TWO SOURCES RELIABLE EVIDENCE

CREDITS:
Research by
Reiley Kidd, MD,
and Sandra Kidd on the
Kidds of Virginia 1646-1850, http://www.kiddroots.org

KIDDS OF
COLONIAL VIRGINIA

While Y-DNA evidence tells us we are related to Thomas Kidd, we cannot tell exactly how Lewis Kidd descends from him.

Many thanks to Sandra Kidd for her gracious permission to use narrative on this page from emails and other documents sent to Kenneth D. Kidd and David M. Kidd.
Comments, suggestions,
additional info are
always welcomed.,
Please contact: Webmaster

TWO SOURCES OF RELIABLE EVIDENCE

OUR BEST, MOST RELIABLE DATA COMES FROM TWO SOURCES:
Modern Y-DNA evidence, and the land tax and personal property tax on the citizens of Virginia Colony that began circa 1780 or from the founding of each new county, which were collected yearly with records sent year by year to state authorities. These records generally have survived even when county records were destroyed.

WHY Y-DNA EVIDENCE IS IMPORTANT...
THE KIDD Y-DNA PROJECT (<--click link for more, or see description below) has been able to show that descendants of our Lewis Kidd line are very close Y-DNA matches with other proven descendants of Thomas Kidd, who was in the Virginia colony by 1646 and who died in Middlesex Co Virginia in 1680.

While Y-DNA evidence tells us we are related to Thomas, we cannot tell exactly *how* Lewis Kidd descends from him. This is the case for many of our Kidd families who ended up in central Virginia in the 1700s, where records in what was then the wild frontier were scarce. To make matters even worse, Buckingham County vital records were almost completely destroyed in a devastating courthouse fire in 1869. Extremely valuable information was lost.

This tragic loss of records is why Y-DNA evidence has become so important. But the most amazing, and at the same time the most frustrating, thing is this:
~ ~ All Thomas Kidd Y-DNA matches are very tightly clustered, and apparently very little mutation in the Y-DNA has occured over the generations. So as a result, the Kidd Y-DNA Project has not, so far, been able to tease out significant differences based on Y-DNA results that can be used to identify many specific Kidd family lines.
But it is highly probable that the six sons of William who left Middlesex County and began migrating west almost certainly are the ancestors of many of these Kidd families.

SO WHAT CAN WE KNOW FOR SURE FROM DNA EVIDENCE?
Y-DNA evidence closely links our line to proven Thomas Kidd descendants. Our Lewis Kidd line is very likely descended through Thomas's second son William Kidd, and by process of elimination, we are probably descended through one of William's sons; Robert, Duel, or Moses Kidd. For this though, we have no definite proof.

Sadly, unless some records turn up where none have ever been found, its not likely we will ever be able to give Lewis Kidd's grandfather a name and perhaps begin to know for certain how he descends.

WHY LAND AND PERSONAL TAX RECORDS ARE IMPORTANT...
The reason we can identify William Kidd Sr. as Lewis Kidd's probable father is based on our finding in the personal property tax records that a notation of "LK" appears in the household of William Kidd Sr in 1792 and in the household of William Kidd in 1793 and 1794. This is consistent with Lewis being born circa 1771 or 1772 and thus turning 21 circa 1792, and also consistent with his probable marriage circa 1793 or 1794 before the birth of his eldest son Randolph.
No Lewis Kidd is found in Buckingham County after 1807. The placement of Lewis Kidd in Tennessee by 1804 is based on the census-recorded birthplaces of his younger sons, but if land/personal tax records or other records exist that definitely place him in the Blount Co area before 1810, they've not yet been discovered.

So it's highly likely that this Lewis Kidd on the personal property tax list in 1792, 1793, and 1794, is the son of William Kidd Sr. The personal property tax records also suggest to us that William Kidd Sr. had a older son Moses, and likely an even older son John. The tax records further suggest that William Kidd Sr. likely died circa 1799, and definitely by 1804, when he no longer appears on the tax lists and when another William Kidd is designated as Senior.

