Some observations I have made concerning my Grandfather  Anson G. THURSTON's  ancestors and the gift that he has given me and all his descendants

Before the 1692 Witchcraft Delusion started in Salem, Mass., as well as during it, our family was involved in witchcraft.  Some books that I have used for background for this claim are as follows.

According to Hoyt's book,  "The Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Mass."  about 1660, Susanna Martin was accused of bewitching William Brown's wife, Elizabeth.    They had a day of humiliation and the troubles ceased.      In 1661 Elizabeth Brown and Goodwife Osgood were summonded to give evidence before the grand jury.   	 Later Elizabeth Brown told her husband William Brown, that Susanna Martin said   "she would make her the miserablest creature for defaming her name in the court".  About 2 months after that she (Elizabeth Brown) went into a strange kind of distemper and frenzy,  incapable of any rational action.

Goodwife OSGOOD was the wife of William OSGOOD (10GGP) and mother of Joanna (OSGOOD) JONES (9GGM)

According to Hoyt's book,  in April of 1669,  Geo. Martyn sued William SARGENT for slander in saying said Martyn's wife was a witch.  The jury found for the defendant but the Court     "concurred not with the jury".   George Martin gave bond that his wife Susanna should appear at the next court to answer to the charge concerning suspicion of witchcraft.
 	Note for Martin  suing Sargent from Pages  # 240, 75, & 269 of Hoyt’s book: 	In Oct. of 1669, she was required in open court to acknowledge  that she wronged Christopher Bartlett in charging him with lying and stealing.  	Christopher Bartlett was the first husband of George and Susanna (North) Martin’s son, Richard Martin's wife,  Mary Hoyt.   Mary Hoyt is the half sister of John HOYT (9GGF)   	William SARGENT (8GGF) is the husband of Elizabeth PERKINS who is the sister of Mary (Perkins) Bradbury,  another woman accused  in 1692.

In the book by Dow,  "History of HAMPTON,  N.H. Vol. I"   Grace (SWAIN) BOULTER (9GGM) and her daughter,  Mary (BOULTER) PRESCOTT,(8GGM) were both accused of witchcraft in 1680 in Hampton, NH. by Rachell Fuller.   We are related to both thru Sophia BEAN, our 2nd Great-Great-Mother,  wife of Joel M. THURSTON

In the book by Coffin,  “A Sketch of the History of Newbury, etc. There is a report of Elizabeth Morse, who was accused of witchcraft after Caleb Powell was found not guilty in December of 1679.   Elizabeth Morse was found guilty and sentenced to be hung,  but was reprieved by the Governor in 1680.   Elizabeth Knight  who was 1st Cousin to John KNIGHT (8GGF)  married Anthony Morse, Jr. in 1670.   Anthony Morse, Jr. was the nephew of William and Elizabeth Morse making Elizabeth (Knight) Morse a niece by marriage.  We are related thru Mary KNIGHT, (6GGM) wife of Stephen THURSTON.

I used the book by Charles A. Upton  "Salem Witchcraft" on the Salem Witchcraft Trials and various other sources like the "Genealogical Dictionary of New England" by Savage, to see whom else might be related to us.

Our 7th Great-Grandmother, Ann PELL (wife of Danial THURSTON), who died about 1680 did not have anything to do with the occurrences that I can find.

I found that we are related to Nathanial Ingersoll  who was the Deacon in Salem at whose house where at least nine of the trials were held) and a sister,  Alice Ingersoll, who married William Walcott,  and had a son Jonathan Walcott who married Mary Sibley and had a daughter, Mary Walcott, who was an accuser.  (Note: The brother of Mary Sibley, Samuel Sibley's wife, Mary,  was the Mary Sibley who instigated the "witch cake" in the case.)  thru our 6th Great-Grandmother, Mary KNIGHT, (wife of Stephen THURSTON.)
 	 Thru Mary KNIGHT,  we are also related to  Nicolas Noyes, the minister at Salem.   who was a 1st Cousin of Rebecca (NOYES) KNIGHT.   Upton had some very harsh words about Nicholas Noyes on page 485 of his book,  "the person, who, more than any other inhabitant of the town, was responsible for the blood that was shed."          And we are related to Sarah Noyes (Rebecca NOYES (7GGM) sister)who was the wife of Rev. James Hale, the minister of Beverly, Ma.  who agreed with Nicolas Noyes until his wife was accused and he saw the errors

We are related to Ann Dudley, who married Simon Bradstreet.  Among their children were  Simon Bradstreet and John Bradstreet who were accused.  They fled.  John was accused of bewitching a dog.  After he fled, the dog was hung.  This was thru our 5th Great-Grandmother, Sarah LEAVITT (wife of Robert THURSTON).

