Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) arrived in Massachusetts as a young woman in 1630, a member of the band of Puritans who settled the Boston area under the leadership of John Winthrop. She was a gifted poet, and a collection of her poems was the first book of poetry by an American author. While she is remembered today primarily for this accomplishment, the role she most cherished was that of devoted wife of Simon Bradstreet — a leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony — and mother of eight children. She serves as a consummate example of a Puritan woman — highly educated and skilled, with a heart after God which manifested itself in joyful and wholehearted devotion to her family.