Pamela, Again, the idea of her at the piers is pure invention as is the love affair. What ever happened to the real Abigail Williams has been the subject of much speculation and no real information. I believe that the day may come when a good geneaologist will figure out what became of this eleven year old girl, but there is just about zero chance that she had any romantic connection to Proctor. I have often wondered why Miller used Abigail Williams, who was historically impossible for the role he chose for her rather than Marry Warren, who was his servant and was old enough for an affair--not that I think Proctor had one with her I add quickly. But artists work their own way, and Miller is a brilliant one. At the same time, I think it is unfortunate that most people think of the Salem episode as sexual drama rather than the actual tragedy it was; that sexual invention obscures the real courage and religious faith that was central to many of the victims, especially those executed. Cheers, Bernie

This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_005D_01BECAE4.DBB6D820 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit -- E-mail address: [email protected] Douglas E. Scruton Middlesex county Mass USGenWeb coordinator http://www.rootsweb.com/~mamiddle [email protected] E-mail address Address for mailing list postings is [email protected] To subscribe send the word "subscribe" (without the quotes) as the only text in the body of a message to [email protected] (mail mode) or [email protected] (digest mode). Researching ANNIS, BATCHELDER, HAMMOND, HOSKINS, KEON, LARAWAY, MCKEAN, MCKINLEY, ROLLINS(RAWLINGS), SCRUTON, SHEEHAN, SIMONDS(SYMONDS),SWINERTON, WALKER in New England states (MA, NH, ME) also in Quebec and New Brunswick for some. My AOL Instant messenger screen name is dscruton -----Original Message----- From: Irene Guild <[email protected]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Friday, July 09, 1999 11:07 PM Subject: [NORTHEAST] Snyer, Davis, Towne, Stone info >I was hoping you could help me, or send this message on to any genealogical >lists. I am looking for info on the Snyer (aka Snijer) family; some of them >settled Clifton, NJ, some in Carlisle, Concord, and Bedford, MA. I believe >the family came over from Holland between 1850 and 1900. My grandmother, >Irene Hazel Davis, married Peter Snyer (b. 1900). On the Snyer line, there >was also a Johan Bernard b. 1866, w. Dirkje, b. 1865 (I don't know where >they were born - likely Holland) - they both are buried in Bedford, MA. My >grandmother was descended from Rebecca (Towne) Nurse/Nourse, of Salem, MA. >I am trying to locate the ship the family came over on so I will know when >they arrived. Any help or family genealogies you can direct me to would be >greatly appreciated. > >I am also looking for the Lucy Stone Blackwell line. Her grandfather was a >"Farmer Stone" that assisted Daniel Shays in the Shays Rebellion, but I >can't seem to find his given name. > > > >_______________________________________________________________ >Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com > >----------------------------------------------- >To contact the list owner, use [email protected] > >For information on available lists, other list options, and other >generally useful information, visit >http://php.indiana.edu/~stephenl/genealog.htm > ------=_NextPart_000_005D_01BECAE4.DBB6D820 Content-Type: text/x-vcard; name="Douglas E. Scruton.vcf" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="Douglas E. Scruton.vcf" BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:2.1 N:Scruton;Douglas;E. FN:Douglas E. Scruton ORG:MEDITECH;Systems TITLE:System Support Specialist NOTE:Researching SCRUTON, ANNIS, McKINLEY, LARAWAY, SWINERTON, CHASE, = ROLLINS in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts TEL;WORK;VOICE:781-821-3000 x 5763 ADR;WORK:;Framingham;One MEDITECH Circle;Westwood;MA;02090;USA LABEL;WORK;ENCODING=3DQUOTED-PRINTABLE:Framingham=3D0D=3D0AOne MEDITECH = Circle=3D0D=3D0AWestwood, MA 02090=3D0D=3D0AUSA EMAIL;PREF;INTERNET:[email protected] EMAIL;INTERNET:[email protected] EMAIL;INTERNET:[email protected] EMAIL;INTERNET:[email protected] EMAIL;INTERNET:[email protected] REV:19990710T185949Z END:VCARD ------=_NextPart_000_005D_01BECAE4.DBB6D820--

