Last Known Residence . He was raised in the town of Roxbury (a century later would be the town William Dawes rode through to warn the colonists of the British) by his mother and would be educated at Harvard College where he graduated in 1670 with honors. Great job on your website. After Boston minister Cotton Mather reassured the crowd that his execution was the result of a court decision, Burroughs was hanged. George Burroughs was a minister who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. wards in his own person he acknowledged to Derek Chauvin, one of the four police officers who arrived on the scene, knelt on Floyd's neck and back for 9 minutes and . Sus: sheldon testifyed that Burroughs two wives [9] [en] Vital records: George Burroughs at +Archives . he owned he was at meeting one Sab: at Boston On May 11, 1692, another accused witch, Margaret Jacobs, confessed to being a witch and said her grandfather, George Jacobs, Sr, and George Burroughs were witches as well. name it. 163: Two Letters of Gov. putnam aged 40: years and Edward putnam agged 38 years who testifieth and saith. One of the witnesses was Thomas Greenlit, who recounted a story about witnessing Burroughs place his finger in the muzzle of a heavy gun and then lifted it up and also placed two fingers in the bung of a full barrel of molasses, lifted it up and carried it around: That about the breaking Out of this last Indian Warr being at the house of Capt Scottows at black point he Saw Mr George Bur- roughs lift and hold Out a gunn of Six foot barrell or thereabouts putting the forefinger of his right hand into the Muzle of sd gunn and So held it Out at Armes End Only with that finger and further this deponent Testifieth that at the Same time he Saw the Said Burroughs take up a full barrell of Malasses wth but two fingers of one of his hands in the bung & Carry it from the Stage head to the Door at the End of the Stage Without letting it downe & that Liut Richard Hunniwell & John Greinslitt & Some other persons that are Since dead Were then present.. In 2017, the Proctors Ledge Memorial was built in Salem, Mass and a marker was established for George Burroughs. Hannah Fox my 8th great grandmother. I did afterwards forbeare #[The same Evening after these words being alone in one Roome of my house and noe candle or light being in the s'd Roome] the same afternoone I haveing Occation to be at the s'd Beadles house and [being] in the Chamber where mr George Burroughs Keept I observed that s'd Burroughs did steadfastly fix [his] eys upon mee, the same Evening being in my own house, in a Roome without any Light I did see very strange things appeare in the Chimney. [Edward Putnam]?tag/putnam_edward.html) Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/george-burroughs-3529133. He is remembered especially for reciting the Lord's Prayer during his execution, something it was believed a witch could never do. The grave site of George Burroughs. His secretive nature didnt help either and made it seem like he was hiding something. ). 2, no. Short of stature, muscular, dark-complexioned, he was highly attractive to women, as is shown by his winning the hand of a rich widow as his second wife when he was a mere village minister. 7th great-grandson . Peabody Essex Museum, Phillips Library, Salem, MA.). This was an excellent article! made Oath to the latter part.of this paper However, the relationship with Salem would be tumultuous due to the town often not paying his wages. Wee Comand you all Excuses set apart to be and personaly appear at the present Court of Oyer & Terminer held at Salem there to Testify the truth to the best of your knowledge on certain Indictm'ts Exhibited against mr George Burrough : hereof fail not dated in <- Return to List of People Involved in the Salem Witch Trials, Categories Colonial America, Salem Witch Trials. Profile of Elizabeth How, Persecuted Salem Witch, Tituba and The Salem Witch Trials of 1692, Biography of Elizabeth Parris, Accuser in the Salem Witch Trials, Sarah Cloyce: Accused in the Salem Witch Trials, John Alden Jr. and the Salem Witch Trials, History of Witches Signing the Devil's Book, M.Div., Meadville/Lombard Theological School. Thomas Ruck of his sudden coming in after them & that he could tell his thoughts. Summary George Burroughs was born on January 13, 1917. Elisha Hutchinson, a magistrate there, issued the proper order, addressed to John Partridge in Portsmouth, Field-marshal of the provinces of New Hampshire and Maine, dated April 30, 1692, to arrest George Burroughs, preacher at Wells; he being suspected of a confederacy with the devilWhen we consider the distance and the circumstances of travel at that time, it is evident that the officers charged with the service acted with the greatest promptitude, celerity, and energy. ), Wee whoes names are under written having r'ceived an order from the sreife for to search the bodyes of George Burroughs and George Jacobs . the Mallossoes. The same day after lecttor in the said: Ingersolls chamber abigaill williams mary walcot said that goody hobs of topfell bitt mary walcot by the foot then both falling into a fit as soone as it was over the said william hobs and his wife goe both of them a long the table; the