Witchy Woman

 Mary Ayer (my 10th great-grandmother) was born around 1635. It is believed that Mary's mother (name unknown) died before her family came to Massachusetts (from England). Mary arrived with her father, John, and her six siblings and she lived with them in Haverhill. She married widower Nathan Parker in 1653. She was his second wife (the first died in 1651) and they married in 1653. They settled in Andover, Mass.

Nathan had a son from his previous marriage, Nathan Jr., and he and Mary would go on to have ten children of their own - some died in childhood or infancy.

Nathan died in 1685 and it's believed that Mary went to live with he oldest son, John.

Seems like a pretty normal existence, right? Not exactly!

During this period of New England history, mass hysteria over witchcraft was prevalent. We're all familiar with the Salem Witch Trials, yes?

In 1692, residents of Salem, Massachusetts began accusing one another of witchcraft - a crime that was punishable by death. By summer, hysteria and accusations reached Andover. Andover was about 14 miles away from Salem.

In August 1692, two girl accused Mary (then 56 years old) of using witchcraft to torture them.

Officials arrested her, her daughter Sarah, and her nieces. It was a common belief that witchcraft could be passed down through families.

In September, her trial came and other people came forward to testify against Mary. Even though she maintained her innocence, Mary was convicted and sentenced to death. She was one of eight people hanged in Salem on September 22, 1692.

In 1711, thanks to a new legislation, Mary's name was officially cleared and her family was paid 8 pounds (about $2,000 in 2020).

Was Mary Parker actually a witch? Probably not, but who knows!

She was one of 20 people who were executed during the 1692 Salem Witch Trials.

Prater - Johnson - Gordon - Wilson - Frye - Farnum - Parker - Ayer