Questions & Answers

Below are answers to a couple of recent questions I've received (sometimes I answer questions in the comments section; sometimes in a separate post like this).

• Philip, please share with this NC mainlander what the word "scud" means. I could have looked it up, but I am sure your definition is more interesting to read!

-- "Scud" is an old nautical term meaning "to run before a gale." In a broader sense it means to move or run swiftly, to be driven forward. It appears to come from the Norwegian word "skudda" meaning "to push." On Ocracoke its meaning has been broadened even further. Scud is used on the island as a noun and it generally means a short trip in an automobile or a boat.

• Recent postings and comments re. shipwrecked ancestors, "Ay-rabs," and Native Americans make me wonder whether anyone's ever undertaken any sort of genetic study of Ocracoke's most established families.

-- The only genetic study of any of Ocracoke's original families that I know of is the Howard DNA Project (http://thehowardhistorian.com/page8.html). This project did not originate from Ocracoke, and, at least to my knowledge, no one on the island has participated.

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Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Ocracoke native Major General Ira Thomas Wyche. You can read the complete story here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news092110.htm.