Month: October 2018

Least We Forget – The Witch Hysteria of the 1600s and its Destruction of Families

This post has nothing to do with the DeBoise family and its ancestors, other than my connection to the family through marriage. This is about my family.

In the 1970s, my husband and I took my father-in-law, James DeBoise, to Salem. We did the normal tourist stuff – the Witch Museum and the House of Seven Gables. I also walked around cemeteries looking for tombstones of my ancestors. I knew I had family living in the area in the 1600s. I also expected that they had to be affected by the hysteria around witches, but I had no idea how.

I do believe that when people are ready to be found, they will be. A few years ago I found that information, and was amazed, and saddened. This is one of the stories of my family.

Salem Village Witch Memorial

Salem Village With Memorial legendsofamerica.com

The ancestors of both my mother and father were very involved in the events of the 1600s. Some were accused of being witches, jailed, and participated in hearings before judges and juries similar to what was depicted in the play and movie The Crucible (Arthur Miller wrote the play in 1953. It is based on the Salem Witch Trials, but there was some liberties taken with the story.).

The Salem Witch Trials occurred in the towns and counties surrounding Salem, Massachusetts during 1692 and 1693. By September, 1693 when the last of those accused were released from jail, almost 200 people had been jailed, 24 had died, and 55 were coerced into confessing to practicing witchcraft.

The Accused

Jane Lilly is my 9th paternal great grandmother.  Jane is the second wife of George Lilly. George was born in England and living in Reading, Essex County, Massachusetts by 1659.  Jane was born in either Massachusetts or England. George married Jane (her maiden name is not known) in 1667, and they had three children – George Joseph, Reuben, and Abigail. Jane was 46 years old when she became a widow at George’s death in 1691. She was still living in Reading in 1692.

Jane was accused of witchcraft, along with Mary Colson, and examined by his majesty’s justices in Salem on September 2, 1692. Her accusers included Mary Warren, Elizabeth Booth, Susanna Post, and Mrs. Mary Marshall (wife of Edward, of Malden). She was accused of afflicting them and causing them to fall in a fit as she looked at them, and causing the fit to end with a touch of her hand. She was also accused of setting William Hooper’s house on fire and killing him. Jane denied all of this, saying if she confessed any of what she was being accused of she would be denying the truth and wrong her own soul. Jane was imprisoned in the Salem jail (Witches of Massachusetts http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ma-witches-k-n.html).

On December 8, 1692, her sons George and Reuben Lilly, who were husbandmen (farmers) in Lynn, along with John Pierson, pledged 200 pounds of their property and goods for her release, guaranteeing her appearance at the next Middlesex Court hearing for trial. On the same day George also pledged, along with John Pierson, 200 pounds to free John’s sister, Bethia Pierson Carter, who was also accused of witchcraft and was imprisoned (Salem Witch Trails: Documentary Archive and Transcription Project. http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/texts/tei/swp?term=John%20Somes&div_id=n28.1&chapter_id=n28). On January 31, 1693 the Grand Jury in Middlesex County returned an indictment for Jane of ignoramus, meaning there was not enough evidence to indict her of witchcraft.

Jane’s children, Reuben and Abigail, both died in 1698. Her son, George, went in front of the Reading selectmen in June 1701 and refused payment for the keeping of his mother. I am not sure if this had something to do with restitution from her jailing, or if it was for caring for her when she was destitute. Although I do not know when Jane died, it was probably in the early 1700s. By 1707, George (my 8th great grandfather) was a resident of Scotland, Windham County, Connecticut where he was one of the early founders of the community and became a prominent landowner of the area.

Frances (unknown) Hutchins is my 10th maternal great grandmother.  Frances was born about 1612 in England. She married John Hutchins in 1637. He was a carpenter, a partner in a sawmill, and a farmer. (Frances is referred to in many records as Frances Alcock, who immigrated as a servant for the Richard Drummer family on the Bevis in 1635. However, there is no proof that Frances, wife of John Hutchins, is the same Frances Alcock.)

