Suffer a Witch

Who was... Rebecca Nurse

Who was Rebecca Nurse?

In the simplest terms, Rebecca Nurse was a sick, hard of hearing, elderly woman from a powerful, wealthy family, and the eldest of three sisters who lived in and around Salem Village. She was known for her piety and almost regal bearing. More significantly, her family had a long standing feud with the Putnams (the main accusors in the Salem Witch Trials) over land. 

Rebecca had eight children -- four boys and four girls --, many grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Her husband, Frances, was a tray maker by trade. He was a constable in Salem  and sometimes served as an unofficial judge for small matters in the town. They lived on a 300 acre farm with a large farm house and were active, respected members of the Salem Village church.

Rebecca Nurse had two real chances of beating the witch charges.

1. At her trial, the jury originally returned a verdict of "not guilty." When the accusors heard this verdict, they fell into fits. The magistrate asked the jury to reconsider. They returned with a guilty verdict.
   
   
2. The governor gave her a stay of execution which caused her accusors to go into fits again. Their fits convinced the community of Rebecca's guilt. 

She was hanged on July 19, 1692. That evening, her youngest son, Benjamin, retrieved her body from the shallow grave on Gallow's Hill. Her family buried it in a family cemetery on her land. The property is now a tourist attraction called the Rebecca Nurse Homestead.

Who was... Mary Towne Eastey?

Who was Mary Towne Eastey?

First and foremost, Mary Towne Eastey was the sister of Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Cloyce. The "Towne girls," were born in Suffolk, England and lived with their husbands in Topsfield, a town just north of Salem Village. Rebecca was the much elder, senior "girl", Sarah was known for her quick temper and Mary was known for her intelligence and grace. The sisters were well respected and considered to be pious in nature. 

Mary married Isaac Eastey, a yoeman farmer,  in 1647. She was his second wife. He was known to have two children from his first marriage. They had eleven children, of which seven were known to have survived childhood. 

Mary's troubles began with her elder sister Rebecca's trial and conviction as a witch. Rebecca was elderly and frail. When Rebecca was arrested, Mary and Sarah believed their pastor, Samuel Parris, should have shown some kind of charity for a woman of her age and social stature. But Samuel Parris was at the very center of the witch hysteria. He refused to speak up for Rebecca. Further, the pastor went to the prison to put pressure on the elderly woman to confess to being a witch -- an act her family felt was brutal and cruel. Mary, Sarah, and their families stopped going to the Salem Village church, choosing instead to go to a church in a neighboring community. 

It wasn't long before Sarah and Mary were arrested as witches. Mary's quiet nature and thoughtful presentation as well as pressure from the community led all of the accusers, except Mercy Lewis, to back off their claims that she was a witch. Mary was released from prison on May 18.  Two days later, Mercy Lewis went into fits. They brought the accusers to Mary's bedside to see if she was causing the fits. Mary was arrested in her bed and taken to prison. 

While in prison, Mary and her sister petitioned the magistrates for a chance to plead their own case or receive council. Further, Mary proposed that the individuals who confessed to being witches be brought to trial. (Only those who did not admit to being a witch were charged and hanged.) Despite her pleas, she was convicted of being a witch on September 9.

At her hanging, Mary was allowed to give this statement:

"The Lord above knows my innocency then...as on the great day will be known to men and angels. I petition your honours...if it be possible, that no more innocent blood be shed, which undoubtedly cannot be avoided in the way and course you go in. I question not, but your honors do to the utmost of your powers in the discovery and detecting of witchcraft and witches, and would not be guilt of innocent blood for the world; but by my own innocency, I know you are in the wrong way. The Lord in His infinite mercy direct you in this great work, if it be his blessed will, that innocent blood be not shed..."

Her last words to her husband and children were said to have brought tears to the eyes of all those there. She was hanged on September 22, 1692 with the other "8 firebrands of Hell". 

Her sister Sarah was released in January, 1693 by order of Governor Phipps. 

Mary's petitions to the court and her final statement got the community thinking about the witch trials. While she wasn't the only force which ended the trials, her words and attitude played a big role in ending the Salem Witch Trials.

