8 and October 1, 1592, in Greenwich in the English county of Kent.[7] His father, Thomas Whitfield, was wealthy and influential during the reigns of James I and Queen Elizabeth and an eminent lawyer in the courts of Westminster [12] in London. Henry's mother, Mildred Manning, was descended from the family of the poet and "Father of English literature" Geoffrey Chaucer.[5] Henry Whitfield attended New College, Oxford, where he befriended the future founder of the Saybrook colony in Connecticut, George Fenwick.[7] He initially studied law after graduation, but found it undesirable and promptly changed his focus to ministry studies.[5] He was ordained a minister of the Church of England in 1618 and soon took up the post of vicar of St. Margaret's Church in Ockley,Surrey, where he remained for the next 18 years. Contemporaries noted that people throughout the surrounding countryside converged to hear his sermons. He was known for being dignified, courteous, scholarly, eloquent and gentle and believed to be one of the wealthiest clergymen emigrating to Connecticut. [12] Whitfield married Dorothy Sheafe who was the daughter of Dr. Edmund Sheafe from the county of Kent. Henry and Dorothy had nine children together. It is believed that three of the children died before reaching adulthood. [13] They lived off the estate of Henry's father.[7] Under the rule of King Charles I, the Church of England persecuted Separatists and Puritans who opposed the strict rules of the church. Whitfield's sympathies shifted to the Puritan movement following persecutions ordered by Archbishop William Laud.[9] Laud established a network to spy on and break up nonconforming religious groups. Whitfield's break from the Church would not be sudden. In 1633 he hosted a meeting in his home in Ockley to persuade John Cotton and Thomas Hooker to try to conform to Laud's dictates so that they could keep their positions in the church. [17] Ultimately, Henry did not conform to the dictates and religious ceremonies required by Laud and published a book of religious persuasion and instruction entitled “Helps to Stir Up Christian Duties.” [12] Shortly after being censured as a dissident by the High Commission Court in 1638, Whitfield resigned from his post in Ockley. In early 1639 Whitfield sold his estate and established plans to emigrate to America with his family and followers. As an active itinerant preacher, Whitfield met many younger nonconformists who agreed with his teachings. Whitfield recruited a group