On 7/10/99, Carole <[email protected] > wrote: >While browsing Barnes and Noble online I found this out of print book >CURRENTS OF MALICE:MARY TOWNE ESTY AND HER FAMILY IN SALEM WITCHCRAFT >McMillen, Persis W. [snip] >Format: Hardcover / Dust Jacket / Signed >Associated Dealer: Ronald Hendricks, Bookseller San Bernardino, CA >Our Price: $143.00 [snip] > Condition: 1st edition Excellenrt/vg/hb 603pp >Format: Hardcover / First Edition / Dust Jacket >Associated Dealer: Robert L. Merriam Conway, MA >Our Price: $67.20 >Does anyone own this already? Is it worth the money? I have it. It is copiously researched, and for descendants of any of the Towne sisters, especially Mary (Towne) Esty, a must. It is a thorough chronological account of the what happened to the Towne family, drawn from just about every known historical document. That said, I confess that the book still left me slightly unsatisfied. I guess I've spent enough time in grad school to want a good controversial theoretical approach thrown into the mix for me to wrassle with! ;D The Peabody-Essex giftshop lists it for sale at their website for $35 -- http://www.pem.org/shop/books6.htm -- or you can call them at 1-800-745-4054, ext.3119 or email [email protected] You might call the Rebecca Nurse Homestead at 617-774-8799 because I think I saw copies on the bookshelf of their small giftshop last week. You might also contact the publisher directly, since I see that he is advertising at least one copy for $35 + $4 shipping at http://www.bibliofind.com or you could call him directly at 603-431-5667, e-mail [email protected] . This publisher does a lot of short-run regional interest books. NOTE: those used copies advertised by Barnes & Noble Online are significantly more expensive than if you bought them directly from the used book dealers. Hendrix really only wants $110 and Merriam $48 if you bought them via Bibliofind. :o So if you are shopping for used books on-line, may I recommend the following site instead of B&N: http://www.bookfinder.com. It searches at least a half a dozen of the best used book sites all at once for you, including Bibliofind, ABE, and Powell's, and you might be pleasantly surprised by some of the deals you can find. Cheers, Margo

While browsing Barnes and Noble online I found this out of print book CURRENTS OF MALICE:MARY TOWNE ESTY AND HER FAMILY IN SALEM WIUTCHCRAFT McMillen, Persis W. Condition: BOOK FINE / DUST JACKET FINE 603 PAGES MARY TOWNE ESTY AND HER FAMILY IN SALEM WITCHCRAFT. IN PUBLISHED MATERIAL AND IN ORIGINAL COURT DOCUMENTS, STUDIED BOTH IN MASSACHUSETTS AND IN ENGLAND, THE AUTHOR SEACHED FOR ANSWERS TO SUCH QUESTIONS AS; W HY WAS ONLY 2 OF THE THREE TOWNE SISTERS EXECUTED FOR WITCHCRAFT? WHAT WAS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TOWNES AND THE PUTMAN FAMILY WHO ACCUSED THE SISTERS OF WITCHCRAFT? THIS BOOK PROVIDES DETAILS ON ALL ASPECTS OF THE TRAGIC EVENT S O F N E A R L Y 3 0 0 YEARS AGO. BOOK IS SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR.. Format: Hardcover / Dust Jacket / Signed Associated Dealer: Ronald Hendricks, Bookseller San Bernardino, CA Our Price: $143.00 Buy this book or read more about it Condition: 1st edition Excellenrt/vg/hb 603pp Format: Hardcover / First Edition / Dust Jacket Associated Dealer: Robert L. Merriam Conway, MA Our Price: $67.20 Buy this book or read more about it Does anyone own this already? Is it worth the money? Thanks, Carole

Group, Like Barry, I was always interested in the witch trials. Then, a friend gave me a copy of the book "The Devil In Massachusetts" by Marion Starkey. Most people can't read it all the way through. I devoured it, and have read it several times. Much to my surprise, several years later I found I was descended from over a dozen families that were living in Salem Village and it's environs in 1692. I'm descended from the Goodals, Allens, Ingersolls, Putnams, Bayleys, Hathorns, Walcutts, Sibleys, Abbeys, Halls, Princes, Peases, Waldens, and others. This made my research of the trials much more interesting, as well as bringing my ancestors to life. Who knows, maybe Barry is descended from Salem Village families as well. Maybe that is the reason for his interest. Marc

For those who are interested, "A Collector's Guide to Salem Witchcraft & Souvenirs (Schiffer Book for Collectors)" by Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell, is available from Amazon.com for $15.96 plus shipping: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764304259 It has page after page of full-color photographs of these odd collectibles. I own three items myself -- two silver spoons and a small piece of china -- which (according to my mother) is the minimum number of things to constitute "a collection." :D I highly recommend Pamela's book, if not to become a collector yourself, then to get a fuller picture of the extent of the early commercialization of the "Salem witch." --Margo

In a message dated 7/5/99 5:20:45 AM US Mountain Standard Time, [email protected] writes: << Finally Thomas Varney petition for J.Proctor 681-683.If anyone is going to the Peabody Institute could they do a look-up for me I would love to have copies of those items >> Oh I DO hope you'll share the info on Thomas Varney. Any notion what it was about? I am descended from both Thomas Varney and John Proctor. Wendy in AZ