Mary lives with the Amish in Suffer a Witch. She returns to Boston in Chapter 15.

Who was... Mary Ayer Parker?

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Who was Mary Ayer Parker?

Mary Ayer Parker is a little bit of an oddity. Most of the books about the Salem Witch crisis note how little is known about her. 

However, a little research into her wealthy husband, Nathan Parker, and her wealthy father, John Ayer, and suddenly it's clear that there's a lot of information about Mary. 

Here's what I found:

• She was married to Nathan Parker who was an original settler of Andover and a constable in 1674.
• Mary and Nathan had ten children.
• Nathan died in 1685 leaving Mary a wealthy widow.
• Her father was John Ayer, one of the original settlers of Massachusetts.
• John, Mary's oldest son, was a part of the Great Swamp Fight against the Narragansett in King Phillip's War in 1675.
• Mary's second son, James, was also in the Andover Militiamen. He was killed in Indian War at Black Point in 1677. (1)
• Mary's daughter Sarah was also accused as a witch.
• Mary was from Andover, where the majority of people charged with witchcraft lived.
• Unlike many of the people charged with witchcraft, Mary was not known to have trouble with any of her neighbors.

This story about Mary is reported in her examination on September 2,1692:

When accused of torturing the accusers, Mary responded: "I know nothing of it." Further, she wondered out loud if they had the correct Mary Parker, as there was one in town who had been in trouble a number of times. However, her step-great-niece, Martha Sprague, confirmed that she was in fact tortured by this Mary Parker. (2) (3)

It's worth noting that there were at least three other Mary Parkers in Andover at that time, including her sister-in-law who was said to be mentally ill.

Who was Mary Ayer Parker?

She was a mother of soldiers, wife to a wealthy man, and daughter of another powerful wealthy man. It's likely that she acquired wealth and land upon her husband's death. We've postulated that this was a reason for the witchcraft accusation of the other women in Andover. 

While much is made about the possibility that Mary was mistaken for another Mary Parker. What if she wasn't? What if they charged the exact Mary Parker they'd wanted to charge?

They would have been consistent in hanging a wealthy widow. She was hanged on September 22, 1692.

In Suffer a Witch, Mary is a vibrant member of their community and serves as their real estate agent. Suffer a Witch continues in the Book Club.

____________

(1) Abbott, Charlotte Helen. Early Records of the Parker Family of Andover (Memorial Hall Library: Andover) p.3.

(2) Norton, Mary Beth,  In the Devil's Snare  (New York: Adolf Knopf 2002) p. 160.

(3) Rosenthal, Bernard, ed. Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt  (New York : Cambridge Press 2014) p. 578.

In the small town of Salem Village, Massachusetts in 1692, at least thirty-eight men and one-hundred and six woman where accused of the capital crime of witchcraft. 

• Thirty-one people were tried by the Oyer and Terminer court, convened by Massachusetts governor, William Phipps. 
• Fifty-four people confessed to the crime of witchcraft. 
• Three women, one man, and several infants died as a result of their treatment while in custody. 
• One four-year-old lost her mind after a year in custody.
• Two dogs were hanged as witches.

Despite extreme social pressure, physical torture, and what was perceived as overwhelming evidence, fourteen women and five men refused to confess to being witches. One man refused to acknowledge the Oyer and Terminer court and was pressed by stones to his death.

Suffer a Witch is about these twenty people. 

Because the serial begins with so many characters, we've decided to, once a week, introduce you to the historic characters in the story. They will appear in their order of appearance in the story. You can find more information on the Suffer a Witch Wiki, where you can also participate in filling in the details from your own research or the story. (You must sign into Wikia to edit a page.)

Who was... John Willard?

Looking for more of "incredible", "addictive" Suffer a Witch? Join the Book Club to keep reading!

Who was... John Willard?

There are two main stories about John Willard -- in one, he's a constable that turned his back on the trials; in another, he married into a contentious Wilkins family. 

In the first story, John Willard was a deputy constable for Salem Village in March, 1692. He was responsible for bringing a few of his neighbors into the court. 

