Introduction:
I come from a family that believes in ghosts, reincarnation, psychic
phenomenon, life in outer space, Bigfoot, and the Easter Bunny. It's not
that surprising, after all this, to discover that we are related to Martha
Carrier, who was hung for being a witch in Massachusetts during the famous
witch-hunts of 1692.
I may have never heard of Martha Carrier had it been for my mother's
interest in genealogy about ten years ago. My grandfather, Howard Carrier,
had known about this rumor since his childhood, when his Uncle Frank had
teased him about being related to a witch, but hadn't thought about it
for years since he wasn't convinced of the real truth. It seems that my
grandfather's great-aunt, Emma Carrier, was also a genealogist who linked
our ancestry to Martha, but she later destroyed all of her records when
she also discovered that our family was related to Aaron Burr, who was
considered to be a traitor.
The whole story got stirred up again when one of my mother's
friends was in Boston and happened across a newspaper article that discussed
a retired school teacher who also found out that she was related to Martha.
My mother then took a trip to the witch museum located in Salem, where
she picked up a few informative brochures about Martha.
Martha Carrier:
The exact birth date of Martha is unknown, but she was one of
six children born to Thomas Allen, an original settler in the town of Andover.
Martha's family was not rich, but hard working farmers who held several
hundred acres of land, that would insure the well being of the two sons.
Martha married Thomas Carrier, a poor Welsh servant, in 1674, after naming
him the father of her child. The couple moved to Billerica, and lived there
for fifteen years. While in Billerica, they managed to alienate themselves
from the community by associating themselves with a woman suspected of
being a witch.
When Martha's father died, the family, five kids in all, moved
back to Andover, to help run the family farm. This was a great relief to
the people of Billerica, but the people of Andover tried to warn them off.
Martha's mother assured the authorities that she would take responsibility
for the actions of the family, so they were allowed to stay.
It was then that Martha and two of her children came down with
smallpox, one of the most dreaded diseases of the day, and caused a small
epidemic in the town. If things weren't bad enough, Martha demanded that
the town assume financial responsibility until the family recovered, since
they had contracted the disease in Andover. On May 28, 1692 Martha was
the first person from Andover to be accused of witchcraft in the "hysteria
of 1692".
She was arrested, along with her two oldest sons and eight year-old
Daughter, Richard, Andrew (18 and 17, respectively), and Sarah were taken
to Salem. Her two sons were tortured until they admitted their own guilt
and that of their mother. They stated that they had attended several witch
meetings in Salem, and that the devil had promised to make Martha "Queen
of Hell", a nickname that would be used throughout her trial and eventually
be her title in subsequent books on the Salem witches. Her daughter confessed
to just about anything, as she didn't seem to understand what was really
going on.
During her trial, five girls testified that Martha had tried
to make them sign the devil's book. The girls would fall on the floor,
roll their eyes, and utter outlandish things when they saw Martha.
Other women who had already confessed to being witches also testified against
Martha. Her neighbors also claimed that Martha had cast spells on their
cattle, by clapping her hands at the end of a heated discussion, causing
them to die.
Martha was always defiant and possessed a sharp tongue. At one
point she said "It is false; and it is a shame for you to mind what these
say that are out of their wits" and "I would rather die than confess a
falsehood so filthy". Of all the accused witches, Martha was the only one
who never under any circumstances broke down and confessed. Martha
was found guilty by the jury and was hanged on August 19 on Gallows Hill.
Thomas made frequent efforts over the next several years to have a reversal.
Finally, in 1711, the conviction was reversed, a public apology was made,
and reparations granted.
Thomas Carrier
As interesting as Martha's story is, that of her husband, Thomas,
is equally interesting. He was born as Thomas Morgan in Wales around 1626.
Thomas belonged to the bodyguard of King Charles I, of England. It is not
absolutely certain, but it was said that he killed the King when he was
beheaded in 1648, whether he was the actual man to do the chopping, he
definitely had something to do with the whole affair. Charles I, son of
James I, was always in disagreement with Parliament, and actually dissolved
them in 1629. Civil war resulted in 1642. In 1646, Charles surrendered
to the Scottish army and was tried before the English Parliament in 1647.
When Charles II gained power in 1660, he pardoned everyone except for the
regicides and judges of Thomas I. So off to America under assumed names
for all those involved with the murder of King Thomas I. No details are
available as to why the name Carrier was chosen.
Thomas died in Colchester, Connecticut on May 18, 1735, which
would make him 109 years old, even though many family members claimed his
age was 113. The town records indicate that he was 7'4", and was well known
for his quickness of foot. He would often walk to a mill 18 miles with
a sack of corn to be ground on his shoulder, stopping only once during
the trip to shift the bag. The New England Journal on June 9,1735 stated:
"His head in his last years was not bald or his hair gray. Not many days
before his death he traveled on foot six miles to see a sick friend, and
the day before he died he was visiting his neighbors. His mind was alert
until he died, when he fell asleep in his chair and never woke up.
Conclusion:
Every person could probably uncover something interesting about their family if they took the time to do the proper research. Our family is lucky in that we have been in this part of the country for a long time, so it is not that difficult to find information. I haven't come across one member of my family who has been ashamed to be related to Thomas or Martha Carrier. In fact, it is more a symbol of pride that our surname has endured over three hundred years, a length of time far surpassing the age of our very country.