A Must-Buy Book
OK, "must-read," anyway. But if it's anywhere near halfway decent, I will have to buy it. Susannah Martin has long been a figure of respect for me, along with Giles Corey.
Full article is behind the cut:
http://www.newburyportnews.com/lifestyle/local_story_294134833?keyword=secondarystory+page=0
Book puts family's mark on Amesbury witch's legacy
By John Macone
Daily News of Newburyport
On a date many years ago, Stephen Martin found out it's sometimes hard to escape your past. Especially if it involves something infamous that your great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother did.
"While I was talking to my date's parents, somehow it came up in the conversation that I had an ancestor who was executed as a witch," he said. "It was clear they weren't too sure they wanted their daughter dating someone who was related to a witch."
Martin is a direct descendant of Susannah North Martin, an elderly Amesbury widow who was hanged during the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692. It's a dark chapter of family history that Martin said has long had an influence over his life - in fact, his sister is named Susannah North Martin.
"I think it really shaped me in a way that makes me an independent thinker," said Martin, who speaks with a soothing Virginia accent that gives away his Richmond, Va., roots. "I'm a writer, and this is a book that I've always wanted to write."
Martin has taken his longtime fascination with his ancestor, some significant independent research, and a skepticism of conventional thought that he says is borne of Susannah Martin's life experiences, and merged them into a new book, "A Witch in the Family."
The subject of his book - the causes of the Salem witchcraft hysteria - has been delved into by scholars many times before. Martin takes a slightly different tack by focusing mainly on Susannah Martin, who was one of the first people to be tried and executed.
He dismisses some of the theories that have been developed over the years - such as mass hallucinations caused by contaminated rye, and suspicion that gruesome "evidence" presented in trials, such as skin lesions and vomiting blood, were faked as part of an elaborate conspiracy.
He's reticent to talk about his own theory of Susannah, hoping that his book will do the talking for him. But he said the most compelling element he found was the immense role that the "power of faith" played in the hysteria.
Puritan Massachusetts was a world where "they had the idea that Satan was a real individual," he noted. "He was allowed to tempt them. In a way, they believed God gave Satan a long leash to do so."
For Puritans, witchcraft was the devil's own work. Puritans found evidence of it in the unexplained deaths of animals or people, unusual weather, mysterious illnesses, and strange behavior.
"They had created a society where witchcraft was very powerful," he said.
Scholars have dubbed Susannah Martin as a stereotypical witch, meaning her personality, age and circumstance fits the classic mold of an elderly, single, and seemingly meanspirited woman - making her a prime target for persecution.
By the time of the Salem witchcraft trials, she was a 70-year-old widow who owned a large farm on Martin Road. Her personality drew the wrath of her neighbors - though she lived in a colony where women were expected to be quiet and respectful, she often spoke her mind, leading to confrontations with neighbors.
And she had already been accused twice - in 1661 and in 1669 - of being a witch.
"She was a very feisty woman, she did not suffer fools well, was very outspoken and very capable," Martin said. "I think they were afraid of her."
Susannah was among the first to be carted away to trial in Salem as the hysteria grew, and her conduct during her trial certainly played into her accusers' hands.
Accused witches who admitted to serving Satan and then begged for mercy were freed by the court. But court records indicate Susannah took a contrary approach that convinced the court that she was in league with the devil.
She adamantly denied being a witch, scoffed at evidence presented against her, and laughed as young girls whom the court thought were sensitive to the spectral powers of witches writhed on the floor.
"What do you laugh at it," a judge asked her, as the girls shrieked and convulsed.
"Well, I may at such folly," she responded.
"Is it folly to see these so hurt?" she was asked.
"I never hurt a man, woman or child," she said.
Many neighbors presented "evidence" against her, and judgment came quickly. She and four other women were tried June 29 and 30, 1692. Nineteen days later, they were brought to Gallows Hill in Salem to be hanged.
Martin's book has already won one award; it was named a finalist in the U.S. history category by USABookNews, a Web site that reviews independent and small circulation books.
Martin, 62, a former advertising executive who sold his company a decade ago to pursue his interest in writing and publishing books, said he's pleased with the final product. So are members of the Martin family.
"They like it; they think it's interesting," he said.
"I also found out that I have a lot of cousins that I didn't know about. I hope they all buy the book," he said with a chuckle.
