THE BEGINNING

The purpose of this blog is to tell the story of the families of Dudley, Massachusetts. We have more than 275 years of recorded history in Dudley so there is much to tell. Why is it important?

As Alex Haley has said, "In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future."

We begin Dudley's story with the Healy family. Although not the earliest inhabitants of Dudley, the Healys were one of the first recorded families of Dudley. The first deed of record for Dudley was to John Healy (1721) of Newton from William Dudley, son and executor of the estate of Governor Joseph Dudley. The land was part of the so called Oxford purchase, or Keekamoochaug, Gov. Dudley had made from the Nipmuc Indians in the late 1600’s.

John Healy’s brother, Joshua, settled in Dudley prior to the town’s incorporation in 1732. The Healy family is extensive. The genealogy of the Healy family is chronicled at the following site: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~walkersj/Healy.htm For years, seven Healy homes could be found on Healy Road.