Growing up I can't remember ever hearing about any ancestors past my great grandparents. I don't think I ever really thought about the direct line back.
This week I found the marriage documents of my husband's 8th great grandparents.
Joseph S Lemon
BIRTH 26 JUN 1692 • Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA
DEATH 1750 • Massachusetts, United States
&
Elizabeth Phillips
BIRTH 23 AUG 1692 • Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA
DEATH 1775 • Massachusetts, USA
This is one of the several lines he (and therby our children) can lay claim to their United Empire Loyalists (UEL) family history. We have not submitted the necessary documentation to verify their ancestors. If we did they could receive a Certificate of Lineal Descent, and use UE after their name.
***If you want more information about this check sources below***
Chris' 8th great grandparents were both born 330 years ago in 1692. As I considered this I realized I can't even imagine what life looked like at the time.
They were born in Charleston, a neighbourhood of Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The Salem Witch Trials were occurring during this time.
"Boston was founded in 1630. In 1692, many people involved in the witchcraft delusion lived here, including judges, ministers, accusers, accused, and skeptics." 1
Both of his 8th great grandparents were infants when
"In January of 1692, nine-year-old Betty Parris and eleven-year-old Abigail Williams, the daughter and niece of Salem Village minister Reverend Samuel Parris, suddenly feel ill. Making strange, foreign sounds, huddling under furniture, and clutching their heads, the girls’ symptoms were alarming and astounding to their parents and neighbors. When neither prayer nor medicine succeeded in alleviating the girls’ agony, the worried parents turned to the only other explanation; the children were suffering from the effects of witchcraft. As word of the illness spread throughout Salem Village, and eventually Essex County, others began to fall ill with the same alarming symptoms. The afflicted complained disembodied spirits were stabbing them, choking them, and jabbing them with pins. Soon names were cried out as the afflicted began to identify these specters. Neighbors, acquaintances, and total strangers were named in the statements and examinations that followed. Gossip and stories from decades prior were dredged up as fear continued to spread. Over the course of the year 1692, between 150-200 people were jailed for witchcraft. Ultimately, 14 women and 5 men were hanged, one man was tortured to death, and at least give (sic) people perished in prison. This was the largest series of witchcraft trials to ever take place in North America, and would be the last large-scale witch panic to take place in the English colonies." 2
We have watched many shows & read many books about the Salem Witch trials, and never knew we had family connections.
Trying to understand the world your ancestors lived in!!!
This is why I search -
Cause ...
You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***
Footnotes:
1 Welcome to Boston. Salem Witch Museum. Retrieved April 30th 2022 from https://salemwitchmuseum.com/locations/welcome-to-boston/
2 The 1692 Salem Witch Trials. Salem Witch Museum. Retrieved April 30th 2022 from https://salemwitchmuseum.com/history-education/
Sources:
The 1692 Salem Witch Trials. Salem Witch Museum. Retrieved April 30th 2022 from https://salemwitchmuseum.com/history-education/
Welcome to Boston. Salem Witch Museum. Retrieved April 30th 2022 from https://salemwitchmuseum.com/locations/welcome-to-boston/
Who Qualifies as a Loyalist? The United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada. Retrieved April 30th 2022 from
https://uelac.ca/about/membership/
Links:
Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/
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