Hudnall Family

FAMILY BACKGROUND

The earliest ancestor found for most of the HUDNALL descendants in the United States is John Hudnall (I). (The use of (I) for this John Hudnall is for clarification purposes only to distinguish between him, his son, John (II), and his grandson, John (III) in America. There is no "official" use of this designation on any records.)

There is uncertainty of the birth year of John Hudnall (I). One scenario indicates a birth year of 1606. A 2nd scenario indicates a birth year of 1616.

SCENARIO 1 - Born 1606:

• The only John Hudnall found in English records with a brother named Henry was born in 1606

• There are 2 recorded marriages:

1. 24 Nov 1605: John Hudnall m. Elizabeth Clark in Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire ^{1, 2}

2. 28 Nov 1605: John Hudnall m. Alice Amps in Sundon Parish, Bedfordshire ³

• There are 7 Baptisms recorded at St. Peters Parish, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire after these marriages

1. 31 Aug 1606: John, son of John Hudnall ³

2. 18 Oct 1608: Henry, son of John Hudnall ³

3. 30 Sep 1610: Anne, daughter of John Hudnall ³

4. 27 Sep 1612: Ambrose, son of John Hudnall ³

5. 21 Feb 1613: George, son of John Hudnall ³

6. 27 Mar 1615: Joshua, son of John Hudnall ³

7. 28 Apr 1616: John, son of John Hudnall, Jr. ³

• Given the convention that Jr. was used in that era to designate the younger of two men with the same name, and does not necessarily indicate kinship, it is believed the first six children are from one of the above marriages and the last child is from the other. 

• One might question how Ambrose and George could be siblings considering the proximity of their birth dates. But remember, this was under the Julian calendar where the year did not change until March 26, and the date of George’s birth by the Gregorian calendar in use now is actually 21 Feb 1614, some seventeen months after Ambrose was born.

• There is no evidence that can be used to determine which family is which fro the above information. The only useful information that can be derived is that the John Hudnall who settled in Isle of Wight County, Virginia had a brother named Henry. The John Hudnall born in 1606 had a brother named Henry. Therefore, John Hudnall, born in 1606, is the one that came to VIrginia.

SOURCES:

1. Family Search; IGI, Individual Record: Form submitted by a member of the LDS Church.

2. Pearl White; Transcription of micro-fiche records for counties of England at LDS Family History Center, Alexandria, LA.

3. Hudnall Records in England, by Richard C. Hudnall; submitted to LDS Library, Salt Lake City, UT.

SCENARIO 2 - Born 1616:
    Based on the baptism records listed above: 

• Since there are 2 boys named John Hudnall, one assumption is that the John Hudnall born 1606 died before the John Hudnall born in 1616

• In the 17th Century, when a first named son died, the next born son would be named after him 

• John Hudnall, born in 1606, most likely died in 1615 after Joshua was born, therefore, the very next son that was born in 1616 was named John

With no published ship passenger lists for the early 1600s and no records in the Isle of Wight Virginia Court House due to it burning down, the exact birth year of John Hudnall (I) may never be known. 

The John Hudnall (I) who came to America married Mary Webb in Northumberland County, Virginia about 1641 and is one of the first of this Hudnall line to settle in America. When John Hudnall purchased property in Northumberland County, Virginia, records indicate he came from Isle of Wight County, Virginia. 

Records for Isle of Wight County, Virginia are practically non-existent. However, one interesting record indicates that there was a Hudnall Creek in Isle of Wight County. Per "Cavaliers and Pioneers  Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1800", by Nell Marion Nugent, published 1934, page 466:

Other land transaction records for John Hudnall found in the "Cavaliers and Pioneers  Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1800" book include:

There are several theories on the origin of the Hudnall name.

• Per GENUKI (a genealogy site for the United Kingdom and Ireland), "Hudnall derives from the old English Hudanheale meaning 'nook of land belonging to a man called Huda'."

• From Ancestry.com, the Hudnall name means "a habitational name from any of various place so called, such as Hudnall in Hertfordshire or Hudnalls in Gloucestershire, both named from the Old English personal name Huda (genitive Hudan) + Old English healh ‘nook’, ‘corner of land’."