said hucheson tooke his rapier stabed goody hobs one the side as abigaill williams & mary walcot saide: the said abigaill & mar said the roome was full of them then the said hucheson & Ely putnam stabed with their raperres at a ventor then said mary & abigell you have killed a greet black woman of Stonintown. ), Samuel Webber aged about 36 years Testifieth and sayth that aboute seaven or eight Yeares agoe I Lived at Casco Bay and George Burroughs was then Minester there, and haveing heard much of the great strength of him s'd Burroughs ; he Coming to our house wee ware in discourse about the same and he then told mee that he had put his fingers into the Bung of a Barrell of Malasses and lifted it up, and carryed it Round him and sett it downe againe. His failure to baptize his children or to attend communion and the secrecy he seemed to keep did not look well on him. Jone Johnson Lewis is a women's history writer who has been involved with the women's movement since the late 1960s. Oxford University Press, 2014.Goss, K. David. George Burroughs was hanged at Proctor's Ledge in present-day Salem on August 19, 1692. . Death record, obituary, funeral notice and information about the deceased person. Tom West sworne 1916.Reversal of Attainder and Restitution (1710 1750). Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project, University of Virginia,salem.lib.virginia.edu/texts/tei/BoySal3R?term=&div_id=BoySal3-n3.173&chapter_id=n141&name=moumarBaker, Emerson W. George Burroughs; Salems Perfect Witch.Oxford University Press, 19 Aug. 2014, blog.oup.com/2014/08/george-burroughs-salems-perfect-witch/George Burroughs Case File.The Salem Witchcraft Papers, Volume I: Verbatim Transcripts of the Legal Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Outbreak of 1692, University of Virginia, salem.lib.virginia.edu/texts/tei/BoySal1R?div_id=n22. Memorial plaque located on Masonic Temple. Ed. s'd gun was about or near seven foot barrill:and very hevie: I then tryed to hold out s'd gun with both hands: but could not do it long enough to take sight Richard Carrier affirmed to the jury that he saw Mr. George Burroughs at the witch meeting at the village and saw him adminster the sacrament. *Jonathan Corwin { Assis'ts, M[emoran]d[um]. wee find nothing upon the body of the above sayd burroughs but w't is naturall:but upon the body of George Jacobs wee find 3. tetts w'ch according to the best of our Judgements wee think is not naturall for wee run a pinn through 2 of them and he was not sinceible of it: one of them being within his mouth upon the Inside of his right shoulder balde an a 3'rd upon his right hipp. that they & Every of them be & personaly app'r forthwith at the pr'sent Court of Oyer & Termin'r holden at Salem to Testify the truth to the best of thier knowledge on certain Indicm'ts Exhibited against mr George Burrough hereof Make return fail Not dated in Salem Aug't 4'th 1692 in the fourth yeare of Our Reign (Reverse) Jury men Return about Jacobs his T marke. Jurat in Curia, The Deposition of Simon Willard [aged about 42] years saith I being at Saco in the year [1689] some: in Capt Ed Sarjants garison was speaking of mr George Borroughs his great strength saying he Could take:a barrill of mallasses out of a Cannoe or boat alone: and that he Could. One such witness, Mary Webber, said that while living near Burroughs at Casco Bay several years ago she became acquainted with his then wife, Sarah Ruck Hathorne, who told her about a strange occurrence in the Burroughss home: Mary Webber wid aged about 53 years testifieth and sayth that she living at Casco Bay about six or seven years ago, when George Burroughs was Minister at said place, and living anner Neighbour to said Burroughs, was well acquainted with his wife which was daughter to Mr. John Ruck of Salem she hath heard her tell much of her husband unkindness to her and that she dare not wright to her father to acquaint [him] how it was with her, and so desired me to wright to her father that he would be pleased to send for her and told me she had been much afrighted, and that something in the night made a noise in the chamber where she lay as if one went about the chamber, and she calling up the negro to come to her the negro not coming said that she could not come some thing stopped her, then her husband being called he came up. Ann Putnam of a Sab: when that sacrament happened to be Yet he owned there were Toads. George Burroughs Trial and Execution - The History Junkie "Rev. Lewis, Jone Johnson. Mercy Lewis Thomas Hutchinson,The History of the Colony and Province of Massachusetts-Bay (1767.) and an Indian that comes with her for the flore is all covered with blod.then the said mary and abigaill looked out of dores & said they saw a greet company of them one a hill & there was three of them lay dead the black woman & the indian & one more that they knew not to death, but hee would choake me that my vittals should doe me but litl good then he told mee his name was borros which had preached at the vliage the last night hee Came to mee and asked mee whether i would goe to the village to morrow to witnes against him i asked him if hee was exsamened then hee told hee was then i told him i would goe then hee told mee hee