Michael Metcalf (1590 – 1664) and his wife Sarah sailed from Great Yarmouth to Dedham, Massachusetts, in 1637. Michael was a warden at St Benedict’s Church in Norwich from 1619 to 1634, and also owned a cloth factory which employed more than a hundred men. Severely harassed by Bishop Wren, a vigorous opponent of Puritanism, Michael and his family felt persecuted for their religious beliefs, which is why they emigrated to America.
Norfolk's American Connections 