Frances was first arrested in 1653 for wearing finery – a silk hood. In 1650, the General Court had passed a law prohibiting the display of finery by persons “of meane (sic) condition” defined as persons whose property was valued at less than 200 pounds. For women, finery included silk or tiffany hoods, ribbons or scarfs. Frances was acquitted because “upon testimony of her being brought up above the ordinary way,” and was entitled to wear the finery, while her friend Mrs. Swett was found guilty and had to pay ten shillings . John Hutchins died in 1685, leaving Frances a widow when she was about 73 years old.

Widow Frances was 80 years old when she was arrested August 19, 1692 on the charge of witchcraft, and transported to and imprisoned in Salem. Her accusers include Timothy Swan of Andover as well as Ann Putnam, Jr. and Mary Walcott of Salem Village. On this day, five accused witches were hanged in Salem. Imagine her chained in the horse drawn cart as it drove by the gallows on her way to jail.

She was imprisoned until December 21, 1692 when she was released on 200 pounds bond posted by her son Samuel Hutchins and John Kingsbury. There are no records of a trial or indictment. Frances died on April 5, 1694.

The Towne sisters are well known in this drama, as all three were accused of witchcraft. A monument in Salem honors their sacrifice. Edmund Towne, the husband of Mary Browning, my 8th paternal great grand aunt, was their brother. Rebecca (Towne) Nurse and Mary (Towne) Easty, were convicted of being witches. Rebecca was hung June 19 and Mary was hung September 22, 1692.

salem-wax-museum-of-witches Mary,Sarah and Rebecca

The Towne Sisters – Mary, Sarah and Rebecca at Salem Wax Museum tripadvisor.com

Sarah (Towne) Cloyce was accused of bewitching Edmund and Mary’s daughter, Rebecca. Widow Mary Browning Towne, along with four of her children, was called as a witness against her sisters-in-law Mary and Sarah on September 6, 1692. She responded the following day asking to be excused from testifying in that she and her children were very weak and could not get out of bed. She was summoned again on September 8. There is no record that she testified against her sisters-in-law. There was no credible evidence for finding Sarah guilty of practicing witchcraft, and the Grand Jury dismissed charges against Sarah on January 3, 1693. However, she was not released from prison until her husband, Peter, paid her fees from the imprisonment (Records of the Peabody Institute Library, Danvers, Mass. as referenced by Phipps Family Pages and hosted on RootsWeb: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~walkersj/EdmundTowne.html). (Sarah Cloyce is the main character of the PBS movie “Three Sovereigns for Sarah”)

Accusers

Before the Salem Witch Trials, my 9th maternal great grandmother, Joanna Lee Sleeper, wife of Thomas Sleeper and a resident of Hampton, New Hampshire, twice accused, in September and October 1656, Goodwife Eunice Cole of witchcraft. Joanna, along with Sobriety Martson, claimed that while talking about Goodwife Cole and Goodwife Marston’s child, there was a scraping against the boards and windows of the house, caused by Goodwife Cole. It was concluded if an animal had made the scraping, it would have left marks.

Goodwife Cole was  found guilty of witchcraft and sentenced to be whipped and to life in prison in Boston. She was released after 15 years and the town of Hampton was ordered to support her. Shortly after she was released, she was again accused of witchcraft and once again imprisoned.  After a few months she was found not guilty and sent back to Hampton, where she died in poverty (Nutfield Genealogy: http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/04/surname-saturday-sleeper-of-hampton-new.html).

It is October and children and adults are getting excited about celebrating Halloween. Salem celebrates this holiday throughout October, integrating the history of the witch trials in their celebration to promote tourism. However, this celebration seems to be less about the horrors of this time period and the effect it had on families, and more about dressing in costume and having fun. I’m all for having fun, but to me the hysteria about witchcraft is a sobering time that had a very real impact on my ancestors. In addition to the hysteria, so much of what went on during this period had overtones of “politics”, “getting even”, and singling out those who were different.

