Researching Thomas Dudley
Explore the detail of Thomas Dudley using the links below. We hope you find this information useful!
![]() | Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 4494 people with the Dudley surname? In that year Dudley was ranked number 943 for popularity in the UK. |

The name Thomas means "a twin" and is of Hebrew origin.
Records of Thomas Dudley on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out the detail of Thomas Dudley in your family tree. Many large databases are available to search covering from births, deaths and marriages, military records, census records and immigration records with many other smaller collections too. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.
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Ancestry.com Global records search results for Thomas Dudley. |
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Ancestry.com US records search results for Thomas Dudley. |
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Ancestry.co.uk UK records search results for Thomas Dudley. |
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Ancestry.ca Canadian records search results for Thomas Dudley. |
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Ancestry.com.au Australian records search results for Thomas Dudley. |
DNA
Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. A DNA test can sometimes help to make a link to a particular family name if you find you share common DNA with people who have the same or similar surnames as each other. If you are lucky then you may get a match within a few generations and discover some Dudley ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!
Have you reached a brick wall in your Dudley Tree?
Birth, Death and Marriage Records for Thomas Dudley and the Dudley Genealogy
Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Dudley Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources below you will be able to find a birth record and, from that, a birth certificate can be ordered which lists the names of the mother and father, taking you back another generation in your tree. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Dudley family tree.
Search Parish Records for Thomas Dudley at Find My Past.
Look at for the UK registered births, marriages and deaths of Thomas Dudley using the FreeBMD database.
Check out Genealogy Bank for Thomas Dudley records.
Investigate MyHeritage for Thomas Dudley information.
Explore the LDS Database for records about Thomas Dudley.
Research the Dudley surname using fold3 Military Archives and view images of original Dudley Military records.
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 6596 people with the Dudley surname in the UK? Dudley is now ranked number 919 for popularity in the UK. |
Dudley Family Tree Databases
Another way to build your tree quickly is to use the research other people have already done. This can help to confirm or refute your own deductions - however, be wary of taking this data at face value as other researchers may not have been as meticulous as you. Always try to back up deductions with some definitive sources rather than relying too heavily on others.
Study the WikiTree database for user contributed records for Thomas Dudley.
Study MyTrees for information on the Dudley family and people looking to contact living Dudley relations.
Study One Great Family for Dudley records submitted by people who are already researching the Dudley Family Tree.
Find Thomas Dudley from Ireland on findmypast.ie
Dudley Forums
There are a number of forums which are dedicated to rearching particular surnames. These can be good places to share your findings and also to tap into the knowledge that others may already have. These can sometimes be a good way of finding living relations as these tend not to show up on the other sources of information for privacy reasons.
Research the Dudley surname using Genealogy.com forums .
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 48612 people with the Dudley surname in the USA? Dudley is ranked number 141 for popularity in the USA. |
Miscellaneous Dudley Databases
Study the Ellis Island Database for information on Thomas Dudley. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Some Famous People called Thomas Dudley
Thomas Dudley
Thomas Dudley (12 October 1576 – 31 July 1653) was a colonial magistrate who served several terms as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dudley was the chief founder of Newtowne, later Cambridge, Massachusetts, and built the town's first home. He provided land and funds to establish the Roxbury Latin School, and signed Harvard College's new charter during his 1650 term as governor. Dudley was a devout Puritan who was opposed to religious views not conforming with his. In this he was more rigid than other early Massachusetts leaders like John Winthrop, but less confrontational than John Endecott.
The son of a military man who died when he was young, Dudley saw military service himself during the French Wars of Religion, and then acquired some legal training before entering the service of his likely kinsman the Earl of Lincoln. Along with other Puritans in Lincoln's circle, Dudley helped organize the establishment of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, sailing with Winthrop in 1630. Although he served only four one-year terms as governor of the colony, he was regularly in other positions of authority.
Dudley's daughter Anne Bradstreet (1612–1672) was a prominent early American poet. One of the gates of Harvard Yard, which existed from 1915 to 1947, was named in his honor, and Harvard's Dudley House is named for the family, as is the town of Dudley, Massachusetts.
Source: Thomas Dudley, Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaOther names that sound a bit like Dudley
Family names can get corrupted over time, particularly where literacy was not as good. The following list contains some names that have similar sounds so you may want to also look at one or two of the more likely possibilites.
Dadley Daedelow Datoli Dattile Dattola Dattoli Daudel Dautel Deatley Detoile Diddle Dietl Dittel Ditullio Dodell Dodil Dodle Dodwell Doudle Douteil Doutheil Douttiel Dowdale Dowdall Dowdell Dowdle Duddell Duddle Dudhill Dudill Dudly Duteil Dutheil Dutiel Dutil Dutilly





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