Susanna Dudley (Thorne) - Another confusing conflict

It has been a long time since I researched this; however, my recollection is that there is some question as to the parentage of Gov. Thomas Dudley. Most people assume/agree that Capt. Roger Dudley was his father. This has to do with Thomas claiming an inheritance (I think?) and using the official Dudley seal in the New World. But there seemed to be some doubt as to whether there was any other independent verification of this being true. And then, if I recall correctly, I could not find any solid confirmation as to who Roger Dudley's parents were. When I get a chance later this week, I will try and research it again. It has been a few years since I looked at this issue.

I found a very old typed genealogy of my family. I did not have possession of this document the last time that I researched the Dudley line. I believe it was prepared by my great, great grandmother, Lilla May Holp, who died in 1920. Genealogy was her hobby.

According to this document, she lists John Dudley & Elizabeth Clerke as the parents of Roger Dudley. John Dudley's parents are listed as Thomas de Dudley and Margaret Threikeld. Thomas de Dudley's parents are listed as Hon. Edmond Sutton de Dudley and Lady Maud Clifford (2nd wife). It keeps going back ... all the way to Charles Martel in 714. It originally went back farther, but the top has been torn off and lost.

She lists the following references:
"Americans of Royal Descent" by Charles H. Browning. Pages 22-24. 3rd Edition, 1894. Published by J.B. Lippincott Co.
"Your Family Tree" by Jordan & Kimball. Published by Appleton & Co. in 1929. Pages 193-197 to trace Roger Dudley to David I, King of Scotland (which is not shown above)
"History of the Dudley Family" by Dean Dudley. Volumes 5 & 6. See page 766.

@Gov Thomas Dudley

Gov. Thomas Dudley and Descendants Through Five Generations, by Marston Watson (ISBN 0-8063-1709-4, Genealogical Publishing Co., 2002) lists Gov. Dudley's parents as Roger Dudley & Susanna Thorne.
It does not indicate who the grandparents are. However, you may wish to consult the author, in case he has further information.

I will check with NEHGS today online. I imagine that they have sources discussing his ancestry. He's my 9th great grandfather by the way. Thomas Dudley, Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony

I am a descendent of Gov. Dudly also. I appreciate this discussion and the name of the resource books. Thank you.

See [http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&sour... The Mystery of Thomas Dudley's Paternal Ancestors By H. Allen Curtis] for a good overview of the currently accepted ancestry of Governor Thomas Dudley, briefly:

1. Edmund Dudley (first son), d. 1487, m. Joyce Tiptoft.
2. Edward Dudley (first son), b. 1459, d. 1531, m. Cecily Willoughby.
3. John Dudley (first son), b. ca. 1495, buried on 18 Sep. 1553, m. Cecily Grey, b. ca. 1497, buried with her husband on 28 Apr. 1554.
4. '''Capt. Henry Dudley (second son, requiring crescent on arms) b. ca, 1517, d. between 1568 and 1570, m. 1545-1550 Miss Ashton.'''
5. '''Capt. Roger Dudley, b. ca. 1550, d. in battle bef. Oct. 1588, m. 8 June 1575 Susanna Thorne, baptized 5 Mar. 1559/60, d. aft. 29 Oct. 1588.'''
6. 13. Governor Thomas Dudley

There was another version of the ancestry that was put forth in the 1800s that claimed that Roger Dudley's parents were John Dudley, d. 1545, m. Elizabeth Clerke.

As a curator, I just had to chose between the two sets of parents for Roger Dudley during a merge. The above is what I wrote in the About Me of his profile. While the work cited in the H. Allen Curtis article above seems to be accepted by many, there are others such as the person who wrote the Wikipedia article on Governor Dudley who don't think the mystery has been cleared up.

It's a good article to read by the way.

Thank you for researching this Everyone. Much appreciated! :-)

Private User I found that merge pending in my Merge Center and did not remember this discussion (unfortunately) but went out and googled the two sets of parents and that is how I found the article.

Although I ultimately chose Henry and ? Ashton as the parents, I wanted to capture John and Elizabeth Clerke since the jury's still out.

The History of the Dudley Family by Dean Dudley has been digitized by Brigham Young University and is available online:
http://archive.org/details/historyofdudleyf06dudl