> Hopefully, I will get to > meet him at the Peabody Essex conference I just signed onto the list having just discovered that Susannah Martin was the wife of my ancestor George Martin and the step-mother of his daughter Hannah Martin from whom I'm descended. Can anyone enlighten me about the conference? Also, there is a possibility that I'm descended from Susannah Martin's sister Mary Jones (? I may be displaying my ignorance here) Please correct me if that is not her sister's name. If anyone has information about Susannah's sister's descendants for 3 or 4 generations, I'd appreciate knowing the lines. Leslie

Dear Barry, Your letter was great. I too started with the Crucible many years ago and played the part of Abigail. It started me on researching it and through the history I found the collectibles of Daniel Low and started to collect them and even did a book on them. I love the play as it offers an door to those who are not involved or interested in history and often it hooks them, as it did me. I agree that much of the Salem thing today is haunted mansion stuff and sensationalisim but then that was a bit of what happened in that day. Guess there is room for all of it. The Pomp and snobbishness of the Peabody and the silliness of the haunted houses. Different strokes for different folks. Hope full eventually they will become intrigued with the pageantry and the historical implication of it all. I too am not a relative but Feel this list is wonderful and I have learnt much from it. So what did you think of the movie....I haven't see the movie yet and have heard mixed reviews. I've seen the play in Scotland and I've see it in the round at the old Deerfield theater guess I've see a dozen productions and I wonder about John Proctor and what really happened to Abigail and of course still worry about the poor children of Burroghs. The tragedy of the trials has made my life richer and yet we are repeating these which hunts today. We have not learnt much after all. I do apologize to you all I didn't mea to ramble. Blessings Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell author of Salem Witchcraft and Collectibles. KRIEBEL JR. wrote: > To everyone on the SALEM-WITCH list, > > My name is Barry Kriebel. I am 28 years old, and I subscribed to this > list, not because I have a relative involved in this tragedy, but simply > because of my interest in the subject. I wanted to thank you all for > allowing me to be involved with your lives as you search out answers to > your individual heritage's. > > Three summers ago I had the honor of directing Arthur Miller's THE > CRUCIBLE. Now true, it was not a verbatim account of what happened back > in 1692, and the production staff was aware of that as we researched > more and more, but we had the pleasure of travelling up to Salem/Danvers > to do research for our production. It was a four day trip. > > Of course on the first day, we made the horrible mistake of visiting all > of the tourist traps (because that's what they are) in modern-day Salem > (the wax museums...etc...) and we were extremely disappointed with what > information we were running into. > > There were discrepancies between museums as to who Tituba was...we heard > African American/American Indian...and we then began to realize that all > research on the subject was not cut and dry and we would have to make > some artistic decisions (as I'm sure Arthur Miller did)... > > We found our first ray of hope when we visited the Corwin "witch" House > and reveled in the history there. We caught a glimpse of the way the > people lived (albeit a wealthy judge)...this is the information we were > yearning for - not the puppet shows we saw downtown. > > The next day we visited the sites located in Danvers - the site of the > parsonage - Ingersoll's tavern - Bridget Bishops home - The memorial... > > And the best site of all - The Rebecca Nurse homestead (it was a rainy > day - and how fitting...) The tour guide at Rebecca's home was wonderful > to us and we learned so much. It was truly amazing for us to be able to > step inside a replica of the Meeting House. We were in awe. > > We tried to find the Proctor House, but unfortunatley it was torn down > and we think it was replaced by a Chinese restaurant...We ate there in > honor of John and Elizabeth and have some very funny "cosmic" memories > from that time. You know, cause when you think of John Proctor - you > immediately think....Chinese food, right?? If we were wrong about the > location, someone please correct us...It would most likely make me feel > better - if nothing else. > > We went to the site of what was beleived to be "Gallows Hill" ... Even > if it wasn't it had a creepy feel to it - maybe becasue we wished it to > feel creepy, but I stole some vines off a nearby tree and they decorated > part of the set...hee hee. > > And lastly the very nice gentlemen who showed us the home of Rev. John > Hale. He told us new evidence that cleared teh name of John Hale as an > accuser of Bridget Bishop...We still have the addendum to the book that > was "hot of the presses"... > > I am sure when the tour guides hear, "We're doing a production of the > CRUCIBLE" they must think to thmeselves..."Oh another group coming > through..." but we honestly wanted to learn the truth! We owed it to the > charcters we were showing onstage. > > We took artistic licenses with our production of THE CRUCIBLE following > that trip - We saw the spots in the text where history was "twisted" > through a magic spectacle glass and altered to fit the needs of the > story, but the staff, and myself in particular, were most interested in > being honest and true to the people of Salem. We constantly instilled > that in our cast members - "You are doing honor to the historical figure > you are representing...." There were not any "leads" in our production - > it was simply an ensemble of people putting history on a stage for > public view. > > First of all, we changed the name of the character of Francis Nurse to > Samuel Nurse as we read that he was the one that saved his mother's body > and rowed it down the stream to bury it in secret. I believe we found > out that Francis himself was sick in bed and could not plead for her in > the presence of the court. I hope I am right here and not offending any > family members by my fuzzy memory or three years. The added reason was > that the gentlemen playing the Nurse character was a high school student > and it would have been a major stretch for him to play an old man (for > him, and the audience as well...) > > We also raised the age of Mary Warren to her proper age - the script > says she is a teen-ager and we made her plight stronger in her fight > with John Proctor by having her admit "I am 20, and a woman, however > single..." > > We added a "Greek chorus" of sorts - the ghosts of the accused who > showed up during the trial scene and were on balcony above, looking down > on the action below, lit only by white taper candles. They also stood in > as "trees" and "bushes" during the forest scene accusing Hester as she > sinks deeper and deeper into the ever growing snowball of her own > creation. True Abigail was not the reason that this whole catastrophe > took place, but for modern audiences it was extremely powerful to take > in. > > We toyed with the idea of changing the names of the Judges, but we > thought that may have been to huge of an undertaking... > > To honor the people of Salem we added a Prologue and an epilogue that > set some of the story straight in our eyes and let the audience know > what happened. If anyone is interested I would love to share it with > you. I feel as If I've taken enough of your time discussing a play > script that many ancestors find an abomination in the eyes of their > personal heritage...I found it fascinating - and if this play touched me > in such a way that I continue to research the subject three years later, > it did it's job in honoring your relatives. > > I am very fortunate as I am graduating from Temple University this > coming Spring and the theater department had decided to produce THE > CRUCIBLE. I will hopefully have the honor of playing one of the many > characters I have been researching for the past 3 years. It was very > difficult to put all this away - and now I have the pleasure of reliving > it all again. I have already made plans to come up to Salem for the > conference that was mentioned, running at the Peabody Essex Museum (the > weekend of my birthday Sept. 18th!!!). If anyone is planning on > attending please let me know as I would love to meet up with all of you. > My sister played the role of Betty Parris three years ago, and was > unable to travel when the staff went up three years ago - but I will be > bringing her to all the wonderful sites I found so informative and > sharing them all with her. > > On our trip up to Salem, the staff tried to contact Richard Trask the > day we were leaving to come home, but he was unavailable and swamped at > work that particular day, but he very nicely said if we ever "have any > questions for him he was a phone call away." Hopefully, I will get to > meet him at the Peabody Essex conference as I believe he is a speaker - > he is a celebrity in my eyes, and it would be a great honor to meet him. > His book was an invaluable resource to our production! > > 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)

