On 7/23/99, Leslie Hope <[email protected]> wrote: >I forgot to add to my previous post that I have read that Cotton Mather >destroyed the records from some of the trials. I guess that I'm fortunate >that so much information exists on Susannah Martin. Perhaps someone more >knowledgable than I can add to or correct my information. Mather apparently had them in front of him when he wrote about five of the trials in his book "The Wonders of the Invisible World" but no one knows what happened to them afterwards... I suppose it's easy to suspect him of doing something to make them disappear. I, for one, am ever hopeful that they will turn up someday! --Margo Margo Burns, Webweaver [email protected] http://www.ogram.org Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana. "Colorless green ideas sleep furiously." -- Chomsky

> Can anyone tell > me if the have copies of these transcripts during the Salem Witch trials > Flora I forgot to add to my previous post that I have read that Cotton Mather destroyed the records from some of the trials. I guess that I'm fortunate that so much information exists on Susannah Martin. Perhaps someone more knowledgable than I can add to or correct my information. Leslie

> Can anyone tell > me if the have copies of these transcripts during the Salem Witch trials > Flora Flora, I found transcripts relating to my step-11ggrandmother Susannah Martin here: http://www.ogram.org/17thc/ Many of the transcripts and testimony relating to the trials were transcribed as a WPA project in the 30s and are online at the URL given above. I haven't checked specifically for material relating to your interest but there is a wealth of information available some of it quite horrifying. Leslie

In a message dated 07/23/99 7:17:10 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: << I am still trying to locate e anyone that has information regarding the marriage of Abigail Proctor and my forefather Thomas Varney.Can anyone tell me if the have copies of these transcripts during the Salem Witch trials Flora >> Flora, The Salem Witch Papers transcribed by the WPA in the 1930's can be found online at the following address: http://etext.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/texts/ The petition that was submitted to the courts in support of John Proctor can be found at this address: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/9324/witchcraft.htm#proctor Regards, Kathy Smith

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On 7/22/99, Phyllis <[email protected]> wrote: >A kind lady has recommended that I read a fictionalized account of Dorcey >"The Diary of Dorcas Good-Child Witch of Salem" by Rose Earhart. I am in the >process of searching out this book. I haven't read it yet, but I do own a copy: "The Diary of Dorcas Good: Child Witch of Salem" is by Rose Earhart, published by Pendleton Books, NY, 1998. I got my hardcover copy at Borders Books right in Danvers (!), but you can obtain a copy from Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1893221008 --Margo - ------------------------------------------------- from inside the dustjacket: The Diary of Dorcas Good is based on actual events, documented and preserved by the City of Salem, Massachusetts in the form of the original trial manuscripts. The novel, in diary form, tells the story of Dorcas Good, a four year old child accused of witchcraft along with her mother and several other women during the hysteria of 1692. It is, in all probability, the first documented case of child abuse in this country. The saga follows Dorcas through her imprisonment as a young child, to her mother being led to the gallows and on to her young adult years and the abuse that she suffered at the hands of her jailers and especially from her own father. Rose Earhart allows the reader to experience the flavor of life in 1692 Salem including all of the difficulties and struggles of everyday life. She manages to portray with amazing clarity and passion the accounts of the horrific injustices and degrading circumstances of living on the edge of society that Dorcas and her mother, Sarah, had to endure even before the witch hysteria began. The Diary of Dorcas Good finally tells the real story of the savagery and terror of the Salem Witch Trials. About the Author Rose Earhart holds degrees in both Psychology and Philosophy. She has been a principle dancer with the Chicago City Ballet, a teacher, an actress (with stage, TV and movie credits) and a newspaper columnist. She prides herself as beihg an activist for children's rights. The old Victorian house where Rose lives with her family in Salem, Massachusetts, is a nightly haven to Salemites, both ghostly and real. - ------------------------------------------------- from the Amazon.com website (apparently posted by the author): The author, Rose Earhart , [email protected] , February 26, 1999 Salem, Massachusetts is haunted. There have been stories and legends about Salem's ghosts for centuries. Long before Roger Conant led English settlers to the rocky coast of New England, Salem's Indians spoke of spirits, both good and evil, who walked amongst them. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a direct descendant to that old witch hanger, Judge John Hathorne, and a true believer. He actually spent a great deal of time with one of Salem's ghosts. There is an old private library in Salem called the Salem Athenaeum which has been in existence since the early Eithteenth Century. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a member and loved to spend snowy winter afternoons snuggled in a chair by the roaring fire, reading a favorite book, or making notes for his next short story. There was an old gentleman who often sat in a soft leather chair opposite Hawthorne, reading and occasionally muttering something to the young writer. One day Hawthorne noted to the head librarian that he hadn't seen the old man in over a week. The librarian looked at Hawthorne, first in confusion, and then nodded his head. "Oh, that was our ghost," said the librarian with a wry smile. "I suppose he's decided to rest for a while. He comes and goes as he pleases." Nathaniel Hawthorne also believed in witch's curses. The famous curse that his character, hanged witch Matthew Maule, lay upon his chief accuser, Colonel Pyncheon and all his descendants, is the very heart of Hawthornes's wonderful HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES. Maule points a dying finger at Colonel Pyncheon and cries, "God will give him blood to drink." THE DIARY OF DORCAS GOOD speaks of the actual fact that lies beneath Hawthorne's fiction. It was Dorcas' mother, Sarah Good, who placed the original blood curse on Salem when Sarah said to Nicholas Noyes, "You are a liar. I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life, God will give you blood to drink. Several years later Noyes died of an internal hemorrhage. He was bleeding from the mouth when they found him. He died as Hawthorne's fictional Colonel Pyncheon died, of the witch's curse. Dorcas was a real little girl, the forth female and first child of Salem to be arrested for witchcraft. Her mother and father, Sarah and William, were also real as were Rebecca Nurse and her sisters and the other women who shared Dorcas' cold, damp cell. The pirate, Captain Jack Quelch, was hanged on a balmy June day in 1704 and left behind his undiscovered treasure. It is said that later there were several silver bars discovered by a Yankee farmer. Who's to say if the story is true? But the farmer did happen to live on a small island off Salem's shores, an island that Jack Quelch knew well. As for the ghosts. There have been many sightings in the City of Salem. Both the History Channel and the Arts and Entertainment Network have documented the souls that still roam Salem's streets. Perhaps the spirit of Dorcas Good will rest easier now that her story has finally been told. I hope so.