"Then he turned against his own profession and cried out against the whole witch-hunt.

'Hang them (presumably the afflicted accusors),' he had cried. 'They're all witches.'

"This is no same talk from a constable, and his behavior. the extreme disinclination he now showed to attend any further to his sworn duties, was no better." (Starkey, The Devil in Massachusetts, p. 148)

In the second story, John Willard had previously helped tend Ann Putnam Jr. after she had fallen ill. By the end of April, he had become her tormentor. She "saw" him whip her sister, Sarah, to death at six months old. (The child died in December, 1689 and John Willard is thought to have lived in Groton, MA at that time.) Further, the child "saw" an apparition of John Wilkins first wife, who said she was murdered by John Willard. (Lydia Wilkins was a cousin of Willard's wife, Margaret, and died in December 1688/9.) (1)

It should be noted that, as we've seen before, the Wilkins were an old, powerful family who helped settle the region. Bray Wilkins purchased 700 acres of "Will Hill" in 1654 in a venture that ultimately failed. He had to sell back part of the land. By 1680, the family lived on a much smaller tract of farm land. (The Wilkins house still stands in Middleton, MA.) (2)

It is possible that both stories are true, and many people combine them. However, there's nothing to back up the claim that he was a deputy constable, and a lot of evidence that his connection to the Wilkins is what got him into trouble.

One thing that is known:

John Willard fled Salem Village after his arrest warrant was issued on May 10th. He was found on May 15 and returned to Salem Village for inquisition and trial.

John Willard was hanged on August 19, 1692.

______________

(1) Norton, Mary Beth, In the Devil's Snare (New York: Adolf Knopf 2002) p. 157-158.

(2) "Bray Wilkins Family and the Salem Witch Trials" [Web Article] Roots and Shoots of Mine: collecting my family's history. N.p. (October 27, 2012). <http://rootsandshootsofmine.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-bray-wilkins-family-and-salem-witch.html> 

In the small town of Salem Village, Massachusetts in 1692, at least thirty-eight men and one-hundred and six woman where accused of the capital crime of witchcraft. 

• Thirty-one people were tried by the Oyer and Terminer court, convened by Massachusetts governor, William Phipps. 
• Fifty-four people confessed to the crime of witchcraft. 
• Three women, one man, and several infants died as a result of their treatment while in custody. 
• One four-year-old lost her mind after a year in custody.
• Two dogs were hanged as witches.

Despite extreme social pressure, physical torture, and what was perceived as overwhelming evidence, fourteen women and five men refused to confess to being witches. One man refused to acknowledge the Oyer and Terminer court and was pressed by stones to his death.

Suffer a Witch is about these twenty people. 

Because the serial begins with so many characters, we've decided to, once a week, introduce you to the historic characters in the story. They will appear in their order of appearance in the story. You can find more information on the Suffer a Witch Wiki, where you can also participate in filling in the details from your own research or the story. (You must sign into Wikia to edit a page.)

Chapter Seven ~ part ten ~

 Chapter Seven

~ part ten ~

George put his arm around her, and she nestled into him.

“What I want to know is why all this is coming up now,” Em said. “I’ve seen Alice at least once a week for more than two hundred years. She’s never asked about the Putnams or Benoni. Suddenly, she wants to know what happened to them and who Ben’s father was and . . .”

“I want to know what Ann Hibbins meant by ‘Good Luck,’” George said.

“That did seem ominous,” Em said. “Any ideas?”

“We did just see John Parker’s devil inside,” George said.

“I wonder if something is happening astrologically,” Em said.

“Astrology?” George sneered.

Em laughed.

“We’re witches, George,” Em said. “Astrology goes with the territory!”

“Feels . . . anti-Christ to me,” George said.

“Oh,” Em said with a sigh. “I doubt Christ cares about astrology.”

“What would he worry about then?” George asked.

“How ’bout the devil inside John Parker?” Em asked.

“Mmm.”

The way George made the sound, he could have been agreeing or disagreeing with Em. She looked up from her knitting to find him looking at her.

“What?” Em asked.

“I’ve wondered what it would have been like to have married you then, in Salem,” George said.