Pamela, Nobody knows what happened to Abigail. The only thing we know is that Miller's representation of an affair between her and Proctor is his artistic invention. Abigail was eleven and Proctor was over sixty. Miller's account of that affair is purely fictional--a brilliant play nevertheless, even if it leads people to believe that the fiction was reality. Cheers, Bernie

Barry - I wish I had seen the play! In fact, I have never "seen" the Crucible, I have only read it. My mind has painted some pictures of scenes of your play - very creative. I only found out about 1 month ago that I am a descendant of Rebecca Nurse, as well as Dorothy Faulkner and Abigail Dane, who were also involved in the witch trials. It is all very new to me and I also enjoy the list. Does you theatre leave you no time to research your family tree? Who knows where your branches lead??? Jodie ----- Original Message ----- From: KRIEBEL JR. <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, July 09, 1999 9:45 AM Subject: [SALEM-WITCH-L] A huge thanks > To everyone on the SALEM-WITCH list, > > My name is Barry Kriebel. I am 28 years old, and I subscribed to this > list, not because I have a relative involved in this tragedy, but simply > because of my interest in the subject. I wanted to thank you all for > allowing me to be involved with your lives as you search out answers to > your individual heritage's. > > Three summers ago I had the honor of directing Arthur Miller's THE > CRUCIBLE. Now true, it was not a verbatim account of what happened back > in 1692, and the production staff was aware of that as we researched > more and more, but we had the pleasure of travelling up to Salem/Danvers > to do research for our production. It was a four day trip. > > Of course on the first day, we made the horrible mistake of visiting all > of the tourist traps (because that's what they are) in modern-day Salem > (the wax museums...etc...) and we were extremely disappointed with what > information we were running into. > > There were discrepancies between museums as to who Tituba was...we heard > African American/American Indian...and we then began to realize that all > research on the subject was not cut and dry and we would have to make > some artistic decisions (as I'm sure Arthur Miller did)... > > We found our first ray of hope when we visited the Corwin "witch" House > and reveled in the history there. We caught a glimpse of the way the > people lived (albeit a wealthy judge)...this is the information we were > yearning for - not the puppet shows we saw downtown. > > The next day we visited the sites located in Danvers - the site of the > parsonage - Ingersoll's tavern - Bridget Bishops home - The memorial... > > And the best site of all - The Rebecca Nurse homestead (it was a rainy > day - and how fitting...) The tour guide at Rebecca's home was wonderful > to us and we learned so much. It was truly amazing for us to be able to > step inside a replica of the Meeting House. We were in awe. > > We tried to find the Proctor House, but unfortunatley it was torn down > and we think it was replaced by a Chinese restaurant...We ate there in > honor of John and Elizabeth and have some very funny "cosmic" memories > from that time. You know, cause when you think of John Proctor - you > immediately think....Chinese food, right?? If we were wrong about the > location, someone please correct us...It would most likely make me feel > better - if nothing else. > > We went to the site of what was beleived to be "Gallows Hill" ... Even > if it wasn't it had a creepy feel to it - maybe becasue we wished it to > feel creepy, but I stole some vines off a nearby tree and they decorated > part of the set...hee hee. > > And lastly the very nice gentlemen who showed us the home of Rev. John > Hale. He told us new evidence that cleared teh name of John Hale as an > accuser of Bridget Bishop...We still have the addendum to the book that > was "hot of the presses"... > > I am sure when the tour guides hear, "We're doing a production of the > CRUCIBLE" they must think to thmeselves..."Oh another group coming > through..." but we honestly wanted to learn the truth! We owed it to the > charcters we were showing onstage. > > We took artistic licenses with our production of THE CRUCIBLE following > that trip - We saw the spots in the text where history was "twisted" > through a magic spectacle glass and altered to fit the needs of the > story, but the staff, and myself in particular, were most interested in > being honest and true to the people of Salem. We constantly instilled > that in our cast members - "You are doing honor to the historical figure > you are representing...." There were not any "leads" in our production - > it was simply an ensemble of people putting history on a stage for > public view. > > First of all, we changed the name of the character of Francis Nurse to > Samuel Nurse as we read that he was the one that saved his mother's body > and rowed it down the stream to bury it in secret. I believe we found > out that Francis himself was sick in bed and could not plead for her in > the presence of the court. I hope I am right here and not offending any > family members by my fuzzy memory or three years. The added reason was > that the gentlemen playing the Nurse character was a high school student > and it would have been a major stretch for him to play an old man (for > him, and the audience as well...) > > We also raised the age of Mary Warren to her proper age - the script > says she is a teen-ager and we made her plight stronger in her fight > with John Proctor by having her admit "I am 20, and a woman, however > single..." > > We added a "Greek chorus" of sorts - the ghosts of the accused who > showed up during the trial scene and were on balcony above, looking down > on the action below, lit only by white taper candles. They also stood in > as "trees" and "bushes" during the forest scene accusing Hester as she > sinks deeper and deeper into the ever growing snowball of her own > creation. True Abigail was not the reason that this whole catastrophe > took place, but for modern audiences it was extremely powerful to take > in. > > We toyed with the idea of changing the names of the Judges, but we > thought that may have been to huge of an undertaking... > > To honor the people of Salem we added a Prologue and an epilogue that > set some of the story straight in our eyes and let the audience know > what happened. If anyone is interested I would love to share it with > you. I feel as If I've taken enough of your time discussing a play > script that many ancestors find an abomination in the eyes of their > personal heritage...I found it fascinating - and if this play touched me > in such a way that I continue to research the subject three years later, > it did it's job in honoring your relatives. > > I am very fortunate as I am graduating from Temple University this > coming Spring and the theater department had decided to produce THE > CRUCIBLE. I will hopefully have the honor of playing one of the many > characters I have been researching for the past 3 years. It was very > difficult to put all this away - and now I have the pleasure of reliving > it all again. I have already made plans to come up to Salem for the > conference that was mentioned, running at the Peabody Essex Museum (the > weekend of my birthday Sept. 18th!!!). If anyone is planning on > attending please let me know as I would love to meet up with all of you. > My sister played the role of Betty Parris three years ago, and was > unable to travel when the staff went up three years ago - but I will be > bringing her to all the wonderful sites I found so informative and > sharing them all with her. > > On our trip up to Salem, the staff tried to contact Richard Trask the > day we were leaving to come home, but he was unavailable and swamped at > work that particular day, but he very nicely said if we ever "have any > questions for him he was a phone call away." Hopefully, I will get to > meet him at the Peabody Essex conference as I believe he is a speaker - > he is a celebrity in my eyes, and it would be a great honor to meet him. > His book was an invaluable resource to our production! > > 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) > >