My husband's 7th Great Grandmother is Sarah Towne Bridges Cloyse. I have been able to get some info on the three Towne sisters, however, family tradition is that his family line also descends from Dorcas Good. Does anyone have any info on this family? I would be most grateful for any lead. Sarah Solart, was born 14 Jul 1653 daughter of John Solart, Sr. in Wenham MA. Her 3rd marriage was to William Good. In 1692, at the age of 38, Sarah Good was tried, condemned and executed as a "Salem Witch". She was jailed with her four year old daughter Dorcas (Dorcey) Good, who was also convicted as a witch and kept in jail for over a year. Sarah gave birth to another child soon after being jailed. This child only lived a few days. The family was very poor, and homeless. She would go door to door begging for food and shelter for her children. So there was at least one other child in addition to Dorcey. Whether or not William Good fathered more than Dorcey and the baby born in jail, I have not been able to discover. All I have found on Dorcey to date is that she was badly traumatized by the events of her early childhood and was never the same. I would like to discover if Dorcey (or other children of William Good) had children/descendants. A kind lady has recommended that I read a fictionalized account of Dorcey "The Diary of Dorcas Good-Child Witch of Salem" by Rose Earhart. I am in the process of searching out this book. Thanks for whatever thoughts you have. Phyllis

Sarah Solart, was born 14 Jul 1653 to John Solart, Sr. in Wenham MA. Her 3rd marriage was to William Good. In 1692, at the age of 38, Sarah Good was tried, condemned and executed as a "Salem Witch". She was jailed with her four year old daughter Dorcas (Dorcey) Good, who was also convicted as a witch and kept in jail for over a year. Sarah gave birth to another child soon after being jailed. This chils only lived a few days. The family was very poor, and homeless. She would go door to door begging for food and shelter for her children. So there was at least one other child in addition to Dorcey. Whether or not William Good fathered more than Dorcey and the baby born in jail, I have not been able to discover. All I have found on Dorcey to date is that she was badly traumatized by the events of her early childhood and was never the same. Family tradition is that our family line descends from Dorcas Good. Does anyone have any info on this family? Thanks, Phyllis

I am looking for a list member who may have genealogical information on Rebecca Eames, convicted (and reprieved) at the Salem Trials. Thanks.

