Do You Have Any Infamous Relatives?
My Abbott ancestors were Puritans who immigrated with their families from England on the ship Arabella, arriving in Massachusetts in about 1637. My 10th Great-Grandparents, George and Hannah Chandler Abbott were among the twenty founding families of Andover, which is about 15 miles from Salem. Being so near Salem, Andover was not immune from the witch mania that was so prevalent at the time.
Martha Carrier, another Andover resident, was a social pariah. She was outspoken and gruff with her neighbors, and conceived her first child out of wedlock, giving birth to him within 2 months of her marriage to her husband, Thomas Carrier. Benjamin Abbott was the brother of my 9th Great-Grandfather, who was also named George. In 1692, when Benjamin was 31 years old, he accused Martha of witchcraft. She was the first accused witch in Andover.
Benjamin and Martha were having a disagreement about the border between their properties and he claimed she had cursed him when he became afflicted with several ailments, including a swollen foot and sores on his side and groin, that could not be cured by the local doctor. Benjamin’s wife, Sarah, also claimed that some of their cattle had been bewitched by Martha. Several young women, known as the “Salem Girls”, were among Martha’s accusers.
Martha was arrested on 28 May 1692 and taken to prison in Salem Village. Reverend Cotton Mather was a key figure during her trial, and though she maintained her innocence, she was found guilty and executed by hanging on 19 August 1692.
In 1711, the Massachusetts government apologized to Thomas Carrier for hanging his wife and reversed the convictions. There is a memorial to the people who were victims of the Salem Witch Trials in a downtown park in Salem.
The Heretic’s Daughter is a book written by one of Martha Carrier’s descendants. It is written from the point of view of Martha’s daughter, Sarah, who had been accused of witchcraft along with her mother but survives the Salem Witch Trials.
Martha was not well liked by the residents of Andover, but she did not deserve to be hung because of it. Though my 9th Great-Granduncle Benjamin was just one of her accusers, I consider him an infamous relative for the part he played in her death.
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