If William Kidd Sr. died before 1804, this also would be consistent with son Lewis and his young family leaving Buckingham County around this time or shortly after. Although we have evidence that William Kidd Sr. was taxed on 190 acres, Lewis would likely have been the youngest of at least three sons and thus unlikely to inherit any land from his father. (Because of the destructive courthouse fire in 1869, virtually no wills survive for Buckingham Co VA pre-1860s.)

We have not been able to place this particular William Kidd Sr. in a known Kidd lineage. His birth was likely ca 1730s/1740s, and we simply don't have enough records in this period to identify his possible father. Kidd men born in this timeframe who are found as adults in the central Virginia area (including Goochland, Albemarle, Fluvanna, Amherst, and Buckingham) are most likely the grandsons or possibly great-grandsons of the first Thomas Kidd, and are very likely descended through Thomas's younger son William Kidd.
On the Kidd Roots home page, which Sandra Kidd and Reiley Kidd have given gracious permission to reference, you can find a short paper on Thomas Kidd and his descendants, Thomas Kidd (Jr) and William, that outlines the reasons that six of William's sons--Robert, John, Duel, Moses, Aaron, and James--and one daughter Margaret (who married John Southern) left Middlesex Co in the years following their father and mother's deaths in 1727.

AARON KIDD, JOHN KIDD, JAMES KIDD...
Of William's six sons--Robert, John, Duel, Moses, Aaron, and James--we know the proven children of Aaron Kidd of Albemarle/Fluvanna Co and of John Kidd of Albemarle and Amherst/Nelson Counties, and we have a solid theory for the children of James Kidd, who did also settle in Buckingham Co. We have virtually no records for Robert (he disappears completely after the 1750s) and only a handful for Duel and Moses.

KIDD Y-DNA PROJECT: This is a study of the Y chromosome DNA of males named Kid, Kidd, Kidde, Keddie, and other spelling variants, including Scottish variants McKidd/McKiddie/McKeddie. Any male with the Kidd surname or any variant is welcome to participate no matter where they live. The purpose is to find out how the various Kidd families do or do not relate to each other. Administrators: Sandra Kidd, Steven Perkins

To include your stories and other information in this site,
Email us at Webmaster.

Comments, suggestions,
additional info are
always welcomed.,
Please contact: Webmaster
Nova Development Art Explosion

