Samuel Skelton, baptized 26 Feb 1592 at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, England, was educated at Clare College in Cambridge, England. He matriculated as sizar on 7 Jul 1608 and received a Bachelor of Arts in 1611 and Master of Arts in Philosophy in 1615.

He was associated with the Earls of Lincoln, being employed as a Chaplain He lived on the Earl's estate at Sempringham, where he met Susanna Travis, who he married in 1619.

Samuel was an incumbent of Sempringham Church in Lincolnshire until about 1621 when he became attached to Tattershall, a seat of the Earl of Lincoln. Tattershall was about 17 miles from Sempringham.

He left England about mid-April 1629 on ship George Bonaventure, Thomas Cox commander; arrived in Salem (Naumkeag), Massachusetts June 22, 1629. He was the first Minister of the new church in Salem, and became a Freeman in 1631.

Edward Johnson, in his "Wonder-Working Providence of Sion's Savior in New England, "speaks of him as "a man of gratious speech, full of Faith and furnished by the Lord with gifts from above." Samuel was also a close friend and pastor to Governor Endicott of Massachusetts.

His wife Susanna died on 15 Mar 1631 in Salem, and Samuel may have remarried, as there are records of a widow named Skelton (nee J. Marsh ), whose estate matches Samuel's. Samuel died 2 Aug 1634 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts.