Henry Whitfield (minister)

Henry Whitfield (c.1590-c.1657) was a Puritan minister who was a founder of Guilford, Connecticut and the first pastor there.

Henry Whitfield was born in Wadhurst, England around 1590 and attended Oxford University.

He left the established Church of England and joined the Puritans and Independents as a pastor.

He married Dorothy, daughter of Thomas Sheafe, by his first wife Mary Wilson (contract dated 1617).

He migrated to New Haven, Connecticut in 1639 and signed the Guilford Covenant creating the town of Guilford on what was then called Menuncatuck with a deed from Wequash Cooke.

Statue of Whitfield at Henry Whitfield State Museum in Guilford, Connecticut
Coat of Arms of Henry Whitfield
Henry Whitfield State Museum in Guilford, Connecticut