“I doubt I would have had so many kids,” Em said.

“No birth control.”

George wiggled his eyebrows to remind her of how much he liked sex. She laughed. They fell silent. The only sound was the clicking of Em’s knitting needles.

“I don’t know,” George said, finally.

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t know why all this Salem Village crap has come up now,” George said. “While I was running yesterday, I was thinking of suing to finally get my salary.”

“Suing the heirs for your salary from 1680?” Em smiled.

“Plus interest,” George nodded.

Em laughed.

“What?” George asked.

“Dog. Bone,” Em said.

George laughed. When his laughter faded, he turned to Em.

“You’re the most powerful witch I’ve ever met,” George said. “Use your skills, Em. Why is this here now?”

“You know what?” Em asked.

“What?”

“I’ve given enough time today to all this crap,” Em said. “Ann’s ceremony, questions from Alice, now this. I realized we’ve had an abnormally long life. I still don’t want to waste it. I’d rather enjoy today.”

“But . . .”

Em set her knitting down and got up from her seat. She gave him an alluring look before heading toward the bedroom. When he didn’t follow her, she pulled off her top and dropped it on the floor. She was unzipping her pants at the door to the bedroom. She turned to look at him.

“Dog,” he said. “Bone.”

Em made a sharp whistle.

“Come!” she ordered.

Laughing, he followed her into the bedroom.

Suffer a Witch continues in the Chapters and Chapters Plus Book Club. To learn more, go here.

Chapter Seven ~ part nine ~

 Chapter Seven

~ part nine ~

George shrugged.

“I never would have guessed that her brother-in-law, Hathorne, would . . .”

“Examine us for witchcraft?” Em asked. “Set the bullshit in motion so that we were hanged?”

George gave a curt nod.

“I always felt like he was angry with me for how I treated Sarah, and . . .” George abruptly stopped talking.

“And me,” Em said.

He turned to look at her.

“Alice says that everyone in Salem Village knew that you loved me,” Em said. “Even Sarah.”

He raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment and looked away in shame.

“Sarah was the mother of four of your children,” Em said. “They were great kids.”

George turned to look at her.

“You knew them?” George asked.

“Of course,” Em said. “I tried to help them when they came to Boston. I worked with orphans, and they were orphans. I don’t think they ever guessed who I was.”

“There’s so much we haven’t talked about,” George said.

“Why did you marry Giles?” George asked.

“He was almost eighty years old,” Em said. “He needed someone to care for him — cook, clean, that kind of thing. He was fairly addled; still is.”

“That’s the truth,” George said.

“I’d spent all that time caring for Henry that it seemed fairly natural,” Em said. “Giles was kind to Benoni and helped Thomas join the church.”

“His testimony sealed your fate,” George said.

“He was pressed to death for his efforts,” Em said.

Out of words, they stared straight ahead and listened to their own thoughts.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” George asked.

Em chuckled.

“Why is that funny?” he asked.

“You are the most stubborn man I’ve ever met,” Em said. “You’re like a dog with a bone. You won’t set it down even when you know all the facts.”

George grinned.

“You know as much as I do,” Em said.

“I do?”

“You do,” Em said.

George nodded but didn’t respond. In response to his silence, Em picked up a ball of yarn and needles from a basket next to the couch. George raised his eyebrows to ask what she was making.

“Socks for my man,” Em said. “Your socks are destroyed. It will be winter soon enough, and you’ll be out with the homeless again.

He smiled at her. “You are good at taking care of your man.”

“Thank you, sir,” Em said with a nod.

George put his arm around her, and she nestled into him.

Suffer a Witch continues...

Chapter Seven ~ part eight ~

 Chapter Seven

~ part eight ~

“Why wouldn’t you tell me?” he asked finally.

“I don’t have anything to say,” Em said. “Henry was very ill. Thomas was a baby. I got pregnant. That’s what I know.”

For a moment, George watched her.

“Was the baby Henry’s? Probably not, but maybe. Yours? Possibly, but we were together only twice. Or . . .” Em looked away from him. “In 1681, I couldn’t have conceived of the science we know now. Eggs. Sperm. Moment of conception. Little tests you buy at the store. All of that.”

