Joseph DUDLEY

                   Individual:
One of the first Deacons of the North Guilford Congregational Church serving 35 years in that position; also served as Justice of the Peace Captain of the militia at North Guilford, CT in 1725 Perhaps married Ruth Strong in 1712
Dudley Farm Newsletter Spring, 1998
Captain William Dudley (1684-1761) was the first member of the Dudley family to actually live in North Guilford. The grandson of one of Guilford's original settlers, William Dudley (1612-1685) Captain William became one of the most respected memb ers of the new community that he helped create.
In 1712, William and his young wife, Ruth Strong, were part of the general migration of Guilford families into what was known as Cohabit. Along with families such as the Bartletts, Bentons, Bishops, Fowlers, Hubbards and Rossiters, the Dudleys es tablished homes on land that had been part of the Fourth Division of town lands that were first surveyed in 1692 and allotted to town residents in 1705-6. According to the formula followed at the time, each free male in Guilford received land based on his current holdings, number of male children under the age of 18, and the number of women and female children in the family.
Prior to this migration, land holders would travel north from their homes in town on Monday and stay until Saturday, working and clearing their land and living in a communal dwelling, thus the name Cohabit. By 1712, the area was deemed suitabl e for permanent settlement by the town and William, along with his new neighbors, moved north.
By 1716, the settlers of Cohabit were established enough to petition the town and the Connecticut General Court for the right to hire a minister for the winter months, thus eliminating the need to travel to Guilford proper for church services . In 1720, the residents were given the right to raise taxes to establish a church of their own and 1725, a church was built and a permanent minister hired. This permanent church marked the fulfillment of the settlement process that had begun 33 years earlier.
Shortly after the move to Cohabit the first of Ruth and William's ten children was born, daughter named Submit. Of the ten children, five were to die by the year 1743. With childhood diseases and accidents all too prevalent, these personal trage dies were common during the 18th century.
From the beginning in 1712, William Dudley was looked to by his fellow settlers in North Guilford as a leader. He attained the position of Captain of the local militia, an office chosen by the militia members and usually given to the person whos e leadership and integrity were held in high regard. Captain William, as he became known, also served the church society in North Guilford from 1725 until his death as one of the two deacons, a position second only to that of the minister in importance to the community.
When Captain William died in 1761, his seven surviving children inherited his substantial land holdings. It is through his son Jared (1727-1811) that the land that became the Dudley Farm can be traced.
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Sources
Author: Dudley, Dean
Title: History of the Dudley Family
Publication: Dean Dudley, Publisher David Clapp & Sons, Printers; Wakefield, MA 1888
Page: 353