To everyone on the SALEM-WITCH list, My name is Barry Kriebel. I am 28 years old, and I subscribed to this list, not because I have a relative involved in this tragedy, but simply because of my interest in the subject. I wanted to thank you all for allowing me to be involved with your lives as you search out answers to your individual heritage's. Three summers ago I had the honor of directing Arthur Miller's THE CRUCIBLE. Now true, it was not a verbatim account of what happened back in 1692, and the production staff was aware of that as we researched more and more, but we had the pleasure of travelling up to Salem/Danvers to do research for our production. It was a four day trip. Of course on the first day, we made the horrible mistake of visiting all of the tourist traps (because that's what they are) in modern-day Salem (the wax museums...etc...) and we were extremely disappointed with what information we were running into. There were discrepancies between museums as to who Tituba was...we heard African American/American Indian...and we then began to realize that all research on the subject was not cut and dry and we would have to make some artistic decisions (as I'm sure Arthur Miller did)... We found our first ray of hope when we visited the Corwin "witch" House and reveled in the history there. We caught a glimpse of the way the people lived (albeit a wealthy judge)...this is the information we were yearning for - not the puppet shows we saw downtown. The next day we visited the sites located in Danvers - the site of the parsonage - Ingersoll's tavern - Bridget Bishops home - The memorial... And the best site of all - The Rebecca Nurse homestead (it was a rainy day - and how fitting...) The tour guide at Rebecca's home was wonderful to us and we learned so much. It was truly amazing for us to be able to step inside a replica of the Meeting House. We were in awe. We tried to find the Proctor House, but unfortunatley it was torn down and we think it was replaced by a Chinese restaurant...We ate there in honor of John and Elizabeth and have some very funny "cosmic" memories from that time. You know, cause when you think of John Proctor - you immediately think....Chinese food, right?? If we were wrong about the location, someone please correct us...It would most likely make me feel better - if nothing else. We went to the site of what was beleived to be "Gallows Hill" ... Even if it wasn't it had a creepy feel to it - maybe becasue we wished it to feel creepy, but I stole some vines off a nearby tree and they decorated part of the set...hee hee. And lastly the very nice gentlemen who showed us the home of Rev. John Hale. He told us new evidence that cleared teh name of John Hale as an accuser of Bridget Bishop...We still have the addendum to the book that was "hot of the presses"... I am sure when the tour guides hear, "We're doing a production of the CRUCIBLE" they must think to thmeselves..."Oh another group coming through..." but we honestly wanted to learn the truth! We owed it to the charcters we were showing onstage. We took artistic licenses with our production of THE CRUCIBLE following that trip - We saw the spots in the text where history was "twisted" through a magic spectacle glass and altered to fit the needs of the story, but the staff, and myself in particular, were most interested in being honest and true to the people of Salem. We constantly instilled that in our cast members - "You are doing honor to the historical figure you are representing...." There were not any "leads" in our production - it was simply an ensemble of people putting history on a stage for public view. First of all, we changed the name of the character of Francis Nurse to Samuel Nurse as we read that he was the one that saved his mother's body and rowed it down the stream to bury it in secret. I believe we found out that Francis himself was sick in bed and could not plead for her in the presence of the court. I hope I am right here and not offending any family members by my fuzzy memory or three years. The added reason was that the gentlemen playing the Nurse character was a high school student and it would have been a major stretch for him to play an old man (for him, and the audience as well...) We also raised the age of Mary Warren to her proper age - the script says she is a teen-ager and we made her plight stronger in her fight with John Proctor by having her admit "I am 20, and a woman, however single..." We added a "Greek chorus" of sorts - the ghosts of the accused who showed up during the trial scene and were on balcony above, looking down on the action below, lit only by white taper candles. They also stood in as "trees" and "bushes" during the forest scene accusing Hester as she sinks deeper and deeper into the ever growing snowball of her own creation. True Abigail was not the reason that this whole catastrophe took place, but for modern audiences it was extremely powerful to take in. We toyed with the idea of changing the names of the Judges, but we thought that may have been to huge of an undertaking... To honor the people of Salem we added a Prologue and an epilogue that set some of the story straight in our eyes and let the audience know what happened. If anyone is interested I would love to share it with you. I feel as If I've taken enough of your time discussing a play script that many ancestors find an abomination in the eyes of their personal heritage...I found it fascinating - and if this play touched me in such a way that I continue to research the subject three years later, it did it's job in honoring your relatives. I am very fortunate as I am graduating from Temple University this coming Spring and the theater department had decided to produce THE CRUCIBLE. I will hopefully have the honor of playing one of the many characters I have been researching for the past 3 years. It was very difficult to put all this away - and now I have the pleasure of reliving it all again. I have already made plans to come up to Salem for the conference that was mentioned, running at the Peabody Essex Museum (the weekend of my birthday Sept. 18th!!!). If anyone is planning on attending please let me know as I would love to meet up with all of you. My sister played the role of Betty Parris three years ago, and was unable to travel when the staff went up three years ago - but I will be bringing her to all the wonderful sites I found so informative and sharing them all with her. On our trip up to Salem, the staff tried to contact Richard Trask the day we were leaving to come home, but he was unavailable and swamped at work that particular day, but he very nicely said if we ever "have any questions for him he was a phone call away." Hopefully, I will get to meet him at the Peabody Essex conference as I believe he is a speaker - he is a celebrity in my eyes, and it would be a great honor to meet him. His book was an invaluable resource to our production! 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)

