Smiths! Is there any name more hair-raising in family history research?
I am happy to report that do to a hint from Sheri Havens, I was able to track down the marriage and baptism records for two colonial Smith families, and guess what!?! They are really one big family!
There are some duplicate children profiles awaiting merges, but it seems that Rhode Island Christopher Smith and Alis Gibbes were the parents of 10 children and their baptism records were transcribed in The Registers of Stratford on Avon in Warwick. The only missing record was for son Thomas.
We have often wondered how Rhode Island Chris was related to the "four Smith brothers". Descendants of many of these lines have been yDNA tested with exact or very close matches 12 and 13 generations later. Now we have the published sources to document that they were all one big family from Stratford on Avon.
I am so excited by this, I can't believe it! My husband doesn't get it, but I know you do. Many, many years of confusion and wondering are suddenly clear. So in case you didn't get it either, Christopher and Alis Gibes Smith are the parents of the four Smith brothers and a bunch of other kids too! Wooo Hooooo! 
