Excerpt from “A Record Of The Notable Ancestry Of The Ruedlingers Vol. 2”: Leonard Ruedlinger’s Ethnic Background: “ My dad’s parents are Oliver Ruedlinger (March 12th, 1909-July 31st, 1984) and Eileen
(Manion) Ruedlinger (August 4th, 1917-April 12th, 1982). While Eileen is of heavy English
colonial and German descent, Oliver is, as far as I can determine, not descended from any
English royalty in any way. The direct Ruedlinger line originates in the municipality of
Nesslau, of the Toggenburg District of the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. This is also
where our ancestral Ruedlinger family crest pictured on the cover of both volumes of this
book originates. The furthest traceable Ruedlinger ancestor is Gallus Ruedlinger (August
24th, 1738-October 29th, 1786). Dad’s Great Grandfather, Johann Jakob Ruedlinger
(September 23rd, 1854-October 1st, 1922) immigrated to the United States from
Switzerland through Ellis Island in 1884, settling in St. Louis, Missouri. Johann’s mother is
Regula Geiger (March 16th, 1823-January 9th, 1899), who may somehow be kin to
Johannes Wilhelm Geiger (September 30th, 1882-September 24th, 1945), inventor of the
Geiger counter, though this is pure speculation.
From everything I’ve traced, Oliver Ruedlinger has no notable ancestry beyond
fathering the patriarch of our Ruedlinger line, and his ancestry is purely Swiss-German.
Eileen (Manion) Ruedlinger’s ancestry is much more interesting, and it is through her
maternal ancestry that each member of the Ruedlinger family is related to my father.
Eileen’s 7th Great Grandfather is William “The Elder” Dunlop I, Reverend, Professor,
Principal Of Glasgow University, Historiographer Of Scotland (1654-March 8th, 1703). He
immigrated to the Carolina Colony of America until after 1688, when he returned to
Scotland. His line also includes dozens of Scottish Nobility, including the Hamiltons, and
King Robert II of Scotland. I have just discovered this relation over the course of writing
this summary while examining dad’s ancestry. It seems as though I have just found closer
relations to the ancestors of the Kings of Scotland that those that are listed within the pages
of this book, though the previously recorded relations are also equally as valid through
different lines of descent.
Eileen’s paternal 16th Great Grandfather is Sir Robert Browne Sheriff Of Kent,
Chancellor Of The Exchequer For King Henry VI (1371-1462).
Eileen’s paternal 14th Great Grandfather, Sir William Fowler Servant Of King Edward
IV (1400-July 2nd, 1452) is my paternal 17th Great Grandfather.
The most interesting area of overlap between my ancestry and that of my fathers is
through the Chiefs of the Scottish MacLeod Clan. Eileen’s paternal 12th Great Grandfather,
my paternal 15th Great Grandfather, is Alasdair “Crotach” MacLeod 8th Chief Of Clan
MacLeod. The son of Alasdair which dad is descended from is William Ralph Cloud/
MacLeod (1502?-1544), while the son of Alasdair that I am descended from is Tormod
MacLeod 12th Chief Of MacLeod (1510-1585). Dad is also kin to every descendant of the
MacLeod clan, as well as the current Chief of the MacLeod Clan, Hugh Magnus MacLeod,
30th Chief Of Clan MacLeod (1973-Living), dad and I’s 14th Cousin 1x Removed. He has
been the clan chief since the death of his father in 2007.
The first royal ancestor of dad’s I discovered is through a long chain of intermarriages
between English noble families beginning with the mother of dad’s 9th Great Grandfather
William Cloud Sr. (July 8th, 1621-August 25th, 1702), Joan Norris (November 25th, 1594-
November 24th, 1647). Her great grandfather, Sir Knight William Thomas Norris/Norreys
(1501-January 30th, 1558) is the 13th Great Grandson of King Henry I of England
(1100-1135), the son of King William I “The Conqueror” (?-September 9th, 1087), the 3rd
Great Grandson of Rollo the Viking, who denounced his pagan viking religion and
converted to Catholicism after invading France, becoming a devout Christian. His
descendants are the ancestors of the throne of England.
Eileen Ruedlinger is also the 35th Great Granddaughter of the legendary viking hero
Ragnar Lodbrock through her newly discovered line of descent from King Robert II Of
Scotland, who is the descendant of King Malcom III of Scotland, a descendant of Ragnar.
Eileen’s maternal ancestry seems to be primarily German and difficult to trace very far,
similar to dad’s paternal ancestry.
In conclusion, it seems that, while dad is primarily of Swiss/German ancestry, and this
is reflected in his genetics, he is much more colonial descended than the average American,
and is biologically related to the rest of the Ruedlinger family several times over.”