would kil mee beefoar morning then hee apeared to mee at the hous of nathanniel ingolson and told mee hee had been the death of three children at the eastward and had kiled two of his wifes the first hee smouthered and the second he choaked and killed tow of his own children, (Reverse) Susannah Shelden against G. Burroughs, ( Essex County Court Archives, Salem -- Witchcraft Vol. Cotton Mather witnessed the event as well. I, Wiggin and Lunt, 1867.Roach, Marilynne K. The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege. The resettlement of Falmouth was under way, and Burroughs was preparing to resume his old post there.. Tennessee: City Death Records, 1872-1923 for Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga(at Ancestry/requires payment) coverage varies by city; includes digitized images of the death certificates or registers Tennessee Death Indexes, 1908-1912 and 1914-1933from the Tennessee State Library and Archives Evidently, he left bad feelings in his wake, and was now forcibly returned to Salem to face witchcraft charges. In fact, Mather was so disgusted by Burroughs he refused to call him by his full name: Glad should I have been, if I had never known the name of this man; or never had this occasion to mention so much as the first letters of his name. John Hathorne served on the church committee to find Burroughs' replacement. ), Wm & Mary by the Grace of God of England Scotland France & Ireland King defend'r of the faith &ca, To James Greenslit Greeting. John Putnam and his wife Rebecca testified that when Burroughs stayed at their house, he was often harsh towards his first wife, Hannah, and Burroughs once told them that he required Hannah to sign a written agreement that she would never reveal his secrets. The Witchcraft Trials in Salem: An Account - Famous Trials Learn how your comment data is processed. all of the Bewitched) were greivously tortured. Though there was a widely held belief that a true witch could not recite the Lord's Prayer, Burroughs did so, astounding the crowd. He married a third time; with this wife, Mary, he had a daughter. 171: Officials' Expense Accounts for 1692 (Submitted 1692 - 1694), SWP No. Eliz. in journalism. At the time of Burroughs arrival, Salem was in a constant state of conflict and many of its residents were feuding. He answered it was so long since he could not tell: yet Lewis, Jone Johnson. He continued to serve as the pastor until the town was attacked and destroyed during a Wabanaki raid on August 11, 1676. SWP No. 022: George Burroughs Executed, August 19, 1692 to come to her the negro not Comeing sayd that she could not Come some thing stopt her, then her husband being called he came up. One theory is that she saw her parents killed. Putnam testified again later on that the spirits of Burroughss wives also came to her on May 5 and told her that Burroughs had murdered them, his first wife said he had stabbed her at the parsonage in Salem Village and the second wife said he killed her in the vessell as she was coming to see her friends because they would have one another.. In 1674, Burroughs moved to Falmouth, Maine where he served as the pastor at the Falmouth Congregational Church. peter prescott Mercy Lewis deposition going to be read & he Because the grave was so shallow, Burroughs chin and one of his feet were left uncovered. Mercy Lewis was one of the afflicted girls of the Salem Witch Trials and a servant in Thomas Putnam's home.. Lewis, the daughter of Phillip Lewis, was born in Falmouth, Maine in 1675. It is important to note how Burroughs was described as some of these attributes would be stated against him by his accusers: George Burroughs was confident, strong-willed, and decisive, a man of action as well as a preacher, unusually athletic and clever enough to do well in Harvard. he said) in full communion at Roxbury. #(Robert Morrell ) George Robert Burrows, Circa 1867 - 1947 George Burroughs and the Salem Witch Trials." ), Province of the Mattathusets Bay in New EnglandThe deposition of Thomas Greinslitt aged about forty years Testfieth. *Elisha Hutchinson Maj'r, By Virtue of this warrant I Apprehended s'd George Burroughs and have Brought him to Salem and Delievered him to the Authority there this fourth day of May 1692 According to a recent handwriting analysis by Professor Peter Grund, from the University of Kansas, the afflicted girls testimonies were all written by Thomas Putnam. In September, 1681, Mr. Burroughs wife died, and he had to run in debt for her funeral expenses. lookt upon her & she fell into a On April 30, 1692, several of the girls of Salem leveled accusations of witchcraft at George Burroughs. Sources:Upham, Charles W. Salem Witchcraft: With an Account of Salem Village and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Spirits. Death 19 Aug 1692 (aged 41-42) Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA. 35. ), The depotion of Hannah Harres Aiged twenty seven yeares or thareabouts Testifieth and saith that she Lived at the hous of Georg Burros at falmouth & the above said hannah harres many times hath taken notic that when she hath had anny Discorse with the above said burross wife when the above said burros was from hom that apone has Returne he hath often