Thomas Leavitt (1616–1696) was an English Puritan who was one of the earliest permanent settlers of the Province of New Hampshire. A farmer, Leavitt apparently followed Rev. John Wheelwright to his settlement of Exeter, New Hampshire. Leavitt later moved on to Hampton. He was seldom involved in town business, and was described by one writer as "a quiet, useful citizen." He was not remarkable, except insofar as those who crossed the Atlantic, swept by storms startling to Englishmen, to settle an unknown continent, peopled by tribes with which they were unfamiliar, were unremarkable.
Salt marshes, Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. Early postcard, c. 1905.