Rebecca STEELE

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Ereignisse

Eltern

Ehepartner und Kinder

Notizen zu dieser Person

She was accused of being a Witch and was hanged with her third husband Nathaniel Greensmith in Hartford, Hartford Co., CT on Jan. 25, 1662/3 Rebecca was described as "a lewd, ignorant and considerably aged woman." Her parents may have been George Steele and Margery Sorrell. Connecticut Witch Trials 10th great grandmother Rebecca Steele married first Abraham Elson they were the parents of Sarah Elson. Sarah Elson married to James Ensign. Rebecca Steele married second Jarvis Mudge. Rebecca Steele married third Nathaniel Greensmith. The Witchcraft Delusion In Colonial Connecticut (1647-1697) by John M. Taylor NATHANIEL AND REBECCA [STEELE ELSON MUDGE] GREENSMITH Nathaniel Greensmith lived in Hartford, south of the little river, in 1661-62, on a lot of about twenty acres, with a house and barn. He also had other holdings "neer Podunk," and "on ye highway leading to Farmington." He was thrifty by divergent and economical methods, since he is credited in the records of the time with stealing a bushel and a half of wheat, of stealing a hoe, and of lying to the court, and of battery. In one way or another he accumulated quite a property for those days, since the inventory of it filed in the Hartford Probate Office, Jan 25, 1662, after his execution, carried an appraisal of L137. l4s. 1_d_.--including "2 bibles," "a sword," "a resthead," and a "drachm cup"--all indicating that Nathaniel judiciously mingled his theology and patriotism, his recreation and refreshment, with his everyday practical affairs and opportunities. But he made one adventure that was most unprofitable. In an evil hour he took to wife Rebecca, relict of Abraham Elson, and also relict of Jarvis Mudge, and of whom so good a man as the Rev. John Whiting, minister of the First Church in Hartford--afterward first pastor of the Second Church--said that she was "a lewd, ignorant and considerably aged woman." This triple combination of personal qualities soon elicited the criticism and animosity of the community, and Nathaniel and Rebecca fell under the most fatal of all suspicions of that day, that of being possessed by the evil one. Gossip and rumor about these unpopular neighbors culminated in a formal complaint, and Dec 30, 1662, at a court held at Hartford, both the Greensmiths were separately indicted in the same formal charge. "Nathaniel Greensmith thou art here indicted by the name of Nathaniel Greensmith for not having the fear of God before thine eyes, thou hast entertained familiarity with Satan, the grand enemy of God and mankind--and by his help hast acted things in a preternatural way beyond human abilities in a natural course for which according to the law of God and the established law of this commonwealth thou deservest to die." While Rebecca was in prison under suspicion, she was interviewed by two ministers, Revs. Haynes and Whiting, as to the charges of Ann Cole--a next door neighbor--which were written down by them, all of which, and more, she confessed to be true before the court. (Note. Increase Mather regarded this confession as convictive a proof of real witchcraft as most single cases he had known.) THE MINISTERS' ACCOUNT--_Promise to Satan--A merry Christmas meeting--Stone's lecture--Haynes' plea--The dear Devil--The corvine guest--Sexual delusions_ "She forthwith and freely confessed those things to be true, that she (and other persons named in the discourse) had familiarity with the devil. Being asked whether she had made an express covenant with him, she answered she had not, only as she promised to go with him when he called (which she had accordingly done several times). But that the devil told her that at Christmas they would have a merry meeting, and then the covenant should be drawn and subscribed. Thereupon the fore-mentioned Mr. Stone (being then in court) with much weight and earnestness laid forth the exceeding heinousness and hazard of that dreadful sin; and therewith solemnly took notice (upon the occasion given) of the devil's loving Christmas. "A person at the same time present being desired the next day more particularly to enquire of her about her guilt, it was accordingly done, to whom she acknowledged that though when Mr. Haynes began to read she could have torn him in pieces, and was so much resolved as might be to deny her guilt (as she had done before) yet after he had read awhile, she was as if her flesh had been pulled from her bones, (such was her expression,) and so could not deny any longer. She also declared that