| Notes |
- In August 1629 Nathaniel and his brothers John and Thomas joined the Cambridge Company. It is assumed that they and Nathaniel's new bride, Anna, and his step-son, William Gull, sailed for New England on one of the ships of the Massachusetts Bay Company in the spring of 1630. However, no record of their names has been found amoung the passenger listings of that period. Nor has any record been found of their residence in the Boston area between 1630 and 1635/6 when Nathaniel and his family appeared in the new town of Wethersfield, CT. It is thought that he settled temporarily in Watertown, MA and later traveled overland to Wethersfield along the trail used by the Rev. Thomas Hooker's party which settled Hartford. This sequence of events seems likely because many of the settlers of Wethersfield and later of Hadley had lived for a time in Watertown or Dorchester. Nathaniel's ancestral background of business acumen, community service and leadership served him in good stead in the New World. He was admitted a freeman in Connecticut in 1637. He became town clerk or recorder in Wethersfield in 1640 and selectman in 1646. He was representative to the House of Magistrates at Hartford serving until 1656. He helped survey Wethersfield's Broad Street and lay out the homelots for some of the new settlers. Disagreements developed in the settlements concerning the rules governing church membership, baptism and the rights of brotherhood. Parson Russell of the Wethersfield church and a majority of its members were not in favor of relaxing the standards set by earlier congregations. These people and residents of Hartford and Windsor who held similar views formed a group known as the "Withdrawers" for the purpose of establishing a new settlement where they could live in accordance with their deeply held religious beliefs. After obtaining permission to settle in Massachusetts, the Withdrawers purchased land from three Indian chiefs. This land was fifty miles up the Connecticutt River near Northampton MA, a trading post was established in 1654. On 18 Apr 1659 the Withdrawers met at Goodman Ward's house in Hartford and fifty-nine men signed an Agreement or Engagement for the establishment of a new settlement. These included Nathaniel Dickinson and his sons John and Thomas. Nathaniel was one of five men chosen to go to the newly purchased lands and lay out fifty-nine home lots of eight acres each and a Broad Street twenty rods wide. This street with its wide common still remains virtually unchanged. By 1661 many houses had been built in the new town, which was named Hadley, and home lots had been assigned on the west side of the river in the area that became Hatfield. The original home lots of Nathaniel and his sons John and Thomas were located on the east side of the Broad Street in Hadley. Two other sons, Nathaniel Jr and Samuel, settled in Hatfield and Nathaniel lived in that town for a time before returning to Hadley. Nathaniel was active in civic affairs in the new settlement. He was Hadley's first town clerk, a selectman and an assessor. He served as a commissioner to end small claims. He was on the committee appointed in 1663 to make plans for the town's first meetinghouse and was one of the first deacons. Nathaniel was a member of the train band and one of ten Hadley men who joined with men from neighboring towns form the Hampshire Troop of Horsemen in 1663. He was on the first board of trustees of Hopkins Academy, one of the oldest grammar schools in the United States (1664). Children of Nathaniel and Anna 1. John b 1630 - killed 19 May 1676 Turner's Falls Fight, King Philip's War m 1648 Frances Foote 2. Joseph b 1632 - killed 5 Sep 1675 Indian attack on Northfield MA m Phebe Bracey 3. Thomas b 1633/4 d 17 Jan 1712/3 Wethersfield CT m 7 Mar 1667 Hannah Crow 4. Samuel b 6 or 15 Jul 1638 Wethersfield, CT d 30 Nov 1711 Hatfield, MA m 4 Jan or Jun 1668 Martha Bridgeman 5. Obadiah b 15 Apr 1641 Wethersfield CT d 10 Jun 1698 Wethersfield m (1) 1668 Sarah Beardsley m (2) 1692 Mehitable Hinsdale 6. Nathaniel b 16 Aug 1643 Wethersfield CT d 11 Oct 1710 Hatfield, MA m (1) 1662 Hannah Beardsley m (2) 1680 Elizsabeth Hawks widow of Joseph Gillett m (3) 1684 Elizabeth Bert widow of Samuel Wright. 7. Nehemiah b abt 1644 Wethersfield CT d 9 Sep 1723 Hadley MA m 1671 Mary Cowles 8. Hezekiah b 28 Feb 1645 Wethersfield CT d 14 Jun 1707 Springfield MA m 1679 Abigail Blakeman. 9. Azariah b 10 Oct 1648 Wehtersfield CT killed by Indians 25 Aug 1675 m Dorcas ___ Frances mentioned in Nathaniel's will as "my daughter" is probably his son John's wife.
Will: I, Nathaniel Dickenson, Senior, late of Haytfield, now of Hadley, in ye County of Hampshire, upon Connitticut, doe make and ordaine this my last will and testament, as follows: Imprimis, making a full surrender of myseslf, soule and body, into ye hands of God, my Creator, and Jesus Christ, my alone Savior and Redeemer, relying on Him for all yt I need and hope for in this world, & yt which is to come, & leaving my body to decent burriell in hope of a blessed resurrection, I do bestow yt portion of outward estate which the Lord in His Fatherlie mercy hath blessed me with, in manner following: my debtes and funerall espenses being first payd. Secondly: I doe give unto my son Mehemiah, my house & barn & homelott, with all the preveledges and appurtenances thereto belonging; as alsoe one-half my meaddow land in Hadley (except what is hereinafter excepted) with the preveledges and appurtenances thereto belonging; to be to him and his heirs forever, besides what was Thomas Webster's. I give my daughter-in-law, Dorcas, widdow of my son Azariah, four acres & a half Meaddow land, bounded by my son, Thomas, his land east; Frances Barnard, west; John Hubbard, north; & ye highway, south; so as to be her and her heirs forever. Further, I give or abate to her all yt was my due for ye rent of my land from her, & alsoe doe give to her ye rent money that was due to me for my oxen; and alsoe 3 pounds that was due for a barrell (unpayd) of pork; all & every of ye premises I give to ye said Dorcas as her own, to be to her and her heirs forever. The rest of my meaddow in Hadley, I doe give to be equally divided betweene all my sons (except Nehemiah) and my daughters - FrancesDickenson and Hannah Clary - which my executors shall either equally divide to all my aforesaid children, or else to pay to each their proportion of ye sayd lands, as it shall be prized in County pay, within two years after my decease to ym and their heirs forever. To my son, Thomas, I give my house and lott I bought of Mr Wattson; he paying Mr. Wattson ye Thirty Pounds yt due for the same; of, if he like it not on those terms, then it shall be last in among my devidable estate to my children. To my son, Samuel, I give my house and home lott in Haytfield, to be to him and his heirs forever, together with the preveledges and appurtenances thereto belonging. To my son, Obadiah, I give all ye rest of my land in Haytfield, with ye preveledges and appurtenances thereto belonging, to be to him and his heirs forever; and my meaning and will is that these two, my sons, Samuel and Obadiah, shall not come in for a share of my land in Hadley, but this given them in Haytfield shall be instead of it. To my son, William Gull, (step-son)I give Three Pounds which he oweth me for a barrell of pork. All ye rest of my estate I give to be equally divided amongst all my sons and daughters. Frances Dickenson and Hannah Clary having equal shares with their bretheren. I do hereby make & ordaine my two sons, Thomas & Nehemiah, executors of this my last will & testament, hereunto as my last will and testament i have subjoyned my hand & seal this present 29th day of May, 1676. Nathaniel Dickenson In presence of: Joseph Kellogg John Russell, Junior The desire of ye testator is yt ye share given unto Frances Dickenson, may, if she see meet, be given to Samuel Gillett's children.
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1601 - 1676 (~ 75 years)
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