I believe that I am related to the Moodie's of Orkney but cannot solidly prove it as yet. The best ~Possible~ proof we have so far is via Ydna. Our group of Moody's (as our name is spelled today in Nor. America) has so far shared NO ydna with any of the Moody's from England lineages.
We do however happen to be the Only Moody's with Norse ydna. I have noticed from Two separate Moodie/Mudie genealogies done 1959 and 1906, that both claim to be descended from the Norwegians who came to Orkney Isles and the northern most regions of Scotland during the reign of Norse Earls of their time.
Based SOLELY on these two claims of Norwegian ancestry among the Moodie's/Mudie's of these particular areas from Orkney down to Arbroath, Scotland etc. and the fact that we do Not share Ydna with the English Moody's (even though our last name is spelled that way, I believe it was originally spelled as Moodie or Mudie), and that the majority of the Other Surname families that our particular group has intermarried with over centuries are predominantly Scottish in origin whose families can be traced back to these very same areas of Scotland, I can only feel that our Moody family must somehow descend from these Orkney and northern most Scottish MOODIE/Mudie families as well.

Here are examples of the Other Surnames that have showed up in our Ydna Moody cousins family trees....Elvington which we now find evolved from Elphinstone(various spellings) which is/was an Orkney name, McQuiston/McQuestion/McCuiston/Houston/Houstoun/Hewiston (numerous and various forms of this name dating back to Clan Uisdean from the Isle of Skye which as I understand is a sept of Clan Donald), KENNEDY, Hamilton, Spence, Hutton, Pattoun/Patton/Patten (various spellings), Wilson, Alexander, Crawford, McNeill, Glendinning which was changed to Clenndennin when these families went to Northern Ireland, Chisholm/Chisolm, Stewart, Williams, Sellars/Sellers, Sloan[e], Duncan, Donald/McDonald and on and on the list goes.

My own 5th grt. grandfather was named James MOODY b.c1750 or Before but Not after c1755. He appeared out of nowhere in York Co., Maine, USA in Jan. 1774 when he married my 5th grt. grandmother Elizabeth DONALD. They had 3 known children, Sarah (named for Elizabeth's mother), James, Jr. and Joseph MOODY (named for ??? James father? grandfather?, certainly not his brides father or grandfather as they were Benjamin and Nathaniel DONALD respectively).

A great many of our Moody ydna genetic cousins families have come from Northern Ireland to America, landing mostly in PA (or the Delaware river inlet) and then most of them proceeded South and West, some went to OH and others appear in Nova Scotia, Canada (this is where my exact ydna matching genetic cousins live which is not far from Maine where mine showed up although we cannot find a direct link between our Moody families yet even though their earliest known ancestor was of the Same name as my 5th grt. grandfather...James Moody and theirs was also born around the same time but appearing to be born more around c1755).
My James Moody died Before Sept. 4, 1785 and their James Moody appears to have lived at least until c1802 when his last daughter Sophia was born (per records from the Nat. Archives of Nova Scotia, local Historical Society's and Local area history museums). However, to be clear, our Ydna does Not match to the Loyalist of the Rev. War, Lt. James Moody of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. He was of the English line of Moody's and is of a completely different haplotype than we are.

Based on the strong supporting evidence we have Genealogically and the Proof of our Norse ydna connections and the intermarriages of other known Scottish born or linked families between our lines and the claims of the Moodie's/Mudie's from Orkney down to Arbroath that they too descended from the Norse Earls of their very early reign in Scotland, I see no reason for us not to believe that we too are linked somehow to these Orkney, Caithness, Thurso, Dundee, Montrose, Brechin, Angus, Arbroath area Moodie's/Mudie's as well. Just how or which branch is unknown.
There have only been 2 Moodie's/Mudie's from Scotland that have been Ydna tested to my knowledge and neither of them matched to each other or to any other Moody's/Moodie's/Mudie's for that matter. This doesn't mean there aren't Moody's out there to whom they will one day connect or share ydna with, its just that right now, to my knowledge, they do not link to any others except perhaps their own immediate family. It will take further Ydna testing of these families and other Moodie's/Mudie's from those areas and all areas of Scotland really, in order to determine just which branches of these families we do descend from.
As for our particular group of Moody's (Moodie's/Mudie's), the first names of James, John, Thomas, Henry, Robert, Charles, Nathaniel, Samuel, Benjamin, William, Daniel, Joseph and Israel, seem to be among the most popular First Names given to the sons. We also have Asa, Adam, Levi, Gilbert, Hugh, and others however that are not used quite as often as some of the ones above; depending on how far back in time we go too they change.

Our earliest known ydna ancestor Thomas MOODY b.c1710 in/of Aghadowey, Co. Londonderry, Nor. Ireland who married Jean McQUISTON (daug. of Benjamin), came to PA (New Castle, DE) c1735. Around this same time a family of the name of James MOODY whose son Adam Moody (who had sons Robert and Edward) landed in the same place and they lived in Northampton Co., PA (Bethel area I believe it was) and I believe we have a link to this family line as well. MANY similarities between our families although not proven as yet to the link that MIGHT be between us.

Our Thomas Moody then removed to Guilford Co., NC where his descendants disbursed all over the South (TN, KY, MS, AL, ARK, MO, etc.) and out West (OK, TX and KS) and some going up to OH and other areas of the U.S.

Our latest ydna cousins came from South Carolina where numerous Scottish families came. There is also a very early James MOODY and brother Robert Moody who came to the Shenandoah Valley area of Augusta Co., VA to whom I also feel we MIGHT have a connection to as well due to the overwhelming similarities in the Same Surnames they intermarried with as our family did as well, but again I cannot prove it as it. Also an Andrew MOODY and his nephew also named Andrew Moody came to this area of VA in the 1700's and he was said to have come from Ireland. Perhaps he had a family connection to this James and Robert Moody too.

If anyone can help with any of these family names or if anything sounds familiar or if anyone is willing to share their Orkney Moodie genealogy with us, I would be Most Greatful as I will go to my grave believing that we do indeed descend from the Moodie's of Orkney until proven otherwise via Ydna testing.
Thank You very much for any help or info.