Dr Enders Anthony Robinson

Genealogy of Andover Witch Families Dr Enders Anthony Robinson

The Salem witchcraft affair may be divided into two major episodes; namely, the Salem Village witch-hunt and the Andover witch-hunt. The arrest phase of the Salem Village episode occurred over the four-month time period from March 1, 1692, to July 1, 1692. Only one Andover resident was arrested during that period: Martha Carrier, on May 31, 1692. All the complainants against Martha Carrier came from Salem Village, and she should be classified as a victim of the Salem Village witch-hunt. The arrest phase of the Andover witch-hunt began after the arrest phase of the Salem Village witch-hunt was over. All the arrests made in the Andover episode occurred during the eight-week period from July 15, 1692 to September 7, 1692. The first arrest was that of Ann Foster of Andover on July 15, 1692. She was accused by Joseph Ballard, an Andover neighbor. The final arrests of the Andover witch-hunt represented a spectacular outburst: eighteen arrests made at the Andover touch test on September 7, 1692. The Salem Village delusion has been well documented and exhaustively studied. The Salem Village episode and the Andover episode each involved about the same number of people imprisoned. However the Andover episode has never commanded an enthusiastic interest by the writers of Salem witchcraft. It seemed as if Andover were a minor outlier. Andover just did not fit into the scheme of things. There is one major difference in these two episodes. In the Salem Village witch-hunt essentially no one confessed to practicing witchcraft. In the Andover witch-hunt essentially everyone confessed to practicing witchcraft. From the official documents written down at the time, it would seem that the witch families of Andover had nothing better to do than fly about on broomsticks and attend black Sabbaths. And worst of all, the fantastical tales told by these witch families were believed by learned men in the Massachusetts Bay colony. This book explains why.