At my house, Halloween brings about the question of whether we had any ancestors that participated in the Salem Witch Trials. This is an excellent opportunity to share ancestor stories, good or bad, with my children. The witch trials were a tragic chapter in American history but are a great lesson on how important tolerance is in our society.
The superstitions and fear of witches brought by settlers from England became a fundamental part of New England society. But it was the Puritans who conducted the trials and executed those whom they declared guilty. As life in the new world became difficult, the Puritans blamed witches for all their problems. They concluded that eliminating witches from their society was the only way to survive. Enclycopedia.com has a great article, “Witch-Hunts in Puritan England,” that explains this part of American History well.
It was in this setting that we meet Goody Cole. Eunice “Goody” Cole lived in Hampton, New Hampshire. Not all witch trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts. Goody Cole’s problem was that she was an unpleasant woman to be around. She was older and had a sharp tongue and took advantage of the local’s superstitions and frightened them by making terrifying prophecies.
Goody Cole warned Thomas Philbrick (my 9th Great Grandfather) that if his calves got into her place once more, she would poison them or choke them. He never saw one of his calves again, and another one got sick and died. Because of this and other incidents in the town, Goody Cole found herself before the court in 1656. Many testified against her, and she was found guilty.
Goody Cole eventually released from prison and soon after passed away. The townspeople quickly buried her in a deep hole by a ditch that was too unclean for consecrated ground. The people fashioned a long stake with a horseshoe nailed to the end of it, and they drove the stake through her heart as protection from her witchcraft. Her grave was left unmarked. Her life inspired the poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, The Wreck of Rivermouth. In 1938, the town of Hampton, New Hampshire declared her innocent.
Relative Finder (www.relativefinder.org) will search through your FamilySearch database and look for your ancestors who were part of the Salem Witch Trials. By searching Google, you can find stories like the one I found about Goody Cole, witch, and Thomas Philbrick, witch accuser.
0 comments:
Post a Comment