--part1_77118c77.24c34d20_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Saw this on a list of books under $15, thought this list might be intersted. I know nothing of the company. --part1_77118c77.24c34d20_boundary Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Disposition: inline Return-Path: <[email protected]> Received: from aol.com (rly-yg02.mail.aol.com [172.18.147.2]) by air-yg03.mx.aol.com (v60.14) with ESMTP; Sun, 18 Jul 1999 06:08:29 -0400 Received: from bl-14.rootsweb.com (bl-14.rootsweb.com [204.212.38.30]) by rly-yg02.mx.aol.com (v60.14) with ESMTP; Sun, 18 Jul 1999 06:08:19 -0400 Received: (from [email protected]) by bl-14.rootsweb.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) id DAA03693; Sun, 18 Jul 1999 03:07:44 -0700 (PDT) Resent-Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 03:07:44 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <[email protected]> X-Sender: [email protected] X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0.1 (32) Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 06:05:44 -0400 Old-To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] From: Bob Bamford <[email protected]> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Subject: [15] WITCHES - 1692 Witch Hunt - Salem RE33 - Resent-Message-ID: <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Resent-From: [email protected] X-Mailing-List: <[email protected]> archive/latest/13379 X-Loop: [email protected] Precedence: list Resent-Sender: [email protected] Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Among the genealogy and history books and CDs at http://www.essexbooks.com 1692 WITCH HUNT The Layman's Guide to the Salem Witchcraft TrialsBy George Malcolm Yool An account of the witch hunts from their humble beginnings in 1691 to their dramatic conclusion, this work contains a wealth of information gleaned from various contemporary records and the personal archives of descendants on both sides of the conflict. Includes extensive transcriptions in modern English from the court files and other sources which help the reader feel the true impact of the events, along with excerpts from the first-hand observations of contemporary writers. Additionally provides a short history of many participants, and concludes with the confessions and written public apologies of some of the main characters in the tragedy, including Judge Samuel Sewall, and Ann Putnam, Jr., one of the "afflicted children." CODE RE33 155 pages soft cover $17.50 + $3.50 S&H Master Charge/Visa or Check US funds. Inquire re shipment outside USA. TO ORDER: ORDER ON-LINE: You may enter your credit card order directly on-line at: http://www.essexbooks.com PHONE and FAX ORDERS (352) 527-2270: E-mail us your intention to purchase. We will then reserve a copy for you and e-mail you an order form to assist you in the entry of your phoned or faxed order. You may also print your own order form at the above web site. MAIL ORDERS E-mail us your intention to purchase. We will then reserve a copy and e-mail you an order form. You may also print your own order form at the above web site. ON-LINE CATALOG: See our on-line catalog - http://www.essexbooks.com for a full description of other genealogy and history books. QUESTIONS: If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail us: [email protected] Bob ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ESSEX BOOKS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "Home of the Essex Antiquarian" Visit us and order on-line at: http://www.essexbooks.com e-mail: [email protected] P.O. Box 811 Lecanto, FL 34460-0811 Phone (CC) Orders: 8 AM - 3 PM - Mon-Fri (352) 527-2270 Fax 24 hrs. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ==== GEN-MAT-15 Mailing List ==== Visit Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet - http://www.oz.net/~cyndihow/database.htm --part1_77118c77.24c34d20_boundary--

Margo, Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, I haven't checked my email for several days. Following are some excerpts from emails I received from David Martin (an attorney at the MA State House). As you can see things are looking good but it could be next year before the bill actually gets passed. Bonnie "I attended the hearing on House bill 678 (the so-called "witches bill") on May 25th. I submitted a letter of testimony to the Committee hearing the bill and briefly spoke with the House Chairman. I also spoke with the Committee staff; the staff told me they'll recommend the bill be put out favorably. It looks good so far. I'll keep you posted as the bill moves through the process. No one testified for the bill at the hearing. The hearing was very crowded and lasted from Noon until about 7PM. Lots of other bills besides H.678 were heard. It is likely that if anyone was there to testify in favor of the bill they gave up waiting after a few hours." "The Judiciary Committee is planning to put House 678 out favorably on Tuesday the 22nd but they have a question about the spelling of names. I see that Susannah's name is spelled differently in different places-some spellings use the "h" at the end and some do not. The text of House 678 uses the "h." Do you have any preference? I assume there is a disparity in the historical records. Is one spelling used more often? If you had to choose one of the spellings, which would you use? Also, do you know if the spelling of the names of the other women are correct? Let me know as soon as possible. The staff just called me today so I realize there's not much time but if you can get back to me by tonight I can have them amend the bill before it is officially released tomorrow. If we can't do it tomorrow I can still request it be amended later in the process if it is necessary." NB........I did reply to David re: above.

