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Tag: genealogy

Names of the Ipswich slaves

September 20, 2026October 22, 2026 Gordon Harris1 Comment

In 1641 the Massachusetts Bay Colony adopted a code of laws that made slavery legal. In 1755, the slaves in this town above the age of sixteen numbered sixty-two, but within ten years, public opinion began turn against slavery. In 1780, the present Constitution of Massachusetts was adopted, its first article asserting that all men are born free and equal.

Posted in PeopleTagged 1640, genealogy, slavery

Arrival of the English

November 13, 2025July 27, 2026 Gordon Harris22 Comments

Within three years of the arrival of the Winthrop fleet to New England, so many immigrants had arrived in Massachusetts Bay that Boston Neck could not hold them all. Perceiving a threat from the French, thirteen men arrived in 1633 to establish the town that would be named Ipswich a year later.

Posted in HistoryTagged Alison Vannah, burnham, Commons, genealogy, genealogy-research

Historical Perspectives on Section 3A

November 3, 2024March 23, 2025 Gordon Harris1 Comment

Local historian Gordon Harris Mariana Ovnic, the Chair of the Ipswich Historical Commission share their perspectives on this Town Warrant question.

Posted in CommentaryTagged family, family-history, genealogy, History, immigration
Ipswich MA historic photos by William Varrel

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