Francis Chickering was an early settler of Dedham, Massachusetts who served in the

Great and General Court of Massachusetts The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, w ...

and on that town's Board of Selectmen for 15 years. He was also a teacher in the first public school in America, today well known as the

Dedham Public Schools The Dedham Public School System (Dedham Public Schools) is a PK– 12 graded school district in Dedham, Massachusetts. It is the oldest public school system in the United States. History On January 2, 1643, the Town Meeting set aside land for ...

. He arrived in Dedham in 1637 from Suffolk, England with his wife, Ann, and admitted as a

freeman Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

in 1640. Together they had Elizabeth in 1638, Bethia in 1640, and Mercy in 1648. He was possibly the brother of Henry Chickering, with whom he served in the General Court. He was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. Chickering was a part owner of a mill on

Mother Brook Mother Brook is a stream that flows from the Charles River in Dedham, Massachusetts, to the Neponset River in the Hyde Park section of Boston, Massachusetts. Mother Brook was also known variously as East Brook and Mill Creek in earlier times. ...

, the first man made canal in America. The Town was displeased with the "insufficient performance" of the mill under Nathaniel Whiting's management and so, in 1652, Whiting sold his mill and all his town rights to John Dwight, Chickering, Joshua Fisher, and John Morse for £250. Whiting purchased it back the following year, however. Though the schoolhouse was still standing, in 1661 school was kept in Chickering's home. He signed the

Dedham Covenant The Dedham Covenant was a covenant that governed the early settlement of Dedham, Massachusetts. It mandated that only those with similar, Puritan, community values could live in the town and set about a method for mediating disputes. It also requi ...

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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chickering, Francis Dedham, Massachusetts selectmen Educators from Dedham, Massachusetts Businesspeople from Dedham, Massachusetts Members of the colonial Massachusetts General Court from Dedham Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts English emigrants to British North America Signers of the Dedham Covenant