	I have not found the maiden name of our 4th Great-Grandmother

George Curwen, who was the Sheriff of Salem during the trials, was married to a daughter of Bartholomew Gedney,  one of the Judges or Magistrates in the trials, and was the grandson of George Curwen, who also had another son,  Jonathan Curwen,  who was  also one of the Judges or Magistrates.  George had a daughter, Abigail Curwen, who married Eleazur Hathorne, whose brother,  John Hathorne,  was another one of the Judges or Magistrates in the trials.  George Curwen has a brother,  Matthias Curwen who married  Margaret Shatswell , a sister of Mary SHATWELL.  This line is from our 3rd Great-GrandMother. Polly BERRY, (wife of Jonathan THURSTON)

We knew we were related to Mary (PERKINS) Bradbury,  (who was accused, tried and convicted of witchcraft, but escaped) . thru her sister  Elizabeth (PERKINS) SARGENT  (8GGM)   We also have thru the line, another related woman,   Joanna (OSGOOD) JONES,(8GGM)  whose 1st cousin, John Osgood,  was married to Mary (Clement) Osgood,  who also was accused, tried and convicted of Witchcraft, but by confessing the alleged crime, saved her life.  Another of  Joanna's 1st cousin, Christopher Osgood,  had a daughter,  Mary Osgood,  who married John Marston and was accused and imprisoned as Mary (Osgood) Marston.   thru our 2nd Great-Grandmother,   Sophia BEAN. (wife of Joel M. THURSTON)

Thru our 1st Great-GrandMother, Sarah PRESBY, (wife of Eben R. THURSTON.)   I have found out that we are related to quite a few of participants in the 1692 Delusion.  	One was   Ann Carr, who married Thomas Putnam and had a daughter, Ann,  thus making her Ann Putnam, the notorious accuser on about seven trials for witchcraft in 1692 and a niece of Richard CARR (8th Great-Grandfather) who also was an accuser against Mary (PERKINS) Bradbury. Their brother, George, was one of her defenders.

I have found that we are also related thru our 1st Great-GrandMother, Sarah PRESBY to Rev. Francis DANE, (Minister of Andover) and his father, John DANE.  ) who came in 1636 from co. Essex, Eng. with two sons, John and Francis, and a daughter, Elizabeth.

John Dane married Eleanor Clark and had a son, John Dane, who was a juror in the witchcraft trials.       Elizabeth Dane married James How and they had a son, James How, Jr. who married Elizabeth Jackson.   James How, Jr.  was blind.  	Elizabeth (Jackson) How was accused, tried, convicted and hung on June 19, 1692.

Francis DANE married Elizabeth INGALLS,  who was the daughter of Edmund INGALLS. (9th Great-GrandFather)

Edmund INGALLS had besides Elizabeth INGALLS,   a son, Henry Ingalls, who married Mary Osgood, and another daughter,   Faith Ingalls, who married Andrew Allen. 	Mary (Osgood) Ingalls had a brother, John Osgood who married Mary Clement.   Mary (Clement) Osgood was accused of witchcraft, confessed and was spared.   Mary Osgood also had a 1st cousin, Christopher Osgood,  who had a daughter,  Mary Osgood, who married John Marston.   Mary (Osgood) Marston was also accused of witchcraft.

Andrew and Faith (Ingalls) Allen had two daughters, Martha Allen, who married Thomas Carrier.  and Mary Allen,  who married Roger Toothaker.
 	 Thomas and Martha (Allen) Carrier had five children, Richard,(16 yrs) Andrew, (10 yrs) Tom, (13 yrs) Sarah, (9 yrs)  and Hannah (3 yrs).   	Martha (Allen) Carrier was accused, tried, convicted and hung 19 Aug. 1692.   Some of her children were witnesses against her.
 	Roger and Mary (Allen) Toothaker had three children,  Margaret,(14 yrs) Henry,(15 yrs) and Allen (20 yrs). Roger was accused, jailed and died in jail in June 1692. Mary(Allen) Toothaker  was accused and imprisoned with her younger  children.

Francis and Elizabeth (INGALLS) DANE had besides our 7th Great-Grandfather Francis, Nathanial, Elizabeth, and Abigail.  They had two daughters and a daughter-in-law, plus five Grandchildren  that were involved in the witchcraft trials;        Abigail (Dane) Faulkner, (wife of Francis Faulkner the son of Edmund Faulkner) who was accused, tried, found guilty, but because she was pregnant,  was not hung, and her two daughters, Dorothy, (10 yrs,), and Abigail, (8 yrs,). both accused and imprisoned.       Elizabeth (Dane) Johnson {wife of Stephen Johnson and mother of Francis Johnson,  Elizabeth (12 yrs.) and Abigail (11 yrs.) and Stephen Johnson (13 yrs. ) all accused and imprisoned.
       Deliverance (Hazeltine) Dane, wife of Nathanial Dane. accused and imprisoned.  
 	I have found we are related to another of the women who were accused, tried, convicted and hung,  Susanna (North) Martin, by marriage.  A half-sister of John HOYT, Mary Hoyt, who married Richard Martin, the son of Susanna (North) Martin, is her daughter-in-law.

Recently I have found we are related to another of the accused women, Elizabeth Fosdick,  by marriage.   She was the 2nd wife of John Fosdick, the brother of Martha FOSDICK,  8th Great-GrandMother.

This is what I have found  as of 08-20-2012