Peabody Essex Museum East India Square Salem, Massachusetts 01970 1-800-745-4054 [email protected]

I wrote to Danbury's Archival Center in Danver's,to see if I could get a copy of the records at the Peabody Institute: The first was Berthia Carter Jr Complaint 487,Warrant 729 Page 1053,the 2nd was Berthia Sr..Page 1053 also case number 205-206,Warrant 729....3rd Item was for Martha for M Bradbury 119-120 page 1053...Finally Thomas Varney petition for J.Proctor 681-683.If anyone is going to the Peabody Institute could they do a look-up for me I would love to have copies of those items.....Thank you,hot as heck in Texas,Flora Varney Carter Newby Perry Thurman Murphy Purcell Robilliard..Cherry Colquitt Ritter

You can write to Peabody-Essex and they will send you photocopies if they hold it. They may charge a nominal fee for what they send. They have a web site with their exact address. Sorry I don't have it on hand. Judy > > Subject: [SALEM-WITCH-L] Varney Carter > Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 07:43:37 -0500 > From: "flora newby" <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > > I wrote to Danbury's Archival Center in Danver's,to see if I could get a > copy of the records at the Peabody Institute: > The first was Berthia Carter Jr Complaint 487,Warrant 729 > Page 1053,the 2nd was Berthia Sr..Page 1053 also case number > 205-206,Warrant 729....3rd Item was for Martha for M Bradbury 119-120 page > 1053...Finally Thomas Varney petition for J.Proctor 681-683.If anyone is > going to the Peabody Institute could they do a look-up for me I would love > to have copies of those items.....Thank you,hot as heck in Texas,Flora > > Varney Carter Newby Perry Thurman Murphy Purcell Robilliard..Cherry > Colquitt Ritter -- _,'| _.-''``-...___..--';) /_ \'. __..-' , ,--...--''' <\ .`--''' ` /' `-';' ; ; ; __...--'' ___...--_..' .;.' (,__....----''' (,..--'' Felix Lee

It was fairly common for people to deed property to relatives, friends and neighbors with the agreement that the grantee would care for the grantor in 'their old age'. Particularly if the grantee was young, and had little chance of gaining property of his own. Of course more common among family members, but not uncommon among friends and neighbors. Especially if the descendants had all previously been accounted for in past transactions and/or there were no male offspring. My ancestor had this arrangement documented in Sherborn, MA with his step grandfather. However, it is possible there was a relationship somewhere you have not you found. Stephanie Shenandoah Valley, VA [email protected] http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/w/a/l/Stephanie-J-Walker/index.html Currently collecting/sharing these surnames BARTHOLOMEW (<1800, NY), CLAYES/CLOYES, CUPPERNALL, CURTIS (CT), FAIRBANKS, GENT/JENT, PARKHILL, PEPPER, PHIPPS, THOMPSON (VT, CT), WALKER (MA,NY), WATSON (MA) **************************************************************** "Listen to the footsteps that echo behind when you walk alone." *****************************************************************