Em shrugged.

“I fell pregnant. And Henry was still ill, and Thomas was still a toddler.”

“Something else happened,” George said. “After I left?”

“You were in Salem Village.” Em made a slight nod.

“Indians?” George asked.

Em nodded. George looked at her for a moment and then nodded.

“Henry was ill,” Em repeated. “Thomas was a baby.”

“Why didn’t I know?” George asked.

“Your Hannah had just died,” Em said. “You were confused by Henry and Thomas. You had three babies who desperately needed their father and a bickering congregation and all that ridiculousness about your payment.”

“They wouldn’t pay me,” George nodded. “I had to take out loans and . . . We were broke. The pressure was . . .”

“Tremendous,” Em said. “I wanted to be a place of peace and joy for you. I wanted to be the place where you felt your burdens lifted, if only for an hour. I needed my own burdens lifted. I looked forward with tremendous joy to your visits, even if we only drank tea and talked about Christ.”

“I did as well,” George smiled. “My time with you has always been the highlight of my life — then and now.”

“Takes three hundred years to finally talk about it,” Em said.

George smiled.

“Benoni was a wonderful person,” George said. “He came every night to take care of us that first year, after you had left for Boston.”

Em smiled.

“I took him home to England with me,” George said.

“And came back with his daughter,” Em said. “I know.”

“She was like a granddaughter to me,” George said.

“Why did you marry Sarah?” Em asked.

“You had Henry,” George shrugged. “He was ill, but he wasn’t dead. Thomas was young. I was a pastor with a large congregation and three children under the age of three. I needed a wife. Sarah had just been widowed.”

Suffer a Witch continues...

Chapter Seven ~ part seven ~

 Chapter Seven

~ part seven ~

“Do you love me, Em?” George asked finally.

Em tucked her foot up under her and turned to him. He stared straight ahead.

“Do you love me, Em?” George asked again. “Even a little bit?”

“I do,” Em said. She smiled at him. “More than a little bit.”

He slowly turned to look at her. She nodded.

“Everyone loves George,” he said.

“Everyone does love George,” Em said.

“So you . . .”

“No.” Em’s hands surrounded his face. She looked deep into his dark eyes. For the second time today, her voice slipped into her ancient accent. “I believe we’re two halves to a whole.”

“But Giles and Isaac and . . .” George shook his head.

“You know this.” Em’s voice was low. “You said it first in 1681, when we were in Salem Village.”

His head went up in a slight nod. She leaned forward and kissed his lips.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” George said in an accent similar to hers yet completely foreign to the modern man.

“Tell you what?” Em asked. She pulled back to look at him.

“About Benoni,” George said.

Em groaned.

“You’re angry over something Alice made up?” Em asked.

“I’m angry that you . . .” George started. “Something Alice made up?”

Em nodded.

“Who was Benoni’s father?” George asked.

Em looked away from him.

“You know, I’ve thought about it all day,” George said. “Ben had just started his apprenticeship the spring before we were hanged.”

Em nodded.

“He was ten,” George said.

“Eleven,” Em nodded.

“Henry died in 1684,” George said.

“I guess so,” Em said.

“Benoni was mulatto,” George said in a low voice.

“That’s what the neighbors said,” Em said. “They also thought I was a witch.”

“I never thought he was . . . dark,” George said.

She waved her hand over his head. His long, grey hair and kindly, wrinkled face gave way to long jet-black hair, a bushy black beard which covered the deep facial scars dug by war, and darker, suntanned skin. George looked like the dark Celtic warrior he’d been in Salem Village. George’s eyes flicked to the mirror on the wall. For a moment, he looked at himself; then he looked at her.

“Your skin is darker than mine,” Em said. “But together, we’re not as light as some.”

“Why wouldn’t you tell me?” he asked finally.

Suffer a Witch continues...

Chapter Seven ~ part six ~

 Chapter Seven

~ part six ~

The hurt and confusion in George’s eyes when he’d said, “What?” had torn a hole in Em’s conscience. She saw those dark eyes staring at her across a chasm of sorrow.

