Salem, Massachusetts
When I first started driving around the villages of the North Shore of Massachusetts after starting my doctoral studies, I would often pass black wooden houses dating from the 1600's with diamond-paned windows. It was kind of shocking to see homes in America from such an early time period, and from the first time I saw one, they gave me the creeps. One day after class, one of my professors explained to me that the houses were the oldest Puritan homes in the area and that a number of them were owned by the descendants of both accusers and the accused from the New England (Salem) witch trials. Dr. Parrett also told me that in some cases the occupants of the houses still held 300 year-old grudges against their neighbors.
That did not help.
At that time I was unaware that I had any New England ancestors. It really did not help when I discovered about ten years ago that my 7th great grandfather, John Moss Jr., at the age of 15 testified along with several other teenagers against their neighbor Winifred Benham and her mother Mary. The charge was witchcraft.
Miss Benham and her mother were freed after surviving having rocks tied to them and being tossed in a village pond.
They promptly moved to New York.
No wonder I shuddered when driving to and from class.