Imagine these accused women, most of whom are older women, wearing heavy iron hand cuffs and leg fetters, and chained in their jail cells. Frances Hutchins was 80 and Jane Lilly was 47 when they were jailed. They were kept in prisons that were damp and dark. They were tortured as their jailers sought to have them confess to witchcraft. Their jail cells were cold in the winter, hot in the summer, infested with lice and rats, and smelled. They slept on straw, if they had any bedding at all.

The Salem Dungeon and Jail was located near the North River, and was often subject to flooding. And to add insult to these indignities, families were charged for all costs of imprisonment. Even when the accused were found innocent, they were not released until their costs of imprisonment were paid (Procedures, Courts & Officials of the Salem Trials. http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ma-salemcourt2.html).

I will never know the full impact this period of history had on my family. But I can respect, and empathize with what our ancestors went through; and share their experiences with future generations so that they also know the part their family played in our nation’s history, as dark as this chapter is.

Enjoy October. I’m always amazed each year at the beautiful fall foliage. It’s like God dribbled bright colors of paint on the trees. My favorite time of the year.

Until next time….

Teri

 

 

Bernard C. Remington and Margaret Deveau – Parents of Marshall F. Cortis

The last post was about Marshall Frederick Cortis, the father of Ruth Martha Andrews. Marshall was adopted when he was four years old, and his birth name of John Marshall Remington was changed by his adoptive parents. Marshall’s parents voluntarily placed him for adoption. Although we will probably never know the exact reason why they chose to place him with another family and not care for him themselves, it probably had to do with economic reasons. They were no longer together. His birth mother decided to keep their youngest child with her, and it seems that Marshall was aware of, and probably kept in touch with, his brother in that he was mentioned in Marshall’s obituary. So what is known about Marshall’s birth parents?

Bernard Collan Remington was born following the Civil War on September 5, 1867 in Hingham, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. (All official records list his middle name as Collan, although it was possible that it was intended that the name be spelled Cullen after his mother.) He was the third child born to Bela Remington and Margaret Cullen, his father’s second wife. He had six older siblings at the time of his birth, and his parents would have two more children after his birth.

The Remington family was one of the oldest families in Hingham, having settled there in the early to mid-1600s. His father worked as a farm laborer. His mother was born in Ireland and immigrated to the United States in 1849 when she was 16 years old, traveling by the ship “Robert” from Liverpool, England to Boston, Massachusetts. An 18 year old male, Edward Cullen, who was probably her brother traveled with her. They were escaping the death and poverty caused by the potato famine in Ireland.

Bela and Margaret were married in 1862. Bela’s first wife, Bridget Crehan, was also from Ireland and died in 1861 from childbirth, leaving four children ranging in age from four years to ten years.

Bernard spent his early years in Hingham, but moved to Boston by his late teens. There he met Margaret Deveau. Although I could not find a record of marriage, they established a household and their first child, George M. Remington, was born February 18, 1887. Five months later, on July 15, 1887, George died from cholera morbus, which is acute gastroenteritis that occurs in the summer or autumn.

Bernard and Margaret moved back to Hingham, where their next two children were born. It doesn’t appear that the family lived very long in Hingham before they moved back to the Boston area, and the family split up. In January 1894, Bernard and Margaret agreed to the adoption of their second son, John Marshall. They both remarried during the year.

Margaret Deveau, Marshall’s birth mother, was born in January 1870 in Weymouth, Digby County, Nova Scotia. She was the daughter of Marshall and Margaret Deveau. Weymouth is a small, rural village. During the late 1800s and early 1900s there was a large migration of immigrants from Canada into the United States. There were opportunities and the need for workers in the various manufacturing industries in the East, and Massachusetts was one of the areas that many immigrants settled. During the late 1800s it was very easy to cross the border from Canada into the United States. Margaret probably immigrated in 1885 or 1886.