Hello all! Yes, from the subject line you can see how I spent my day... :D After reading that there was a new edition of Trask's "The Devil Hath Been Raised," and learning that Amazon.com claimed it was "back-ordered" and would take 3-5 weeks to get, I was inspired to pop down to see if I could pick up a copy of the 1997 edition right at the source. So my first stop was the Danvers Historical Society, and they have a pile of them. If anyone wants one, you can write to them directly and get it, postpaid for $18.75. Make checks available to: "Danvers Historical Society" and send it to them at P.O. Box 381, Danvers, MA 01923. The new documents included are as follows: * The Examination of Giles Corey * Summons for Witnesses to the Examination of Rachel Clinton * Indictment of Mary English * Examination of Mary Lacey * Fragment of an Examination of Richard Carrier * Warrant for the Apprehension of Mary Green and Hannah Bromage * Indictment of Mary Lacey * Richard Carrier, Mary Lacey and Mary Lacey, Jr. Vs. George Burroughs * Deliverance Dane for Rev. Frances Dane * Examination of Margaret Prince * Indictment of Margaret Scott * Second Indictment of Margaret Scott * John Burbank and Daniel Wycomb Vs. Margaret Scott * Mary Daniel Vs. Margaret Scott * Thomas Nelson Vs. Margaret Scott * Sarah Coleman Vs. Margaret Scott * Excerpt From the Examination of Joanna Penny[?] Then I drove over to the area where the foundation of the parsonage is located on Center St. in Danvers, and decided to walk over to the Danvers Memorial, across the street from where the meetinghouse was located -- 5-6 minutes away. From there I walked to the Rebecca Nurse Homestead -- another 15-20 minutes' walk -- trying to get a sense of where things were in relation to each other. The folks at the Homestead were delightful to talk to! If you have a chance, it's a really low-key museum experience, but more likely to give you a sense of the space in which these events took place. There's a reconstruction of the meetinghouse on the property, built for the filming of the movie "Three Sovereigns for Sarah." You can get a real sense of the close quarters within which these events occured. My last stop of the day: The Peabody Essex in Salem for a chat with Jane Ward, the Curator of Manuscripts. She asked me to let folks on our list know about an event the museum is sponsoring in September: - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- The 1692 Salem Witchcraft Trials: Fact, Fiction, and our Forefathers September 17, 18, & 19, 1999 Back by popular demand, the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., announces a repeat of its popular program on the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials. The three-day seminar will take place at the museum in Salem. Lectures will be offered on such topics as life in Salem in 1692, witchcraft and Colonial law, and witchcraft in Europe, along with videos, tours, a demonstration of a new "Witchcraft in Salem Village" website, and an opportunity to take part in a mock witchcraft trial. A special opportunity to do research in the renovated Phillips Library is also available. The keynote speech will be delivered by David Greene, co-editor of The American Genealogist, and author of several articles on the trial victims. Other speakers include Danvers, Mass., town archivist Richard B. Trask, Professor Stephen P. Marrone of Tufts University, Ph.D. candidate Thomas E. Conroy of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and assistant curator Paula B. Richter and curator Jane E. Ward of the Pebody Essex Museum. The seminar will conclude with an optional trip to sites in Danvers, Mass. This seminar will appeal to anyone interested in the 1692 trials, but especially to those descended from one of the vistims of this terrible tragedy. For more informtion and registration, contact; Jane E. Ward, Peabody Essex Museum, East India Square, Salem, Mass., 01970-3783, 978-745-9500, ext. 3032. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- The information is not at their website yet (http://www.pem.org), but she said it should be there soon with info about how to register. That's all for now! --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

Does anyone have handy a copy of Essex Quarterly Court Records, Vol. 8? If so, would you look up PUDEATOR and see if there was anything further in court records after November 1680 regarding the inquest into the death of Isabel Mosier Pudeator, Jacob Pudeator's first wife? I know you will find Jacob Pudeator's will recorded in November 1682 court; I have his will and inventory. What I forgot to look for were mentions of continuations of the inquest into his first wife's death which were summarized and reported at November 1680 court. But, the inquest seemed to be left up in the air without reporting a decision of the magistrates regarding the inquest. So now I would like to determine if anything further was ever said in court in the year 1681 to November 1682. Many thanks. -- Helen Greenslit Graves PS - Anybody have a copy of Vol. 8 for sale?

LDS = Latter Day Saints, or the Mormons, who keep extensive genealogical records for their own religious purposes. Inside a mountain vault, they have assembled the single largest collection of genealogical records in the world. Thankfully, they share -- the information is available on microfilm in their family research centers. One of the standard family group sheet forms that genealogists use is refered to as "LDS" because it is the official form used by them. --Margo

For anyone who isn't aware, the LDS has opened up a web site, in which you can trace marriages, christenings, etc... While not the most elegant of designs, I've found it useful in looking up some data. http://www.familysearch.org Probably the nicest feature it has is where you can search for people by relationship (i.e., husband-wife, son-father, etc) - Jody Roberts - -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.user1.netcarrier.com/~jroberts ICQ UIN 1362302