Priscilla Gould and the Salem Witch Trials

March 5, 2013 — 9 Comments

Priscilla Gould Putnam

The family feud between the Goulds and the Putnams (my 12th gg parents) of Salem sparked the famous witch trials.  All the living children of  my 12th great grandmother, Priscilla Gould, were accused of witchcraft during the hysteria.  It is well documented in old English:

Priscilla Gould (1590 – 1662)

is my 12th great grandmother

Salem Witch Trials Notes from the “Topsfield Historical Collection”:
The marriage of John Wild and Sarah Averill within a year of the death of Priscilla (Gould) Wild, seems to have caused trouble between Wild and two relatives of his first wife, Lieut. John Gould, her brother, and Mary, wife of John Reddington, her sister, who lived on an adjoining farm. The first intimation of this state of affairs, appears in the statement John Wild, Jr., made in his will, regarding his Gould inheritance, in order that his father might not be troubled by any claims of his uncle Gould. In 1686 the breach was widened by the testimony of John Wild against John Gould on the charge of treason. Shortly after this episode, Mary Reddington began to spread witchcraft stories about Sarah Wild through the town and it is to her authority that most of the evidence against Sarah Wild may be traced. When John Wild threatened to sue her husband for slander, she denied her previous statements, but evil had already been wrought. Now the Goulds were related to the Putnam family of Salem Village, in whose home the delusion originated and who were the chief accusers in the trials to come and it is probable that the accusations brought against Sarah Wild by their Topsfield connections, were brought to the willing ears of the afflicted girls of the Putnam family and proved the immediate cause of her arrest. On April 21, 1692, the following warrant was issued, casting terrible affliction upon several Topsfield homes, none more so than that of John Wild, for the warrant named not only his wife but his daughter and son-in-law, Edward and Sarah Bishop of Salem Village. “Salem Aprill the 21th 1692. “There being Complaint this day made (before vs) by Thomas Putnam and John Buxton of Salem Village Yeomen, in behalfe of theire Majests, for themselves and also for severall of theire neighbours Against William Hobs husbandman Delive his wife, Nehemiah Abot junior weaver, Mary Easty, the wife of Isaac Easty and Sarah Wilds the wife of John Wilds, all of the Towne of Topsfield or Ipswitch and Edward Bishop husbandman and Sarah his wife of Salem Village and Mary Black A negro of Leut. Nath Putnams of Salem Village also. And Mary English the wife of Philip English Merchant in Salem for high Suspition of Sundry acts of witchcraft donne or Committed by them Lately vpon the Bodys of Anna putnam and Marcy Lewis belonging to the famyly of ye abouesd Thomas Putnam complaint and Mary Walcot ye daughter of Capt Jonathn Walcot of sd Salem Village and others, whereby great hurt and dammage hath beene donne to ye bodys of said persons abouenamed therefore craued Justice. “You are therefore in theire Majestis names here by Comrequired [sic] to Apprehend and bring before vs William Hobs husbandman and (???) his wife Nehemian A bot Junr weaver Mary Easty and all the rest abouenamed tomorrow aboute ten of the clocke in the forenoon at the house of Lieut Nathll Ingersalls in Salem Village in order to theire examination Relaiting to the premises abouesayd and here of you are not to faile. Dated Salem Aprill 21th 1692 John Hatorne Jonathan Corwin Assists. “To George Herrick Marshall of Essex: and or all of ye Constables in Salem or Topsfield or any other Towne.” On the next morning marshal Herrick arrived at the Wild home in Topsfield. By the irony of fate, Ephraim Wild, the only son of John and Sarah, was the constable of Topsfield that year, and the marshal brought the warrant to him. What a tragedy is laid bare in these old and musty records–the young man finding his mother’s name upon the warrant, witnessing her arrest and sad departure from her home and family, never to return and then slowly turning to his duty–the arrest of the remaining victims. His first petition for the release of his mother gives some details of the scene at the house of William Hobbs:–“the woman did show a ueriey bad spirit when I sezed: on might almost se revenge in har face she looked so malishosly on mee.” At her examination, which apparently occurred before that of Sarah Wild, Deliverance Hobbs confessed herself a witch, and “to be revenged of mee” as Ephraim Wild says, accused his mother of tormenting her. She declared that the shape of Mrs. Wild tore her nearly to pieces, and passed her the Devil’s book to sign, bribing her with promises of new clothes. The account of the examination of Sarah Wild is still preserved: The examination of Sarah Wilds at a Court held at Salem village 1692. by the wop = John Hathorn & Jonathan Corwin The Suffers were seized with sou [fits as soon as] the accused came into the Court Hath this woman hurt you Oh she is vpon the beam Goody Bibber that never saw her before says she saw her now vppon