Our Salem Witch

New to me is the story of our ancestor on Wealthea Bradford Hatch's line, Mary Perkins Bradbury, who escaped jail after her trial and conviction as a Salem witch.

Mary (born 1615) was a teenager when she sailed from her hometown in Warwickshire, England to Boston in 1631. A few years later, she married Captain Thomas Bradbury, and they had eleven children.

When she was accused as a witch in 1692 (at age 77), her husband wrote the sweetest defense: "We have been married for fifty-five years, and she hath been a loving and faithful wife unto me unto this day. She had been wonderful laborious, diligent and industrious in her place and employment about bringing up our family which have been eleven of our own and four grandchildren. She was both prudent and provident, of a cheerful spirit, liberal and charitable. She being now very aged and weak, and grieved under afflictions, may not be able to speak much for herself, not being so free of speech as some others might be. I hope her life and conversation among her neighbors has been such as gives a better or more real testimony than can be expressed by words."

Like many others in that crazy time, Mary was accused of some pretty unbelievable things, including casting spells on ships that spoiled their cargo from afar, and turning into a blue boar animagus.* She wrote her own eloquent and faith-filled defense:

"I am wholly innocent of any such wickedness through the goodness of God who has kept me hitherto. I am the servant of Jesus Christ and have given myself up to him as my only Lord and Savior, and to the contempt and defiance of the devil and all his works as horrid and detestable and have accordingly endeavored to frame my life and conversations according to the rules of his holy word, and in that faith and practice, resolved by the help and assistance of God to continue to my life's end. For the truth of what I say, I humbly refer myself to my brethren and neighbors that know me, and to the searcher of all hearts for the truth and uprightness of my heart therein (human frailties and Unavoidable excepted) of which I bitterly complain every day."

One hundred and eighteen of her community members also signed a testimony about her innocence, saying: "We the subscribers do testify that it [her life] was such as becomes the gospel. She was a lover of the ministry in all appearances, and a diligent attender upon God's holy ordinances, being of a courtesy and peaceable disposition and carriage, neither did any of us (some whom have lived in the town with her about fifty years) ever hear or know that she had any difference or falling out with any of her neighbors, man, woman, or child, but was always ready and willing to do for them what lay in her power, night or day, though with hazard of her health and other danger. More might be spoken in commendation but this for the present."

Although sentenced to execution, Mary was able to escape her jailer and go into hiding with her husband until the frenzy subsided. Read more here. She died eight years later in her own bed of natural causes. Author Ray Bradbury was one of her direct descendants through that surname line, and our connection is through our pioneer Hatch line.

a true heroine!

* Complete charge reads: The juror of our Sov. Lord and Lady, the King and Queen, doe present that Mary Bradbury, wife of Capt. Thomas Bradbury of Salisbury in the County of Essex, Gent. on the 28 day of July, in the years aforesaid and divers other days, and times as well before as after certain detestable arts called witchcraft and soceries wickedly, malliciously and felonicully hath used, practiced, and exercised at and in the township of Andivor in the County of Essex aforesaid in upon and against one Timothy Swann of Andiver in the County aforesaid husbandman by said wicked Acts, the said Timothy Swann on the 28th day of July, aforesaid and divers other days and times before and after and also for sundry other acts of witchcraft by the said Mary Bradbury committed and done before and since that time against the peace of our Sov. Lord and Lady, the King and Queen, theire Crown and dignity and the foreman of the stattute in that case made and provided.

Witness: Mary Walcott, Ann Putman.

Indictment 2, Essex County, MA, 1692:

The jurors of our Sov. Lord and Lady, the King and Queen, doe present that Mary Bradbury, wife of Capt. Thomas Bradbury in the County of Essex, Gent. on the 26 day of July, in the years aforesaid and divers other days, and times as well before as after certaine detestable arts called wichcraft and soceries wickedly, maliciously and felonicely hast used, practiced, and exercised at and in the town of Salem in the County of Essex aforesaid in upon and against one Sarah Vibber, wife of John Vibber of Salem aforesaid, husbandman. by which said wicked acts, the said Sarah Vibber on the 26th day of July aforesaid and divers other days and times before and after, was and is tourtured, afflicted, consumed, pined, wasted, tormented and also for sundry other acts of wichcraft by the said Mary Bradbury committed and done before and since that time against the peace of our Sov. Lord and Lady, the King and Queen, their Crowns and dignity and the forms of the Statutes in that case may be provided.