Who knew?

Caitlin's Mom has a knack for genealogy research and turns out a distant forbearer of the Smith Clan, Thomas Dudley, was one of the original settlers of Ipswich, in 1633.

From a the Town of Ipswich History: Agawam remained an uncolonized part of Massachusetts Bay Colony until 1633 when Governor John Winthrop sent his son, John, to establish a settlement to be called Ipswich. With his hearty band of twelve men, John sailed up the Ipswich River in his shallop on a cool March day and began his settlement on the banks of the river near the present wharf. Some earlier exploration must have informed the new settles that the banks of this tide river would provide an ideal place for a new community to be established. Here they would enjoy the advantages of fresh water, water power, good fishing, and an easy means of transportation. It was an extraordinary group of settlers who came to Ipswich - men of substance and education, who were among the key founders of the Puritan Commonwealth: Thomas Dudley, Deputy Governor; Magistrates Simon Bradstreet, Richard Saltonstall, and Samuel Symonds; and Ministers Nathaniel Ward, John Norton, William Hubbard, and Nathaniel Rogers.