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Note: se theological upheavals, common to the times, and no doubt with promise of bettering their condition, Nathaniel Dickinson and his sons decided on the removal to Hadley in 1659. Wethersfield was nearly depopulated by the exodus to Hadley. The agreement, or engagement, of those who intended to remove from Connecticut to Massachusetts, is dated at Hartford, April 18th, 1659. Among the fifty-nine signers are Nathaniel Dickinson and his sons John Dickinson and Thomas Dickinson. A part of the agreement made at this meeting was that William Westwood, Richard Goodman, William Lewis, John White, and Nathaniel Dickinson, should go up to the aforesaid plantation on the east side of Northampton and lay out the number of fifty-nine homelots, and to allow eight acres for every homelot, and to leave a street twenty rods broad betwixt the two westernmost rows of homelots, and to divide said rows of homelots into quarters by highways. TO ANY one who has made study of American genealogy, the name of Nathaniel Dickinson is a household word. Settling with his gentle wife, Anna Gull, in Wethersfield, in A. D. 1636, he took front rank. He was one of the first Board of Selectmen, Representative to the General Assembly, from 1645 to 1656, Recorder for twenty years at Wethersfield, Deacon in the church throughout his life. In 1659, he removed with his family to Hadley, Massachusetts, where he was no less a leader. As shown above he was one of the original Committee sent to lay out the town; first Recorder there, Assessor, Town Magistrate, member of the Hampshire Troop, one of the members of the first Board of Trustees of the Hopkins' Academy. "An intelligent an influential man, and one qualified to do public business, as well as a man of substance, rating with the highest in the division of lands." He owned east of the "Great River," at Hartford, one hundred acres in the tract called "Naubuc Farms." This was sold on or before the removal to Hadley. With him from Wethersfield to Hadley, removed his Minister, Mr. Russell, who gave permanent concealment to Generals Whalley and Goffe, two members of the High Court of Justice that condemned Charles I. With the restoration of the Stuarts, a reward was offered for the heads of these Generals, but they could not be found. Page 18 Sunday, in September, 1675, the little town of Hadley was panic-stricken by an attack of Indians. The surprise was so great, and the numbers so unequal, that the Indians were fast gaining the advantage. Suddenly there appeared among the settlers a man of towering height, and long streaming hair and beard, dressed in fantastic fashion. Wherever he went the Indians fell, and the courage of the English rose. They thought God had sent an angel to lead them out of their sore strait. When the fight was over, the stranger disappeared as suddenly as he came. Many believed to their dying day that he was not mortal. He was General Goffe, the Regicide. Without doubt, our ancestor, being an intimate friend of Mr. Russell, was entrusted with the secret of the concealment of the Regicides, and witnessed this exploit of General Goffe. NATHANIEL DICKINSON, had a family of nine stalwart sons and two daughters, who grew up, married, and had large families, (except possibly the daughter Frances, of whom no later record is found); so that at this day his descendants are unnumbered. All of the sons took an active part in King Philip's War, and John, Joseph and Azariah, the two oldest, and the youngest, were killed. The father, borne down with affliction and weight of years, died at Hadley, June 16, 1676, leaving as legacy the record of a life which has largely helped to make history. Source: Trumbull's Memorial History of Hartford County, Vol. II., page 465, says: "The people of Wethersfield should remember with pride the part in the war of 1675-77 taken by this family." Local and Family Histories: New England, 1600-1900s The Last Will and Testament of Nathaniel Dickenson. 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 myself, soule and body, into ye handes of God, my Creator, and Jesus Christ, my alone Savior & Redeemer, relying on Him for all yt I need & 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 expenses being first payd. SECONDLY: I doe give unto my son, Nehemiah, 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 of Meaddow land, bounded by my son, Thomas, his land east; Francis Barnard, west; John Hubbard, north; & ye highway south; so as to be her & her heirs' forever. Further, I give or abate to her all yt was my due for ye rent of the rent of my land from her, & alsoe doe give to her ye rent money that was due to me for my oxen; and also three pounds that was due for a barrell (unpayd) of Pork: all and 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 devided betweene all my sons (except Nehemiah) and my daughters--Frances Dickenson & 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 Country pay, within two years after my decease, to ym and their heirs forever. To my son, Thomas, I give my house & lott I bought of Mr. Wattson; he paying to Mr. Wattson ye Thirty Pounds yt is yet due for the same; or, if he like it not on those terms, then it shall be last in among my devidable estate to my children. I give to my son, Samuel, my house & homelott in Hatfield, to be to him & his heirs forever, together with the preveledges & appurtenances thereto belonging. To my son, Obadiah, I give all ye rest of my land in Hatfield, with ye preveledges and appurtenances thereto belonging, to be to him and his heirs forever; and my meaning & will is that these two, my sons, Samuel & Obadiah, shall not come in for a share of my land in Hadley, but this given them in Hatfield shall be instead of itt. To my son, William Gull, (Son of his wife by her first husband) I give that 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 & Hannah Clary having equall shares with their breathren. I doe hereby make and ordaine my two sons, Thomas & Nehemiah executors of this, my last will & testament, hereunto as my last will & testament I have subjoyned my hand and seale this present 29th day of May, 1676. NATHANIEL DICKENSON. In presence of JOSEPH KELLOGG, JOHN RUSSELL, Junior. Local and Family Histories: New England, 1600-1900s The families of Nathaniel Dickinson, Senior, are placed in the table of families to show the fact that "The Old Settler" had some seventy grand children. Mr. Wharton Dickinson has a list of over three thousand descendants. <b>DESCENDANTS OF NATHANIEL AND ANNA GULL DICKINSON OF WETHERSFIELD, CONNECTICUT & HADLEY, MASSACHUSETTS Compiled by Frederick Dickinson, 1897. Transcribed and re-published by GoldenWest Marketing, 1999. </b> Beginning with Johnne Dykonson, Freeholder, of Kingston Upon Hull, Yorkshire, married 1260, d. 1316; the line is traced to Nathaniel Dickinson, b. in <b>Ely, Cambridgeshire, 1600, d. 16 June 1676, Hadley, Hampshire Co., Mass. </b> It is stated in this book: "Reared in the traditions of a race which, for six centuries had braved tyranny from the Norman Rufus to the unfortunate Charles Stuart, is it any wonder that the same spirit led the stern Puritan, Nathaniel Dickinson, at this time, to seek the wilds of America. "In 1630 the London Company of Massachusetts Bay transferred itself and the whole government of its colonists, to its American settlement, and in June, of this year, John Winthrop, chosen Governor by the Massachusetts Company, with his fleet, the<b> Arbella, Talbot, Ambrose and Jewell,</b> bearing three or four hundred colonists--two of whom were <b>Nathaniel Dickinson and his wife--</b>arrived at <b>Salem, Massachusetts.</b> Some "resolved to set down at the head of Charles River," others, "relinquishing Salem, shipped their goods to Charleston, Watertown and Roxbury." <b>Nathaniel Dickinson is said to have settled at Watertown, where John, Joseph and Thomas were born</b>, and where he remained until 1635-36, when he removed to <b>Wethersfield, Connecticut, </b>and our American Record begins."
Note: Local and Family Histories: New England, 1600-1900s UNDER one of tho
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