Individuals - Instigated hunt/ Child witnesses Flashcards
1
Q
How was Samuel Parris associated with the Salem hunt?
A
- Started in his household
- Puritan minister of Salem
- Daughter and niece bewitched
- Semon claiming the church was under siege by the Devil
- Tituba was his slave
- Acted as a key witness
2
Q
Why was it important that Samuel Parris performed well?
A
- Previous three ministers had failed to impress the congregation
3
Q
What did Samuel Parris try to do?
A
- Increase salary and benefits eg. free firewood
- Exclusive ownership of ministers house
- Town refused to pay his wages
- Purchased unnecessary items for the Puritan meeting house eg. gold candlesticks
4
Q
Which girls were initially involved in the trials?
A
- Samuel Parris’ 9 year old daughter Elizabeth
- 11 year old cousin Abigail Williams
- They were experimenting with fortune-telling using Venus Glass (egg white in glassmaking shapes/ figures)
- Coffin shape appeared just before events occurred
- Shared findings with other children in Salem
- Jan 1692 - Elizabeth lost concentration, forgot prayers, would bark like a dog, hurling bibles and fits
- Doctor William Griggs witchcraft to blame recommended prayer and fasting
5
Q
How was Ann Putnam involved?
A
- Daughter of Thomas and Ann
- Most influential family in Salem Village
- Friend with Elizabeth and Abigail
- March 1692 - Possessed
- Name mentioned over 400 times in court documents
- 1706 - apologised for part and claimed the Devil had deceived her
6
Q
How was Mary Walcott involved?
A
- 18 years old
- One of the first to suffer fits
- Aunt Mary Sibley used counter-magic against some of the suspects especially Tituba
- Occasionally showed signs of possessions
- Mostly stayed quiet during the trial
7
Q
How was Mercy Lewis involved?
A
- 19 year old
- Accused 8 people and gave evidence against them
- Parents killed in Indian attack
- Lived as a servant of Reverend George Burroughs - later executed after her evidence
- Sent to the house of Thomas Putnam becoming friends with Ann Jr. and Mary Walcott
8
Q
How was Elizabeth Hubbard involved?
A
- 17 year old
- Leading accusers
- Lived with Rachel Hubbard Griggs and William Griggs the town doctor
- Testified against 29 people 17 - arrested - 13 hung and 2 died in jail
- Fits in courtroom and fall into trances unable to speak
9
Q
How was Tituba first involved in the trials?
A
- Slave along with husband John Indian of the Parris’
- Mary Sibley asked her to make a witches cake to counter the possessions
- Included urine of children and fed to family dog who was meant to sniff out the witches - failed to stop fits
- Samuel Parris was suspicious and filed charges against
10
Q
How was Tituba involved in the lives of the child witnesses?
A
- Stories she told from homeland West Indies
- Tinged in tales of demonic possessions and Voodoo
- These may have formed the fantasies of the young girls
11
Q
What did Tituba confess to?
A
- Pact with the Devil
- Accused other witches
- Recalled the Devil being a white man dressed in Black who made her sign his book
- Claimed to have flown through the air using a pole
- Claimed other witches could change into animals
- Said she was beaten by Samuel Parris and forced to confess