scolded wife and told her that he knew what they said when he was abroad and further saith that upone a time when his wife had Laine In Not above one weak that he fell out with his wife and kept her by Discorce at the Dore till she fell sicke In the place and grew wors at night so that the above said hannah harres was afraid she would dye and thay called In thare Naibours and the a bove said burroses Daughter told One of the women that was thare the cause of her mothers Ellness and the a bove said burros chid his Daughter for telling and the a bove said burros Came to the a bove said hannah harres and told her If that his wif Did otherwise than well she should not tell of It & the abovsaid hannah harres told him that she would not be confined to anny such thing The 30 people who testified against Burroughs at his trial were: Sarah BibberEzekiel CheeverRichard CarrierThomas EvansThomas GreenlitHannah HarrisElizabeth HubbardBenjamin HutchinsonAbigail HobbsElizar KeyserMary LaceyMary Lacey JrMercy LewisAnn Putnam, JrRebecca PutnamEdward PutnamThomas PutnamPeter PrescottRobert MorrellThomas RuckSusannah SheldonMartha TylerMary WarrenElizabeth WardwellMary WalcottSamuel WebberMary WebberSarah WilsonSimon WillardWilliam Wormall. hand to the Book, which she did; & after- George Burroughs (1917 - 1974) - Gadsden, Alabama I will not writ in your book tho you doe kil me The police caused George Floyd's death, but drugs and heart disease SWP No. Aug. 3, 1692. Former Site of the Salem CourthouseAddress: Washington Street (about 100 feet south of Lynde Street), opposite the Masonic Temple, Salem, Mass. 2, no. Robert Calef later said that he had been buried so poorly that his chin and hand protruded from the ground. marce luis uppon har oath did owne this har testimony to be the truth be fore the Juriors for In quest:agust:3: 92. we whose names are under writen being present hard mircy lewes declare what is above writen what she said she saw and hard from the Apperishtion of Mr George Burroughs and also beheld hir tortors which we cannot express for sume times we ware redy to fear that every joynt of hir body was redy to be displaced: also we perceived hir hellish temtations by hir loud out cries mr.Burroughs . George Burroughs was the only minister that was executed during the Salem Witch Trials. Wells: Sept: 28th 1691 p 294. From June through September of 1692, nineteen men and women, all having been convicted of witchcraft, were carted to Gallows Hill, a barren slope near Salem Village, for hanging. Mercy Lewis's uncle, Thomas Skilling, died from an injury brought on by the Indian attack. The previous minister, James Bayley, had gotten caught in the middle of the fighting and left after the parishioners failed to pay his salary. He was arrested on May 4 in Maine family legend says while he was eating dinner with his family and was forcibly returned to Salem, to be jailed there on May 7. ), the deposistion of Mircy Lewes who testifieth and saith that one the 7'th of may 1692 att evening I saw the apperishtion of Mr. George Burroughs whom i very well knew which did greviously tortor me and urged me to writ in his Book and then he brought to me a new fashon book which he did not use to bring and tould me I might writ in that book: for that was a book that was in his studdy when I lived with them: but I tould him I did not beleve him for I had been often in his studdy but I never saw that book their: but he tould me that he had severall books in his studdy which I never saw in his studdy and he could raise the divell: and now had bewicthed Mr. Sheppards daughter and I asked him how he could goe to be wicth hir now he was keept at Salem: and he tould me that the divell was his sarvant and he sent him in his shapp to doe it then he againe tortored me most dreadfully and threatened to kill me for he said I should not witnes against him also he tould me that he had made Abigaill Hoobs: a wicth and severall more then againe he did most dreadfully tortor me as if he would have racked me all to peaces and urged me to writ in his book or elce he would kill me but I tould him I hoped my life was not in the power of his hand and that I would not writ tho he did kill me: the next night he tould me I should not see his Two wifes if he could help it because I should not witnes agast him this 9'th may mr Burroughs caried me up to an exceeding high mountain and shewed me all the kingdoms of the earth and tould me that he would give them all to me if I would writ in his book and if I would not he would thro me down and brake my neck: but I tould him they ware non of his to give and I would not writ if he throde me down on 100 pichforks: also on the 9'th may being the time of his examination mr. George Burroughs did most dreadfully torment me: and also several times sence. According to the book Biographical Sketches of Graduates of Harvard University, it is not known exactly who Burroughs father was: He was thought by Farmer at one time to be the son of John Burroughs, of Salem; but at another, of Jeremiah Burroughs of Scituate. The Wonders of the Invisible World: Being an Account of the Tryals of Several Witches Lately Executed in New-England. George Burrows: obituary and death notice on InMemoriam