Moody, from McMuddaugh
Moody is my maiden name. My paternal grandfather told me we had a Scottish ancestor in the late 18th or early 19th century who was named McMuddaugh, or possibly MacMuddaugh, who changed it to Moody after he passed through Ellis Island. Moody is a relatively well-known surname in southeast Texas because of the wealthy Moody family of Galveston Island - to whom I am not related. Neither of these names appear in this database, which in the case of Moody surprises me, given its familiarity around here. Anybody know anything about either name?

~Lillian~
Proud daughter of Ann and John
Proud sister of Lauren and Leah
Proud wife of David
Proud mother of Alexander, Scarlett, Sophia, and Gideon
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Replies

I agree! Right away I thought of the author Susanna Moody. :)
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Yeah, I was certain I'd find it here - oh, well
~Lillian~
Proud daughter of Ann and John
Proud sister of Lauren and Leah
Proud wife of David
Proud mother of Alexander, Scarlett, Sophia, and Gideon
vote up1vote down
Many crimes against nomenclature were committed on Ellis Island, so the McMuddaugh to Moody story is a distinct possibility. However I haven't found a surname McMuddaugh. Might it have been MacMurdo?
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Anything's possible...My grandfather was only an amateur genealogist, a dabbler. He may have been wrong about McMuddaugh; I never knew what his source was, but he seemed so certain...MacMurdo does seem a reasonable possibility. Thanks for the tip.~Lillian~
Proud daughter of Ann and John
Proud sister of Lauren and Leah
Proud wife of David
Proud mother of Alexander, Scarlett, Sophia, and Gideon
vote up1vote down