• Hudnall is also a geographic place name in England

Little Gaddesden and Hudnall area in Hertfordshire, UK

Although some speculate that John Hudnall had two wives, it is generally believed that John Hudnall only had one wife whose last name was Webb. Col. James Edmonds Saunders in his book "Early Settlers of Alabama," indicates her name was WEBB. Banks McLaurin, Jr. indicates her last name was PARTAIN. John and Mary Hudnall named of one of their sons Partain.

Per "Married Well and Often: Marriages of the Northern Neck of Virginia, 1649-1800" by Robert K. Headley, Jr., Genealogy Publishing Co., Inc., 2003, Mary Hudnall, a widow, married Edward Sanders. Cited was a reference by Jenkins page 119, that her maiden name was Webb.

John Hudnall's widow, Mary, applied for a commission of administration for his estate (he died intestate) at the November Court in Northumberland County on 20 November, 1659. Per "Cavaliers and Pioneers  Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1800", page 463, John is listed as deceased on 24 Aug 1658.

From the Northumberland County Orders, 1652-1665, p. 223, abstracted by Ruth & Sam Sparacio, The Antient Press:

At a Court held for ye County of Northumberland ye 20th of November 1659. "Upon the peticon of Mary Hudnall, the Widdowe & Relict of Jno Hudnall, deced., it is ordered that a Commission of Administration shal be granted unto her of the Estate of her deced. Husband, shee presenting an Inventory thereof to the Court and putting in security for the same."

After John Hudnall (I) died in 1658, Mary Webb Hudnall married Edward Sanders in May 1660. Edward Sanders was born 10 Aug 1625 with a will dated 4 Oct 1669 and proved 19 Jun 1672. Their children were:
         - Ebenezer Sanders (1661-after 1693) m. c1686 Elizabeth (Presley?)
         - John Sanders (1662-1700) m(1) Mary Risle; m(2) Sarah Hargrave
         - Edward Sanders (c1663-c1739) m. c1685 Elizabeth (Teel?)
After Edward Sanders died, Mary married William Thomas (d.1678) after 1672.

From available records, John and Mary Hudnall had 6 children. They were:  

Because many of the early Hudnall descendants were given the same name, the son of John Hudnall (I) is referred to as John Hudnall (II) and his son is referred to John Hudnall (III). There is no documentation that they actually used those designations. It is used here to help delineate the generations.

Three children of John Hudnall (III) are noted in the "Virginia Colonial Abstracts", published by Beverly Fleet in 1988 by the Genealogical Publishing Co. The abstracts were replublished from 34 paperback volumes.

Per the will of John Hudnall (III), his wife, Judith, and  5 living children were heirs to his estate. The children mentioned were: Joseph, Frances, Alice, Nancy, Winifred and William. 

FAMILY INFORMATION

Click on the following link to view information on the descendants of John Hudnall (I) to the present. The PDF reports are generated by the Legacy Genealogy program. (Report with documentation also available)

Hudnall Family Descendant Book (Early 1600's - Present) - a privatized (dates & places of living people omitted) 15 Generation Descendant Book (PDF), starting with John Hudnall (I) - 729 pages plus index (Large file may take extra time to download depending on your internet speed)

For additional information on the Hudnall family, click on the following links:

Hudnall Family Association (HFA) - a nonprofit organization that seeks to collect, share and preserve the Hudnall heritage

Hudnall Family Ancestry & History - a data base repository of all HUDNALL/HUDNELL family descendants of John Hudnall (I) - requires membership to HFA and registration to search data base

Click on the following links to view Hudnall information collected by Carl Albert Edwards that focuses on the Hudnall families that migrated from South Carolina and settled in Louisiana. The PDF book is 156 pages with a number of obituaries and pictures. The Addendum is a collection of obituaries collected by Carl that are not included in the book.

The Hudnall Family - 1989 book by Carl Edwards  (Large file (70 mg) may take a few minutes to download depending on your internet speed)

Addendum to The Hudnall Family - not included in the 1989 book by Carl Edwards  (Large file (10 mg) may take extra time to download depending on your internet speed)