CREDITS: Research by Reiley Kidd, MD, and Sandra Kidd on the Kidds of Virginia 1646-1850, http://www.kiddroots.org KIDDS OF COLONIAL VIRGINIA While Y-DNA evidence tells us we are related to Thomas Kidd, we cannot tell exactly how Lewis Kidd descends from him. Many thanks to Sandra Kidd for her gracious permission to use narrative on this page from emails and other documents sent to Kenneth D. Kidd and David M. Kidd. Comments, suggestions, additional info are always welcomed., Please contact: Webmaster
	*TWO SOURCES OF RELIABLE EVIDENCE*
	OUR BEST, MOST RELIABLE DATA COMES FROM TWO SOURCES: Modern Y-DNA evidence, and the land tax and personal property tax on the citizens of Virginia Colony that began circa 1780 or from the founding of each new county, which were collected yearly with records sent year by year to state authorities. These records generally have survived even when county records were destroyed. WHY Y-DNA EVIDENCE IS IMPORTANT... THE KIDD Y-DNA PROJECT (<--click link for more, or see description below) has been able to show that descendants of our Lewis Kidd line are very close Y-DNA matches with other proven descendants of Thomas Kidd, who was in the Virginia colony by 1646 and who died in Middlesex Co Virginia in 1680. While Y-DNA evidence tells us we are related to Thomas, we cannot tell exactly how Lewis Kidd descends from him. This is the case for many of our Kidd families who ended up in central Virginia in the 1700s, where records in what was then the wild frontier were scarce. To make matters even worse, Buckingham County vital records were almost completely destroyed in a devastating courthouse fire in 1869. Extremely valuable information was lost. This tragic loss of records is why Y-DNA evidence has become so important. But the most amazing, and at the same time the most frustrating, thing is this: ~ ~ All Thomas Kidd Y-DNA matches are very tightly clustered, and apparently very little mutation in the Y-DNA has occured over the generations. So as a result, the Kidd Y-DNA Project has not, so far, been able to tease out significant differences based on Y-DNA results that can be used to identify many specific Kidd family lines. But it is highly probable that the six sons of William who left Middlesex County and began migrating west almost certainly are the ancestors of many of these Kidd families. SO WHAT CAN WE KNOW FOR SURE FROM DNA EVIDENCE? Y-DNA evidence closely links our line to proven Thomas Kidd descendants. Our Lewis Kidd line is very likely descended through Thomas's second son William Kidd, and by process of elimination, we are probably descended through one of William's sons; Robert, Duel, or Moses Kidd. For this though, we have no definite proof. Sadly, unless some records turn up where none have ever been found, its not likely we will ever be able to give Lewis Kidd's grandfather a name and perhaps begin to know for certain how he descends. WHY LAND AND PERSONAL TAX RECORDS ARE IMPORTANT... The reason we can identify William Kidd Sr. as Lewis Kidd's probable father is based on our finding in the personal property tax records that a notation of "LK" appears in the household of William Kidd Sr in 1792 and in the household of William Kidd in 1793 and 1794. This is consistent with Lewis being born circa 1771 or 1772 and thus turning 21 circa 1792, and also consistent with his probable marriage circa 1793 or 1794 before the birth of his eldest son Randolph. No Lewis Kidd is found in Buckingham County after 1807. The placement of Lewis Kidd in Tennessee by 1804 is based on the census-recorded birthplaces of his younger sons, but if land/personal tax records or other records exist that definitely place him in the Blount Co area before 1810, they've not yet been discovered. So it's highly likely that this Lewis Kidd on the personal property tax list in 1792, 1793, and 1794, is the son of William Kidd Sr. The personal property tax records also suggest to us that William Kidd Sr. had a older son Moses, and likely an even older son John. The tax records further suggest that William Kidd Sr. likely died circa 1799, and definitely by 1804, when he no longer appears on the tax lists and when another William Kidd is designated as Senior. If William Kidd Sr. died before 1804, this also would be consistent with son Lewis and his young family leaving Buckingham County around this time or shortly after. Although we have evidence that William Kidd Sr. was taxed on 190 acres, Lewis would likely have been the youngest of at least three sons and thus unlikely to inherit any land from his father. (Because of the destructive courthouse fire in 1869, virtually no wills survive for Buckingham Co VA pre-1860s.) We have not been able to place this particular William Kidd Sr. in a known Kidd lineage. His birth was likely ca 1730s/1740s, and we simply don't have enough records in this period to identify his possible father. Kidd men born in this timeframe who are found as adults in the central Virginia area (including Goochland, Albemarle, Fluvanna, Amherst, and Buckingham) are most likely the grandsons or possibly great-grandsons of the first Thomas Kidd, and are very likely descended through Thomas's younger son William Kidd. On the Kidd Roots home page, which Sandra Kidd and Reiley Kidd have given gracious permission to reference, you can find a short paper on Thomas Kidd and his descendants, Thomas Kidd (Jr) and William, that outlines the reasons that six of William's sons--Robert, John, Duel, Moses, Aaron, and James--and one daughter Margaret (who married John Southern) left Middlesex Co in the years following their father and mother's deaths in 1727. AARON KIDD, JOHN KIDD, JAMES KIDD... Of William's six sons--Robert, John, Duel, Moses, Aaron, and James--we know the proven children of Aaron Kidd of Albemarle/Fluvanna Co and of John Kidd of Albemarle and Amherst/Nelson Counties, and we have a solid theory for the children of James Kidd, who did also settle in Buckingham Co. We have virtually no records for Robert (he disappears completely after the 1750s) and only a handful for Duel and Moses.
	KIDD Y-DNA PROJECT: This is a study of the Y chromosome DNA of males named Kid, Kidd, Kidde, Keddie, and other spelling variants, including Scottish variants McKidd/McKiddie/McKeddie. Any male with the Kidd surname or any variant is welcome to participate no matter where they live. The purpose is to find out how the various Kidd families do or do not relate to each other. Administrators: Sandra Kidd, Steven Perkins
		To include your stories and other information in this site, Email us at Webmaster.
Comments, suggestions, additional info are always welcomed., Please contact: Webmaster