Histories

Nathaniel Dickinson was christened on 3 May 1601 at Billingsborough, Lincolnshire, England
He was the son of William and Sarah (Stacey) Dickinson. He was born in the cathedral city of Ely, where the church is known as "Ship of the Fens". The area he lived in was a part of England called "The Fens", which is barely above sea level and therefore marshy. However, Ely is of higher elevation and considered a refuge during times of floods. About the same time that he left England a massive project was undertaken to drain these lands for farming but, to this day, they still must be conserved and maintained to prevent flooding.

Little is known of his time in England except that he became a non-conformist (Puritan), and sailed with the Winthrop fleet from Southampton for Massachusetts in March of 1630. At this time, England was in turmoil because parliament had been abolished by King Charles I when it refused to bend to his will.

The Winthrop fleet contained eleven ships carrying about seven hundred people to New England in 1630. This was not the first New England settlement but it was the first of its size and organization. They were careful to select people with a variety of skills and also brought a large supply of provisions and livestock.

He first settled at Watertown, Massachusetts, where he remained for five years, and then moved to Wethersfield, Connecticut.

Source: Valenziano/Winchester web site