Even though it had been a long day. Even though she’d laughed with John, Sam, and Mary on their way to work. Even though Bridget and Elizabeth had begged her to come for a spa day. Even though the day had been full of customers and employees and questions and problems and laughter.

Even though she hadn’t seen him since this morning, George’s dark eyes burned like an ember in her psyche.

She cursed herself for not dealing with this a hundred years or so before.

She knew he was furious because he’d taken special care to avoid her all day. When the store closed around ten, she made her way upstairs. She was standing in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water, when he came in.

“You were waiting in your office,” Em said.

“Of course,” George said.

“I . . .” Em started at the same time George said, “I . . .”

Em looked down, and away, from him. He turned his back to her.

“You . . .” George started at the same time Em said, “You’re . . .”

He walked out of the kitchen. She could tell by the sound that he’d plopped down on the couch. Not sure if she should follow him, she lingered in the kitchen. Finally, sick of her own nerves, she clicked on the electric kettle and went out into their living space.

“What?” she asked.

“What?” His voice rose. His eyebrows rose with insult.

“Right,” she said. “You’re clearly angry with me. What’s going on?”

“What’s going on?” he mumbled, almost to himself. He shook his head and looked up at her. “Are you truly this dense?”

“Dense?” Em asked. “What are you talking about?”

George patted the cushion beside him. Em scowled.

“I promise not to have a fit,” George said.

She hesitated. George had a terrible temper. Abusive only to her eardrums, he could storm around screaming for an hour before he was ready for any kind of a conversation.

“Really,” George said.

She sat down next to him. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes.

“Do you love me, Em?” George asked finally.

Suffer a Witch continues...

Who was... Wilmot Redd?

Who was Wilmot Redd?

This is a very good question. There is very little actually known about Wilmot Redd. In fact, she's not in a few of the main historical references about the trial. Here's what we know for sure:

1. Wilmot was married to Samuel Redd or Reed or Read, who was a fisherman.
2. They lived in Marblehead, MA.
3. According to some of her accusing neighbors, she was supposed to have been crabby.

We don't know how many children she had. We don't know how old she was or where she was born. A few websites suggest that she as born in the colony and was 54 years old, but there's no reference so we don't know where this idea came from.

At her examination, she was said to have been asked: "what she thought of these Persons ailed." Wilmot is reported to have said that the girls were in a "sad condition." She is also reported to have said at her trial: "I knew nothing of it." in response to the charges against her.

It's reported in Marion L Starkey's The Devil in Massachusetts that Wilmot Redd was known as Mammy. Amanda Minnie Douglas in her historical fiction, The Little Girl in Old Boston, claims that Wilmot Redd was known to mold churned milk and butter. Ms.Douglas created the following rhyme for her:

"Old Mammy Redd
Of Marblehead
Sweet milk could turn
To mold in churn."

This rhyme is reported to have been popular in the 19th century, but there's no way to know that. 

Her ghost is said to haunt the Redd Pond in Marblehead.

She was hanged on September 22, 1692.

In the small town of Salem Village, Massachusetts in 1692, at least thirty-eight men and one-hundred and six woman where accused of the capital crime of witchcraft. 

• Thirty-one people were tried by the Oyer and Terminer court, convened by Massachusetts governor, William Phipps. 
• Fifty-four people confessed to the crime of witchcraft. 
• Three women, one man, and several infants died as a result of their treatment while in custody. 
• One four-year-old lost her mind after a year in custody.
• Two dogs were hanged as witches.

Despite extreme social pressure, physical torture, and what was perceived as overwhelming evidence, fourteen women and five men refused to confess to being witches. One man refused to acknowledge the Oyer and Terminer court and was pressed by stones to his death.

Suffer a Witch is about these twenty people. 

Because the serial begins with so many characters, we've decided to, once a week, introduce you to the historic characters in the story. They will appear in their order of appearance in the story. You can find more information on the Suffer a Witch Wiki, where you can also participate in filling in the details from your own research or the story. (You must sign into Wikia to edit a page.)