My 9th Great Grandmother, Sarah Pease, was a WITCH
(J.C. Leyendecker cover illustration for the Saturday Evening PostOctober 27, 1923: Witches Night Out)
...or at least that's what the assholes in Salem, Massachusetts thought, during the great Witch-hunt of 1692.
What a perfect time of year to tell you about my grandmother, the witch, Sarah Pease.
Being born and raised a 'Yankee' in New England, I'm extremely fortunate to have had ancestors take an active role in the history of our country-both good and bad. With the advent of online Genealogy sites, Social Media and good old fashioned Books (remember them?), I've been able to 'discover' long forgotten stories about my family's past. Trust me when I tell you, I've uncovered more than a dozen 'stories' my family wanted to forget, this being one of them I'm sure.
So, here's a little background info-to show you how I'm related to the infamous-Sarah Pease.
Her's a great historical document-the arrest warrant for my 'grandmother' (and 'grandfather') for being witches. I cannot believe this document survived!
It reads:
[May 23,1692] To the Marshall of Essex orhis dept or Constables of Salem---
You are in their Majest's names nearby required to apprehend and forthwith bring before us (Sarah Pease the wife of Robert Pease of Salem Weaver--who stands charged with sundry acts of Witchcraft by her Committed Lately on the Body of Mary Warren of Salem Village whereby great Injury was donor &c) in order to her Examination Relating to the same faile Not Dated Salem May 23'd 1692
*John Hawthorne
*Jonathan Corwi
Per ord'r of the Govern'r & Councill
I heave apprehended the parson mentioned within this warrant and heave brought hir Per me.
Kenneth MorganPeter Osgood Constable in Salem
May.the 23:1692
The story goes: During the 1692 witch trials, Sarah Pease, and her of Robert Pease. the weaver, were both accused of witchcraft. Sarah's husband, Robert. emigrated from England in 1634 at the age about 4 years old with his father Robert and his uncle John Pease. Sarah's family name and origin is unknown until the time of marriage to Robert in 1858. Of her trial, the following is excerpted from the article:
She was accused on Monday, 23 May 1692 of "sundry acts of Witchcraft committed on the body of Mary Warren, Abigaile Williams and Eliz Hubbard." She was accused along with Benjamin Proctor and Mary Derich. A warrant for her arrest was issued and she was arrested that day (see above warrant). Sarah and Robert were both imprisoned in 1692. The following day was set aside for examinations and the proceedings were recorded by Nathaniel Cary of Charlestown. He and Mrs. Cary had come to observe and to face Mrs. Carey's accuser, Abigaile Williams. He writes of the prisoners, one of whom was surely Sarah Pease:
The prisoners were called in one by one, and as they came in were cried out of, etc. The prisoner was placed about 7 or 8 foot from the justices, and Accusers between the Justices and them; the Prisoner was ordered to stand right before the Justices, with an Officer appointed to hold each hand, least they should therewith afflict them, and the Prisoners eyes must be constantly the Justices; for if they look'd on the afflicted, they would either fall into their Fits, cry out of being hurt by them; after Examination of the Prisoners, who it was afflicted these Girls, etc., they were put upon saying the Lord's Prayer, as a trial of their guilt; after the afflicted seem'd to be out of their Fits, they would look steadfastly on some one person, and frequently not speak; and then the Justices said to the Accusers, "which of you will go and touch the Prisoner at the Bar?" then the most courageous would adventure, but before they made three steps would ordinarily fall down as in a Fit; the Justices ordered that they should be taken up and carried to the Prisoner, that she might touch them; and as soon as they were touched by the accused, the Justices would say, they are well, before I could discern any altercation..."
Sufficient evidence must have been found against my 'grandmother' Sarah because she was sent to the Salem jail on May 25 1692. Although testimony was brought against her again on august 5th, Sarah Pease somehow escaped the condemnation the judges, who would go on to sentence 15 people to the gallows in September. By late fall of that year the tide of hysteria had abated, and sympathy was turning from the "victims" to the accused. My 'grandmother' survived the winter and was released in May of 1693, after suffering a year in that hell hole of a jail.
AND that's all I know or could find about Sara Pease, but I am hopeful other records/documents will turn up on Ancestry.com, and I'll be able to discover who HER parents were etc. etc. etc.etc.etc.
And in other interesting news, the ancestral home.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
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