I have a similar story. A relative was researching one of the family lines (he was early teens I think) and was advised by an older family member not to research that line further since there was a “pirate” and it’s “not good to have pirates in the family.” We were also told we had Native American blood somewhere.

We’re now pretty convinced the “pirate” was actually black but white passing and the Native American story was a cover for the slightly darker skin his descendants had.