Two tribes of Massachusett, the Pequossette and the Nonantum, had settlements on the banks of the river later called the Charles.[3] The Pequossette built a fishing weir to trap herring at the site of the current Watertown Dam. The annual fish migration, as both alewife and blueback herring swim upstream from their adult home in the sea to spawn in the fresh water where they were hatched, still occurs every spring.[4]
Watertown, first known to English settlers as Saltonstall Plantation, was one of the earliest of the Massachusetts Bay Colony settlements. Founded in early 1630 by a group of settlers led by Richard Saltonstall and George Phillips, it was officially incorporated that same year.
The first buildings were upon land now included within the limits of Cambridge known as Gerry's Landing. For its first quarter century Watertown ranked next to Boston in population and area. Watertown initially encompassed the present communities of Weston, Waltham, and large sections of Lincoln, Belmont, and Cambridge. It soon grew to be an important center for trade, commerce, and industry. Subsequently, by order of the General Court of Massachusetts, Cambridge and Watertown were obligated to pay the Indians for the land.
Over time its limits have been greatly reduced. Portions of Watertown have been added to Cambridge three times, and it has contributed territory to form the new towns of Weston (1712), Waltham (1738), Lincoln (1754) and Belmont (1859). As early as the close of the 17th century, Watertown was the chief horse and cattle market in New England and was known for its fertile gardens and fine estates. Here about 1632 was erected the first gristmill in the colony, and in 1662 one of the first woolen mills in America was built here.
Members of the Watertown congregation made up the core of the those who signed the Dedham Covenant and moved to Dedham.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watertown,_Massachusetts
http://www.ci.watertown.ma.us/index.aspx?NID=199
There were other ancestors who lived in Watertown and then migrated to Dedham
(#2) John Bullard (abt 1601 – 1678) and Magdalene [Martyn?] (1606 – 1661)
Samuel Fisher was probably born in Watertown
Founders Monument at 20 Riverside St.
Watertown Square.
Property of ancestors John and Elinor Whitney, and their son, Jonathan, at Mt. Auburn Street and Common Street.
Whitney Hill Park. Marshall St and Oliver St. - Property of ancestors John and Elinor Whitney.
Ancestors Lewis and Anne Jones’ property at the Northwest corner of Belmont and Grove Streets in Belmont.
Old Burying Place on Mt. Auburn St. and Arlington St., where the Whitneys and Joneses are buried. Find Anne Jones’ headstone.