Margaret married Thomas Powers on November 29, 1894 in Malden, Massachusetts. Margaret listed her occupation on her marriage application as domestic and Thomas was a driver. Both stated that this was their first marriage. Thomas was also from Nova Scotia and arrived in the United States in 1888. Thomas and Margaret had one child, Gertrude Theresa. This was a stable relationship for Margaret, and she and Thomas spent the rest of their lives together. Margaret died in 1936 in Everett, Massachusetts. Thomas died after 1940.

Bernard’s life was much less settled. Following his relationship with Margaret, Bernard married Estelle May Wood. Estelle was born about 1876 in Nova Scotia. Bernard indicated on his marriage application that this was his first marriage. This marriage probably didn’t last long, and Estelle remarried in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1913. No children were identified from this union. And there was another woman! Regina Louise Belle-Isle was born June 13, 1884 in Lowell, Massachusetts. Although I did not find any records verifying the marriage of Bernard and Regina, she was listed as Regina Remington in the 1910 Federal Census. She and Bernard had two children, the first born in 1904. This relationship did not last long. On February 20, 1912 Regina Louise married Everett Marshall Higgins. She used her maiden name on her marriage application and indicated that this was her first marriage. Regina died November 28, 1944 in Stowe, Massachusetts.

So what do we know about Bernard, other than he had at least three relationships with various women, and fathered at least five children? I found military records for him, which helped to fill in some of the blanks. Military records give physical descriptions of enlistees. This information helps to form an image of the person when we do not have pictures. Bernard was 5’5” tall, had blue eyes, auburn hair, and a ruddy complexion. He was a plumber when he enlisted in the Army on April 19, 1898. He was part of the artillery, and fought in the Spanish-American War in Cuba.

 

spanish-american-war.purzuit
Spanish American War pursuit.com

He was discharged as a master sergeant, was listed as an excellent soldier on the Army register, and continued his career in the military. He would enlist for several years, receive a discharge, and reenlist. He considered his occupation as a soldier. He was stationed in the Boston area. His reviews were excellent – until they weren’t! His last reenlistment was December 14, 1909. On March 30, 1910, he deserted. Why, after such a long and apparently successful career in the Army, did he desert? We can only speculate, and I can’t even do that! He was apprehended on October 13, 1910 and was then confined at Fort Banks (Massachusetts) awaiting court martial. His rank was reduced to private.

Bernard was dishonorably discharged from the Army on February 8, 1911. Following his discharge, he worked as a gasfitter for the gas company and continued to live in Boston. He died February 19, 1920 in Boston and was buried in Hingham. He was 52 years old.

Bernard’s children with Margaret Deveau were:

1. George M. Remington was born February 18, 1887 and died July 15, 1887, both in Boston.
2. John Marshall Remington was born April 16, 1889 in Hingham and died February 29, 1956 in Worcester. His name was changed to Marshall Frederick Cortis upon his adoption.
3. Bernard Charles Remington was born June 22, 1890 in Hingham and died July 5, 1958. Bernard served in the military during World War I and is buried in the Forestdale Cemetery in Malden, Massachusetts.

Bernard’s children with Regina Louise Belle-Isle were:

1. William Cullen Remington was born June 10, 1904 in Boston. In 1930 he was listed in the federal census as in the Army.
2. Louise Edna Remington was born around 1905. She married in 1926.

The next post will continue with the Remington Family.

So what do you know about the Spanish-American War? One of the interesting things about genealogy is finding out more about what was happening in our country and the world at the time our ancestors lived. Why did Bernard decide to join the Army and go to War? Why did he decide to stay in the Army following the War? Do an Internet search on the Spanish-American War to refresh your high school history lessons.

Did you know that in 2020 we will be celebrating the 400th Anniversary of the Pilgrim’s arrival in Plymouth, Massachusetts? We will get to Richard Warren, the Mayflower ancestor of this family, way before then!

Enjoy the beautiful autumn weather. Leaves are beginning to turn in Massachusetts. This is my favorite time of the year!

Until next time….

Teri