"A Witch in the Family" is available through Amazon.com, Borders Books, and Barnes & Noble bookstores.
Full article is behind the cut:
http://www.newburyportnews.com/lifestyle/local_story_294134833?keyword=secondarystory+page=0
Book puts family's mark on Amesbury witch's legacy
By John Macone
Daily News of Newburyport
On a date many years ago, Stephen Martin found out it's sometimes hard to escape your past. Especially if it involves something infamous that your great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother did.
"While I was talking to my date's parents, somehow it came up in the conversation that I had an ancestor who was executed as a witch," he said. "It was clear they weren't too sure they wanted their daughter dating someone who was related to a witch."
Martin is a direct descendant of Susannah North Martin, an elderly Amesbury widow who was hanged during the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692. It's a dark chapter of family history that Martin said has long had an influence over his life - in fact, his sister is named Susannah North Martin.
"I think it really shaped me in a way that makes me an independent thinker," said Martin, who speaks with a soothing Virginia accent that gives away his Richmond, Va., roots. "I'm a writer, and this is a book that I've always wanted to write."
Martin has taken his longtime fascination with his ancestor, some significant independent research, and a skepticism of conventional thought that he says is borne of Susannah Martin's life experiences, and merged them into a new book, "A Witch in the Family."
The subject of his book - the causes of the Salem witchcraft hysteria - has been delved into by scholars many times before. Martin takes a slightly different tack by focusing mainly on Susannah Martin, who was one of the first people to be tried and executed.
He dismisses some of the theories that have been developed over the years - such as mass hallucinations caused by contaminated rye, and suspicion that gruesome "evidence" presented in trials, such as skin lesions and vomiting blood, were faked as part of an elaborate conspiracy.
He's reticent to talk about his own theory of Susannah, hoping that his book will do the talking for him. But he said the most compelling element he found was the immense role that the "power of faith" played in the hysteria.
Puritan Massachusetts was a world where "they had the idea that Satan was a real individual," he noted. "He was allowed to tempt them. In a way, they believed God gave Satan a long leash to do so."
For Puritans, witchcraft was the devil's own work. Puritans found evidence of it in the unexplained deaths of animals or people, unusual weather, mysterious illnesses, and strange behavior.
"They had created a society where witchcraft was very powerful," he said.
Scholars have dubbed Susannah Martin as a stereotypical witch, meaning her personality, age and circumstance fits the classic mold of an elderly, single, and seemingly meanspirited woman - making her a prime target for persecution.
By the time of the Salem witchcraft trials, she was a 70-year-old widow who owned a large farm on Martin Road. Her personality drew the wrath of her neighbors - though she lived in a colony where women were expected to be quiet and respectful, she often spoke her mind, leading to confrontations with neighbors.
And she had already been accused twice - in 1661 and in 1669 - of being a witch.
"She was a very feisty woman, she did not suffer fools well, was very outspoken and very capable," Martin said. "I think they were afraid of her."
Susannah was among the first to be carted away to trial in Salem as the hysteria grew, and her conduct during her trial certainly played into her accusers' hands.
Accused witches who admitted to serving Satan and then begged for mercy were freed by the court. But court records indicate Susannah took a contrary approach that convinced the court that she was in league with the devil.
She adamantly denied being a witch, scoffed at evidence presented against her, and laughed as young girls whom the court thought were sensitive to the spectral powers of witches writhed on the floor.
"What do you laugh at it," a judge asked her, as the girls shrieked and convulsed.
"Well, I may at such folly," she responded.
"Is it folly to see these so hurt?" she was asked.
"I never hurt a man, woman or child," she said.
Many neighbors presented "evidence" against her, and judgment came quickly. She and four other women were tried June 29 and 30, 1692. Nineteen days later, they were brought to Gallows Hill in Salem to be hanged.
Martin's book has already won one award; it was named a finalist in the U.S. history category by USABookNews, a Web site that reviews independent and small circulation books.
Martin, 62, a former advertising executive who sold his company a decade ago to pursue his interest in writing and publishing books, said he's pleased with the final product. So are members of the Martin family.
"They like it; they think it's interesting," he said.
"I also found out that I have a lot of cousins that I didn't know about. I hope they all buy the book," he said with a chuckle.
"A Witch in the Family" is available through Amazon.com, Borders Books, and Barnes & Noble bookstores.