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ATTLEBORO - For most of her life Suellen Capron didn't have an inkling there was a place called Capron Park, or Attleboro for that matter.

But when she began to look into her family's history after she raised her children and moved toward retirement, she found her way into the city and the park through the magic of the Internet.

She was stunned.

"We're just plain, everyday Caprons and there may be a place called Capron Park," she remembers thinking when she first stumbled upon a reference to the park. "It was a very big surprise. Everyone is someone, but it's something to find out you have a park named after your family."

That was about 10 years ago. About six years ago, she made the trip to Attleboro from her home in Snowflake, Ariz., and confirmed with her own eyes there was indeed a place called Capron Park in a city called Attleboro.

But by then she knew she was directly related to Banfield Capron, one of the city's first settlers in the late 1600s and the common ancestor of many lines of Caprons, including those who donated the 36 acres for the County Street park named for Dennis Capron in 1901.

"I remember seeing that arch with the name Capron on it and I just stood there across the street and looked and looked and looked," Capron said of seeing the park entrance for the first time. "I didn't want to cross the street for several moments because I was in awe."

But she eventually did cross the street and touched her roots. It was the ground where her first American relatives settled, made names for themselves and started what has become a sprawling family covering 13 generations.

And when she arrived in the city last week for the 10th reunion of the Capron family - and the first in Attleboro - there was another special occasion in store.

Capron was invited to spend time in a home that was owned by Caprons for more than 200 years.

Marian Wrightington, chairwoman of the city's historical commission is the current owner with her husband Donald.

It's on the National Register of Historical Places and for Capron the history is very personal.

She was overcome with emotion when she arrived at the North Avenue house, she said.

"I didn't know whether to hug (Marian) first or to take a picture of the sign that said Capron House," she said. "The tears were welling up in my eyes." When she sat in the home, which dates from 1740 and was first occupied by one of Banfield Capron's children, she felt at home.

"I was sitting in Marian's living room and I felt Banfield and the family and I was thinking this is where I should be sitting to have family talks," Capron said.

Capron and her husband, Keith Bennett, began planning the reunion, slated for today, about a year ago.

Capon's line of the family has had other reunions in Pennsylvania where she's orignally from, but she decided Capron Park would be the ideal place for the 10th where she hopes Caprons from far and wide will appear, some of whom they have not met.

Since her retirement two years ago from a career as a teacher and school administrator, Capron has been tracking down as many Caprons as she can find.

She spends a lot of time on the telephone calling strangers out of the blue and talking until they can find out if they are related.

"Generally most of them are excited and want to do it," she said.

And nothing could make Capron happier.

She and her husband both believe that families need to be strengthened.

She's driven by a conviction that strong families make strong individuals which make strong communities which in turn make a strong nation.

Over the years, however, the country has lost what makes it strong, Capron said.

"I believe the country is disintegrating because the family is disintegrating," she said. "We need to bring the family back. Reunions help. We need to keep those connections. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is."

Capron will get the chance today to continue the process.

While she doesn't know exactly who's coming, she expects to meet previously unknown relatives and make her family connections stronger.

About 75 Caprons have been invited. While she doesn't expect that many to show up, Capron said there will be more reunions to come.

"This is just the beginning," she said.

And if there are any Caprons who are reading this at the last minute, Suellen Capron sends this message.

"Please come," she said.