the devil first appeared to her in the form of a deer or fawn, skipping about her, wherewith she was not much affrighted but by degrees he contrived talk with her; and that their meetings were frequently at such a place, (near her own house;) that some of the company came in one shape and some in another, and one in particular in the shape of a crow came flying to them. Amongst other things she owned that the devil had frequent use of her body." Had Rebecca been content with purging her own conscience, she alone would have met the fate she had invoked, and probably deserved; but out of "love to her husband's soul" she made an accusation against him, which of itself secured his conviction of the same offense, with the same dire penalty. THE ACCUSATION--_Nathaniel's plea--"Travaile and labour"--"A red creature"--- Prenuptial doubts--The weighty logs--Wifely tenderness and anxiety--Under the greenwood tree--A cat call--Terpsichore and Bacchus_ "Rebecca Greenswith testifieth in Court Janry 8. 62. "1. That my husband on Friday night last when I came to prison told me that now thou hast confest against thyself let me alone and say nothing of me and I wilbe good unto thy children. "I doe now testifie that formerly when my husband hathe told me of his great travaile and labour I wondered at it how he did it this he did before I was married and when I was married I asked him how he did it and he answered me he had help yt I knew not of. "3. About three years agoe as I think it; my husband and I were in ye wood several miles from home and were looking for a sow yt we lost and I saw a creature a red creature following my husband and when I came to him I asked him what it was that was with him and he told me it was a fox. "4. Another time when he and I drove or hogs into ye woods beyond ye pound yt was to keep yong cattle severall miles of I went before ye hogs to call them and looking back I saw two creatures like dogs one a little blacker then ye other, they came after my husband pretty close to him and one did seem to me to touch him I asked him wt they were he told me he thought foxes I was stil afraid when I saw anything because I heard soe much of him before I married him. "5. I have seen logs that my husband hath brought home in his cart that I wondered at it that he could get them into ye cart being a man of little body and weake to my apprhension and ye logs were such that I thought two men such as he could not have done it. "I speak all this out of love to my husbands soule and it is much against my will that I am now necessitate to speake agaynst my husband, I desire that ye Lord would open his heart to owne and speak ye trueth. "I also testify that I being in ye wood at a meeting there was wth me Goody Seager Goodwife Sanford & Goodwife Ayres; and at another time there was a meeting under a tree in ye green by or house & there was there James Walkely, Peter Grants wife Goodwife Aires & Henry Palmers wife of Wethersfield, & Goody Seager, & there we danced, & had a bottle of sack: it was in ye night & something like a catt cald me out to ye meeting & I was in Mr. Varlets orcherd wth Mrs. Judeth Varlett & shee tould me that shee was much troubled wth ye Marshall Jonath: Gilbert & cried, & she sayd if it lay in her power she would doe him a mischief, or what hurt shee could." The Green smiths [and Mary Barnes] were convicted and sentenced to suffer death. In [25] Jan, 166[3], they were hung on "Gallows Hill," on the bluff a little north of where Trinity College now stands--"a logical location" one most learned in the traditions and history of Hartford calls it--as it afforded an excellent view of the execution to a large crowd on the meadows to the west, a hanging being then a popular spectacle and entertainment. ----------------------------------------------- Other family connection to this witch trial: The magistrates holding the court were Matthew Allyn, moderator, Samuel Wyllys, [likely our grandfather] Richard Treat, [possible uncle] Henry Wolcott, Daniel Clark, secretary, John Allyn. The jury were [likely our grandfather] Edward Griswold, Walter Filer, Ensign Olmsted, Samuel Boardman, Gregory Winterton, John Cowles, [likely our grandfather] Samuel Marshall, Samuel Hale, Nathaniel Willett, John Hart, [possible uncle] John Wadsworth and [likely our grandfather] Robert Webster.

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Titel	Family Grimes Stammbaum
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Hochgeladen	2019-08-30 07:34:24.0
Einsender	Michael Grimes
E-Mail	oneofmanyangels@gmail.com
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