Stroud; a German Palatine Name

Our Stroud family is not your average American Stroud family. "Stroud" is typically an English surname, with most individuals bearing the surname in America today descending from the English Strode family. For example; Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, despite its German sounding name, was named for Colonel Jacob Stroud (born 1735 in New Jersey) who was the Great-Grandson of William Strode Esq. of Somerset, England. Likewise, the colonial Stroud family of South Carolina also descended from the English Strode line. However, not all Strouds in America descend from the English family. This is confirmed by the "Stroud DNA Project" available at familytreedna.com which compared the DNA of 80 participants bearing the surname "Stroud", 14 "Strode", and 1"Stroude". The published results of the project concluded;

"Vital, census and immigration records available from various online sites indicate that the Stroud surname and its variants had multiple origins. The surname may have originated independently in Great Britain, the German speaking countries and Scandinavia. Results from the participants currently in the project show that there were multiple origins of the surname. There are multiple haplogroups represented and multiple subgroups within haplogroups. This shows that the various lines of Strouds diverged long before surnames were introduced." 

Our Stroud family does not appear to have descended from the more common English origin. To the contrary, our line appears to have originated in the Palatinate region of Germany. In fact, the family is referred to in the work "History of the German Element in Virginia" written by Hermann Schuricht in 1898 as the "Straud" family. Also, a publisher of an English Stroud Family History forum writes; "Your host met a visiting professor from Germany. When he learned my name was Stroud, he inquired how I spelled it. When I informed him that it was "Stroud" he responded; "Interesting, in Germany it was spelled "Straud."" 

Straud is a German family name believed to have originated in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria sometime during the 16th century. Although the spelling of the name has slightly varied over the years, the roots of the name remain the same. The surname Straud is common in German speaking regions, especially in the former Austro-Hungary region. The most common spelling variations of Straud include Straut, Stroud, Strood, Strohde, Strad, Strautman, Straudmann, Strautmann, and Strayd. 

The recorded history of the German Stroud Family in America begins with two brothers named Adam and Peter Stroud. Adam was born around 1730-35 and Peter around 1735-40. No record exists confirming exactly when or where they were born, but it is clear they were of German heritage. The fact that Adam Stroud is recorded as having been Naturalized as a citizen is convincing evidence that they were not born in America. 

Adam and Peter Stroud were of German Palatine heritage. The Palatinate region of Germany had been ravaged by wars throughout the 17* Century and the first decade of the 18 Century. In 1709, at the invitation of Queen Ann of England, around 7000 German Palatines sailed down the Rhine River to Rotterdam, Netherlands. From there, 3000 made their way to the American Colonies either directly, or via England. The remaining 4000 were sent to England, and then later to Ireland in 1710. The surname Stroud is found among a list of German Palatine families that were relocated to Rathkeale, Ireland, in 1720. 

It is not known exactly when or where our Stroud Family arrived in America. They could have been among the 3000 Palatines who went directly to the New World from Rotterdam, landing in New York in 1710, though the Stroud name does not appear on these lists. It is more probable that the family immigrated from Ireland. Augusta County, Virginia, where the Stroud Family is first recorded in America, was heavily settled by German Palatine families from Ireland.