“Oh Lord, help me! It is false. I am clear. For my life now lies in your hands….” ~ Rebecca NURSE, hung for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692.

[Note to reader: On 3/5/2024 I updated this post due to some broken links and other issues. This is the updated version.]

Today’s theme is ‘cemetery’. In May of 2011 Bart and I traveled to Massachusetts for a few weeks. I never wanted to travel to the eastern part of the country. I don’t know why- I just didn’t. In 2011, I fell in love with it. It was probably the best trip we’ve taken. I was so fortunate to have enough time to really delve into the history of our families while I was there. One of the things I did while there was to visit Salem. I spent two or three days wandering the streets and learning the history.

In 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts many men and women were accused of witchcraft. Twenty of those people (both men and women) were tried, convicted, and executed. I believe (but I’m not certain because I’m depending on the research of others and I have not verified the research myself) that we have both an ancestor as well as another distant relative that were accused in the 1692 Salem witch trials but not executed. Below I will post my photos of the Salem Witch Memorial as well as some links to learn more about the memorial. I will post a photo of the indictment of Sarah BASSETT whom I believe I may be related to. I also believe I am related to Rebecca NURSE and her two sisters- Mary ESTY and Sarah CLOYSE, other accused Salem residents. If I can verify these relationships, we are related to these women through both the DRAKE and HUBBARD lines.

You can learn more about the Salem Witch Memorial at SalemWeb here and here.

Photos of some of the memorials.

Transcription of Sarah BASSETT’s indictment:

The Jurors for o’r Sov’r lord & Lady the King & Queen pr’sent
The Sarah Bassett wife of William Bassett of Lyn in the County
of Essex aforesaid Upon or about the 23’rd day of May last Anno: 1692 aforsaid
And Divers other Days & Times as well before as after Certaine
Detestable Arts Called Witchcraft & Sorceries Wickedly Mallitiously
& felloniously hath used practised & Exercised at & in the Towne
of Salem, in the County of Essex aforesaid Upon & Against One
Mary Walcott of Salem Single Woman By Which Wicked Arts The
Said Mary Walcott is Tortured aflicted Tormented Consumed Wasted
& Pined the Day & yeare aforesaid & Divers other Days & times as
well before as Contrary to the peace of o’r Sov’r lord & lady the King
& Queen their Crowne & Dignity & the Laws in that Case made
& provided
Wittness
An Putnam
Marcy lewis

Sarah Bassett indictment, https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/n11.html.

You can find the Sarah BASSETT documents and more at University of Virginia’s Salem Witch Trials site. I highly recommend it.

The Three Sisters

The three sisters – Mary ESTY (aka EASTY or EASTIE), Rebecca NURSE, and Sarah CLOYSE – were the daughters of William Towne, of Yarmouth, Norfolk County, New England. Mary was baptized on August 24, 1634, in Yarmouth. Sisters Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Cloyse were also accused of Witchcraft during the Salem outbreak, although there is ample evidence that all three of the sisters were innocent.

At the time of her questioning, ESTY was about 58 years old. She was married to Isaac ESTY, with whom she had seven children. Isaac owned a large, valuable farm. Mary’s examination followed the pattern of most in Salem: the girls had fits, they were speechless at times, and the magistrate reprimanded Mary for not confessing. He assumed her guilt based on the behavior of the “afflicted” girls.

Court: “How far have you complied with Satan?”

Mary: “Sir, I never complied with him but pray against him all my days. What would you have Easty do?”

Court: “Confess if you be guilty”

Mary: “I will say it, if it was my last time, I am clear of this sin.”

Examination of Mary ESTY, https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/n45.html#n45.2.

During the exam, when Mary ESTY clasped her hands together, the hands of Mary LEWIS (aka Marcy LEWIS, aka Mercy LEWIS – one of ESTY’s accusers) were clenched. When ESTY’s hands released, LEWIS released her hands. When ESTY inclined her head, the allegedly afflicted girls cried out that their necks were breaking.

ESTY was put in prison after her examination. For reasons no longer known, Mary ESTY was discharged after spending two months in prison. She and her family thought the ordeal was over and Mary was now safe. They couldn’t have been more wrong. The “afflicted” girls increased their efforts to get Mary put back in prison and they succeeded. On the 20th of May, Mary LEWIS spent the entire day experiencing severe fits and saying she was being strangled. Several of the other “afflicted” girls said it was ESTY afflicting Mary LEWIS. LEWIS drew a large crowd over her “fits”. That evening, another warrant was issued for Mary ESTY’s arrest. At midnight, after experiencing two days of liberty and being reunited with her family, Mary was raised from her sleep by the marshal, torn from her husband and children, and taken back to prison where she was put in chains. Of course, once ESTY was back in prison, LEWIS’ fits stopped.

Mary ESTY was condemned to death on September 9th and executed on September 22nd, despite pleas to the court to reconsider and not spill any more innocent blood. The court had long since ceased to pay any attention to anything that was said by the condemned. Mary’s final conversations with her family were said to have been “as serious, religious, distinct, and affectionate as could be expressed, drawing tears from the eyes of almost all present.” On the gallows, she prayed for an end to the witch hunt. (https://www.anamericanfamilyhistory.com/Towne%20Family/TowneMaryEstey.html)

In November after Mary ESTY’s execution, Mary HERRICK testified that ESTY’s apparition visited her and told her she’d been wrongfully executed and was innocent of witchcraft, and that she’d come back for vindication. Years later, ESTY’s family was compensated with 20 pounds from the government for ESTY’s “wrongful execution.” (https://www.anamericanfamilyhistory.com/Towne%20Family/TowneMaryEstey.html)

If You Ever Get to Salem

I hope you’ve enjoyed this. If you ever get to Salem, take time to look around the cemeteries and memorials. They’re very interesting.

After asking a lot of locals and doing some research I *think* this is where the Salem witch hangings took place. I could be wrong but this is as close as I could get in the three days I was there. It’s a local park now.

UPDATE: I’ve added an addendum post to this. You can view it here.

Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Resources:

In early blog posts, I didn’t record my sources. Since I had to update this post, I tried to re-locate the sources I used and document them here for you.

https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/

https://www.anamericanfamilyhistory.com/Towne%20Family/TowneMaryEstey.html

http://www.salemweb.com/memorial/memorial.php

http://www.salemweb.com/memorial/

https://www.anamericanfamilyhistory.com/Towne%20Family/TowneMaryEstey.html