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Friday, August 29, 2014

1692 :: Confession of William Barker, Sr.


On this date in our family history . . . the 29th day of August . . . in the year 1692 . . . after being accused of and arrested for the supposed crime of witchcraft, William Barker, Sr. "Conffesses he has been in the Snare of the Divil Three Years" . . . 








 God having called me to Confess my sin and Apostasy in that fall in giving the Devil advantage over me appearing to me like a Black, in the evening to set my hand to his Book, as I have owned to my shame. He told me that I should not want so doing. At Salem Village, there being a little off the Meeting-House, about an hundred five Blades, some with Rapiers by their side, which was called and might be more for ought I know by B and Bu[rroughs] and the Trumpet sounded, and Bread and Wine which they called the Sacrament, but I had none; being carried all over on a Stick, never being at any other Meeting. I being at Cart a Saturday last, all the day, of Hay and English Corn, the Devil brought my Shape to Salem, and did afflict M[artha] S[prague] and R[ose] F[oster] by clitching my hand; and a Sabbath day my Shape afflicted A[bigail] M[artin] and at night afflicted M[artha] S[prague] and A[bigail] M[artin] . E[lizabeth] J[ohnson ] and A[bigail] F[aulkner] have been my Enticers to this great abomination, as one have owned and charged her to her Sister with the same. And the and then all will be well. And now I hope God in some measure has made me something sensible of my sin and apostasy, begging pardon of God, and of the Honourable Magistrates and all Gods people, hoping and promising by the help of God, to set to my heart and hand to do what in me lyeth to destroy such wicked worship, humbly begging the prayers of all Gods People for me, I may walk humbly under this great affliction and that I may procure to my self, the sure mercies of David, and the blessing of Abraham.

(John Hale. A Modest Enquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft (Boston: Green & Allen, 1702), pp. 33–34. )

The entire case file for William can be seen HERE . . . this William Barker is an 8th great-grandpa to the Keeper of this family history blog . . .


2 comments:

BeNotForgot said...

WILLIAM BARKER ca 1646-1718
&1676 MARY DIX 1655-1744
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WILLIAM BARKER 1677-1745
&1704 MARY BARKER 1679-1752
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TIMOTHY BARKER 1720-1752
&1744 MEHITABLE KIMBALL †1797/
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ASA BARKER 1748-1822
&1767 LUCY PORTER 1751-1822
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JONATHAN BARKER 1785-1860
&ca 1805 MAHITABLE PORTER FARNUM 1785-1811
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TIMOTHY BARKER 1809-1870/
&1831 JERUSHA LAKIN HOBBS 1810-/1870
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JERUSHA MARILLA BARKER 1841-1899
&1857 ATWOOD FRANK SMITH 1837-1907
|
THOMAS WARREN ALONZO SMITH 1866-1920
&1894 EVA MAY BRACKETT 1874-1936
|
ELIZABETH MARILLA SMITH 1912-1932
&1929 ROBERT E HENRY 1905-1976
|
Mother of Keeper
&1950 FORREST LEE POUNDERS 1927-1996
|
Keeper

BeNotForgot said...

See also . . . https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/10/ten-things-to-know-about-researching.html

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