establish the verified profile on this important Redd familiy line.
5. WILLIAM REDD, born 1800 in South Carolina. One Redd tester traces back on this line, and a confirming test is needed.
All other immigrant Redd (and related spelling) family lines are also cordially invited to participate, test, and add to our knowledge of various Redd lines, and they will be identified as our study information develops. Some of these other lines may have come from the following Redd immigrants to America through 1850:
George Redd, 1651, MD
Asbell Redd, 1651, MD
John Redd, 1654, Jamestown, VA
Thomas Redd, 1670, VA
Adam Redd, 1753, Philadelphia, PA, naturalized -- from York County [brother of Andrew Redd above?]
James Redd, 1850, SC
T. Y. Redd, 1850, San Francisco, CA
The 1790 census showed three Redd families. IN 1880 most Redd families (753) living in the US lived in Virginia. The 1930 US census showed 4,848 Redds. The 1911 Canadian census showed 76 Redds.
Currently, Yahoo People Search phonebook listings show:
US -- 3,953 Redds, 603 Reds, 77 Ridds, 5,411 Rudds, 25,353 Roths, 7,233 Reads, 38,016 Reids, and 97,029 Reeds, and
Canada -- 12 Redds, 8 Reds, 47 Ridds, 352 Rudds, 1,955 Roths, 1,739 Reads, 13,905 Reids, and 2,485 Reeds.
B. COLLECTION OF TESTS FROM REDD LINES IN THE BRITISH ISLES AND EUROPE
Collection of Redd tests from the British Isles and key Redd-source areas in Germany and elsewhere in Europe is a second and equally important objective of our Redd family history investigation. We would like to trace each Redd family back through its immigrant ancestor and to the earliest possible location in the British Isles and Europe, and to develop matching testers in those source locations for each of the Redd family lines.
The 1891 census in England shows 260 Redd surname families with the primary concentrations of Redd surnames in the following areas:
London -- 18%,
Hertfordshire -- 12%,
Somerset -- 6%,
Lancashire, Lincolnshire, and Leicestershire -- 5% each, and
Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, and Sussex -- 4% each.
C. COMPARISON OF REDD-VARIATION FAMILY SURNAMES
REDD Name Meaning and History:
English: variant of Read 1.
RED Name Meaning and History:
1. English (Durham): variant of Read 1.
2. Translation of German Roth.
READ Name Meaning and History:
1. nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, from Middle English re(a)d ‘red’.
2. topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing, from an unattested Old English ried, r¯d ‘woodland clearing’.
3. habitational name from various places: Read in Lancashire, the name of which is a contracted form of Old English r?gheafod, from r?ge ‘female roe deer’, ‘she-goat’ + heafod ‘head(land)’; Rede in Suffolk, so called from Old English hreod ‘reeds’; or Reed in Hertfordshire, so called from an Old English ryhð ‘brushwood’.
REED Name Meaning and History:
English: variant spelling of Read 1.
REID Name Meaning and History:
1. nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, from Older Scots reid ‘red’.
2. topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing, from Old English r¯d ‘woodland clearing’. Compare English Read.
RUDD Name Meaning and History:
1. English: nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, from Middle English rudde, Old English rud ‘red’, ‘ruddy’.
2. Americanized shortened form of any of various Jewish surnames beginning with Rud-.
ROTH Name Meaning and History:
1. German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname for a person with red hair, from Middle High German rot, German rot ‘red’. As a Jewish surname it is also at least partly ornamental: its frequency as a Jewish surname is disproportionate to the number of Jews who, one may reasonably assume, were red-headed during the period of surname adoption.
2. German and English: topographic name for someone who lived on land that had been cleared, Old High German rod, Old English rod, roð.
3. German: from a short form of any of the various Germanic personal names with the first element hrod ‘renown’. Compare Rode 1, Ross 3.
SOURCE: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press