Document Text |
Summary |
| Robert Sterne testifies as follows. | Robert Sterne testifies. |
| “I saw this woman Goodwife Seager in the woods with three more women and with them I saw two black creatures like two Indians. But taller I saw likewise a kettle there over a fire. | I saw Elizabeth Seager in the woods with three other women, and two black creatures that could have been Indigenous. They were standing over a kettle. |
| I saw the women dance around these black creatures and while I looked upon them one of them women, Goodwife Greensmith, said, ‘Look who is yonder,’ and they ran away up the hill. I stood still and the black things came towards me and then turned to move away.” | They were dancing. One of the women noticed me and the creatures came towards me, then turned back. |
| He further said, “I know the felons by their habits or clothes, having observed such clothes on them not long before.” | I recognized the women by their clothing. |
Robert Sterne, Case of Goodwife Seager (Elizabeth Seagar). Testimony of Robert Sterne, ca. 1662-1665. Connecticut State Library, State Archives, RG 000, Classified Archives, Samuel Wyllys papers, call no. 974.6 fW97.
Document Text |
Summary |
| Rebecca Smith, aged about 75, thereas testifies as follows. | Rebecca Smith, age seventy-five, testifies. |
| That formerly being at Jonathan Gilbert’s house about 14 days ago, Goodwife Gilbert, the wife of Jonathan Gilbert had a black cap, which she had lent to Katherine Harrison, and Katherine Harrison desired to have said cap, but Goodwife Gilbert refused to sell it to Katherine. | She was at the home of Jonathan Gilbert two weeks ago. His wife had a black hat that Katherine Harrison wanted to buy, but Mrs. Gilbert refused to sell it. |
| Afterwards Goody Gilbert wore the said cap and when she had the cap on her heard, her shoulders and head were much afflicted. After the cap being pulled off, Goody Gilbert said she was well again. A certain time after, Goody Gilbert wore or put on the said cap, then she was afflicted as before; the said cap being again pulled off, Goody Gilbert again said she was well, thus being afflicted several times, it was suspected to be by witchcraft. | Since then, every time Mrs. Gilbert put on the hat she was in pain. The pain disappeared once she removed the hat. She believes it was witchcraft. |
| Afterwards, the said Rebecca Smith heard say the cap was burned. | Rebecca Smith heard that the hat was burned. |
Rebecka Smith (Rebecca Smith), Case of Katherin Harrison (Katherine Harrison). Testimony of Rebecka Smith (Rebecca Smith), 10/12/1668. Connecticut State Library, State Archives, RG 000, Classified Archives, Samuel Wyllys papers, call no. 974.6 fW97.
Document Text |
Summary |
| William Warren testified in open court that Katherine Harrison was a roman and professed fortune teller, and some other matters concerning Katherine Harrison needful to be considered of. | William Warren testified that Katherine Harrison is a Catholic and a fortune teller. He also said some other things about her that the court should be aware of. |
William Warren, Case of Katherin Harrison (Katherine Harrison). Testimony of William Warren about Katherine Harrison being a fortune teller, 10/27/1668. Connecticut State Library, State Archives, RG 000, Classified Archives, Samuel Wyllys papers, call no. 974.6 fW97.
Background
While the most well-known witch trials occurred in Salem in 1692, accusations of witchcraft had been occurring in New England for several decades by that time. The first large-scale wave of witch trials in the North American colonies occurred in the colony of Connecticut between 1647 and 1670. Unfortunately, little recorded information about the trials survives. Alse Young was the first woman in Connecticut, and possibly the North American colonies, to be accused of witchcraft. She was convicted and hanged in 1647. Over the next two decades, an estimated thirty-seven women in Connecticut faced accusations of witchcraft, primarily in the settlements of Wethersfield and Hartford.
Some historians think that the strict social order practiced by Puritans in New England is a possible explanation for the hysteria of witch trials. The victims of witchcraft accusations were typically middle-aged women, often with some level of success in the community. The accusers were usually younger women. Some historians think that the accused women were seen as a threat to Puritan community order because they were outspoken or wealthy.
About the Document
The first document is a statement in the case of Elizabeth “Goodwife” Seager. Elizabeth was a wife and mother who lived in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1662 a woman named Rebecca Greensmith was on trial for witchcraft. During her interrogation, she named Elizabeth as another witch in the community. Elizabeth was initially acquitted. She was tried again in 1663 and acquitted again. She was tried for witchcraft a third time in 1665. This time, she was convicted. But the court released her because they believed there was not enough evidence to pass a sentence. She was the first woman in Connecticut who survived a witchcraft conviction.
The next two documents are testimonies in the case against Katherine Harrison. Katherine was a widow whose husband left her a significant amount of money and land. She was accused of witchcraft by several of her neighbors in 1668. In a letter to the court, she wrote that her property and livestock had been attacked. The court did not address her report, but multiple witnesses testified against Katherine. They claimed that she was a Catholic, a fortune teller, and that she bewitched items to torment her neighbors. The following year, the court convicted Katherine and sentenced her to death by hanging. However, her execution was halted and Katherine moved to Westchester in the New York colony. New York was more tolerant of alternative religious beliefs and became a safe haven for multiple women accused of witchcraft in New England.
Together, these documents show how women in the New England colonies were accused of witchcraft decades before the famous trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Both these cases relied on accusations by community members as the only evidence.
Vocabulary
- acquitted: Declared not guilty.
- Puritans: A group of English Protestants who left England for the New World to start their own settlements where religion would govern daily life.
Discussion Questions
- What supposed evidence of witchcraft did the witnesses provide in their testimonies?
- Why might Elizabeth Seager and Katherine Harrison have been accused of witchcraft?
- What do the testimonies against Elizabeth Seager and Katherine Harrison reveal about the lives of women in colonial Connecticut?
Suggested Activities
- APUSH Connection: 2.7 Colonial Society and Culture
- Include these documents in a lesson about the Salem Witch Trials. This resource shows that accusations of witchcraft were common against women in the English colonies and witchcraft trials occurred decades earlier and not just in Massachusetts.
- Pair this resource with Life Story: Tituba. Compare and contrast how the three women were treated by their communities in the English colonies and consider why they received different treatment.
- Both Elizabeth Seager and Katherine Harrison left Connecticut after their trials. Combine this resource with Life Story: Lady Deborah Moody and Life Story: Mary Dyer and explore why and how women left Puritan communities and settled in other colonies.
- Consider the role of religion in Puritan New England by combining this resource with any of the following:
- For a larger lesson on accusations of witchcraft during this time, teach this resource in combination with the following:
Themes
POWER AND POLITICS