I hope this is the correct URL please let me know thanks Flora

Okay folks, I stayed up late last night poking around on the web, made one call this a.m. to the office of the sponsor of the bill in the statehouse, and have ended up finding the answer to my own question about what the status is for Ann Pudeator, Bridget Bishop, Susannah Martin, Alice Parker, Margaret Scott and Wilmot Reed. Here goes: On 01/06/99, House No. 678, sponsored by State Representative J. Michael Ruane, of Salem, was refered to the committee on the Judiciary, and a public hearing was held 05/25/99. (Note: this does not appear to be the first time Representative Ruane has brought this up: I found a reference to a similar petition and "House No. 5836" on 10/13/98, the previous legislative session.) On 06/24/99, House No. 4457 (formerly No. 678), also sponsored by Represenative Ruane, was reported "favorably" by the committee on the Judiciary, and referred on to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling so that a vote can be taken on the House floor. When? Good question, since this legislative session runs through November 2000, and the budget is really the priority this summer. I found a reference to House No. 4457 listed under the calendar for July 30, so it possible (although highly unlikely) that a vote could occur then. Of course, THEN the bill will have to go through the Massachusetts Senate and go through the process again. I do not know who the sponsor there would be. History of the bill in this session of the state legislature: http://www.state.ma.us/legis/history/h00678.htm http://www.state.ma.us/legis/history/h04457.htm State Representative J. Michael Ruane: http://www.state.ma.us/legis/member/jmr1.htm Two articles in the Eagle-Tribune: Witches' justice 307 years too late (01/26/99) A lawmaker from the "Witch City" has filed a bill that will clear the names of five women executed for witchcraft in 1692, one of them from Amesbury. http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/19990126/FP_002.htm Witch's kin fight to clear family name (05/26/99) Three centuries later, descendants of an executed witch are using the Internet to clear her name http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/19990526/FP_004.htm Cheers, Margo Margo Burns [email protected] http://www.ogram.org

Any information out there on Isabel Austin Towle? She was accused of distraining a mare as well as witchcraft....

Is this url in reference to JohnProctor ? if so i would love it also. Rosalie in Bar Harbor, Me. -----Original Message----- From: flora newby <[email protected]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Sunday, July 11, 1999 10:12 AM Subject: [SALEM-WITCH-L] Thomas Varney John Proctor >I hope this is the correct URL please let me know thanks Flora > >

Waaaaay back on 2/28/99, Bonnie Johnson <[email protected]> wrote: >I received information that there is a bill before the Massachusetts State >Legislature to exonerate five women who had been executed as witches at Salem >in 1692... [snip] Bridget Bishop, Susanna Martin, Alice Parker, Margaret >Scott, >and Wilmot Redd... Is there any update on the status of this bill? --Margo

Pamela, You are indeed a romantic. I am too, but in this case all the romance was in Miller's creative imagination. Granted all that you say about puberty, there remains zero historical evidence to support the notion that Abigail and Proctor had any kind of relationship. There is no more reason to believe in this love affair than there is to believe that Martians invaded earth as H.G. Wells wrote about in War of the Worlds. It is simply a fiction created by an author. I am confident that if you wrote Miller he would assure you that the romance was made out of whole cloth. Cheers, Bernie

Margo, Regarding the clearing of names, I know nothing of any action by the legislature after 1957, but if there was any I also would be keenly interested in knowing about that. In 1957, the five women mentioned here were cleared by the Mass. legislature, and Gov. Foster Furcolo signed the bill into law on August 28, 1957. But the bill did not reverse attainders on any of these five women: Bridget Bishop, Susannah Martin, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Wilmot Reed, and Margaret Scott. For some more detail on this issue see Salem Story, p. 85. Cheers, Bernie

To Barry and others who are interested in reading about the witch trials I recommend "The Devil Hath been raised" (There is a 1997 edition, published the author at Yeoman Press, Danvers, Mass.) by Richard Trask, the Danvers town historian. Judy > I really enoy it when people post books that they think people would > enjoy to read in reference to this episode in our nations history - I am > already hoping I get my hands on copies of SALEM POSSESSED: Reading the > Witch Trials and the two Drake books metioned yesterday. Can anyone > recommend any others? I hope to act as Dramaturg for Temple's production > as I am armed with a weatlh of knowledge from past research. > > Thanks again, for sharing your lives with me - and I look forward to > reading the rest of the discussion as they relate to the history of > 1692. > > Best wishes to all! > Barry Kriebel in PA > > PS - Sorry this was so long....I just kept writing and writing....(Barry > winces) -- _,'| _.-''``-...___..--';) /_ \'. __..-' , ,--...--''' <\ .`--''' ` /' `-';' ; ; ; __...--'' ___...--_..' .;.' (,__....----''' (,..--'' Felix Lee

Hi list, I'm trying to catch up with ya'll on this research, but my resources are limited [acutally none] in the rural Louisiana community that I live in. Anything that you can recommend for downloading or books to order I really appreciate. Marc, where can I find out more information of the Putnams and Peases in the Salem Witch trials. I have a Mary Pease that married one of my Newells in Massachusetts. I read with interest Carole's letter as I'm just beginning to study and research my Est[e]y lineage. But, I have to thank Margo also for letting me know of another place to purchase the book. Jo