the beam & then said Bibber fell into a fit What say you to this are you guilty or not? I am not guilty. Sir. Is this ye woman? speaking to the afflicted. They all or most said yes, and then fell into fits. What do you say are you guilty I thank God, I am free. Here is clear evidence that you have been not only a Tormenter but that you have caused done (some) to signe the book the night before last. What you say to this? I never saw the book in my life and I never saw these persons before. Some of the afflicted fell into fits. Do you deny this thing that is? All fell into fits and confirmed that the accused hurt them. Did you never consent that these should be hurt? Never in my life She was charged by some with hurting John Herrick’s mother. The accused denied it. Capt. How gave in a relation and conformation of the charge made. She was ordered to be taken away and they all cryed out that she was on the beam and fell into fits. The evidence of the witnesses that appeared against her has been lost, but from other papers the names of some of them may be learned. “John Herrick’s mother,” mentioned in the examination, was probably Mary Reddington, whose daughter Mary had married John Herrick. This same Mary Reddington, whose hatred seems to have been insatiable, was responsible for the testimony of the wife of Samuel Simonds of Topsfield, with whose daughter Ephraim Wild had made a marriage engagement which had been broken when the girl’s mother believed the gossip circulated by Mary Redington. “And now she will reward me” the heart-broken son says in a petition. The only other witness, of whom there is any record, is the little daughter of Martha Carrier, one of the accused. She tells the story of a witches’ meeting, held at night in Mr. Parris’s field, at which Sarah Wild and many others were present, pledging the Devil in wine cups filled with blood, a story which received full credit from the most learned and serious men of the time. Mrs. Wild was taken to Boston gaol on May 13. In the interval of over two months which elapsed before her execution, her husband and son did everything in their power to prove the evidence against her false and save her from death. Three of their petitions are preserved and are as follows: “John Wiells testifieth that he did hear yt Mary the wife of Jno Reddington did raise a report yt my wife had bewitched her and I went to ye saide Jno Reddington and told him I would arest him for his wife: defaming of my wife but ye said Reddington desired me not to do it for it would but waste his estate and yt his wife would a done wth it in tyme and yt he knew nothing she had against mye wife–after this I gotmy brother Averill to goe to ye said Sarah Reddington and my sd Bror told me yt he told ye said Sarah Reddington yt if she had anything agst my wife yt he would be a means and would help her to bring my wife out: and yt ye said Sarah Reddington replyed yt she new no harm mye wife had done her. “The testimony of Ephraim Willdes aged about 27 or therabouts testifieth and saith that about fouer yers agoe there was som likly hode of my hauing one of Goody Simonds dafter and as the maid towld me hur mother and father were ueriey willing I should haue her but after some time I had a hint that Goodeey Simonds had formerly said she beleud my mother had done her wrong and I went to hare and toch Marke how that is now dead who dyed at the Eastward: along with me and before both of us she denied that euer she had eneey grounds to think any halme of my mother only from what Goodiey Redington had saide and afterwards I left the house and went no more and euer since she (has) bene ueriey angriey with me and now she will reward mee. Ephraim Willdes” “This may inform this Honered Court That I Ephraim Wildes being constabell for topsfield this yere and the Marshall of Sallem coming to fetch away my mother he then showed me a warrant from authority directed to the constabel of topsfelld wherein was William Hobbs and Deliverence his wife with many others and the Marshall did then require me forthwith to gow and aprehend the bodyes of William hobs and his wife which acordingly I did and I have had sereous thoughts many times sence whether my sezing of them might not be some case of here thus a cusing my mother thereby in some mesure to be revenged of me the woman did show a ueriey bad spirit when I sezed: on might allmost se revenge in har face she looked so malishosly on me as fore my mother I neuer saw any harm by har upon aniey such acout neither in word nor action as she is now acused for she hath awlwais instructed me well in the christian religon and the wais of God euer since I was abell to take instructions and so I leve at all to this honored Cort to consider of it Ephraim Willdes” All the efforts of the family were in vain, however, and Sarah Wildes was executed on July 19, with Sarah Good, Rebecca (Towne) Nurse, Elizabeth How and Susannah (North) Martin. Edward and Sarah Bishop managed to make their escape from prison, and Phoebe (Wild) Day, the other daughter of John Wild, who was imprisoned on the same charge at Ipswich, was apparently never tried.