fbpx

12 Justice, Peace And A Memorial – The Connecticut Witch Trials

“Laws pertaining to witchcraft came out of the Bible…Do not allow a sorceress to live. Then it was later changed to “Do not allow a witch to live”. And that’s where the Connecticut law for witches came from” Tony Griego

Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Tony Griego, Beth Caruso and Brenda Sullivan taping our interview. Picture Paul F. Sullivan (click here to view picture)

This is a different kind of show; it's about getting justice for a group of people who were murdered 300 years ago. 

It is surprising to learn that even today, many people don't know about a horrific period when Connecticut was a fledgling colony and innocent people, mostly women who were accused of being a witch. 

Witchcraft isn't what you think of it today. It wasn't a religion or belief. The definition of a witch in colonial New England was open-ended.  It could be a person targeted by any of her neighbors for any reason or no reason or none for that matter. There was a lot of corruption by church and state, extortion, jealously, assaults, and murders. 

The pilgrims who traveled to the new colonies were Puritan Christians. These people agreed to live under a rigorous religious government that didn't allow for a lot of forgiveness. If someone was perceived to violate church law, the punishment was swift and harsh—death, often the penalty. There was no place to escape other than the wilderness or to the colony of Rhode Island. 

So how did all this start? It all began in the 1400s Medieval Europe when 2 Catholic priests wrote a treatise called the Malleus Maleficarum. The purpose of the document was to control the masses who the priests felt to have deviant behavior against the church and its authority. They concluded the people must be bewitched! 

It became a how-to manual giving the church and courts the legal authority to investigate, prosecute, and execute anyone of witchcraft and the book was widely distributed. 

Sadly, millions of women, men, and children over the centuries were executed. According to one historical reference, 85% who were viciously tortured and executed were women. 

This manual was in use for over 500 years, and the Catholic church finally discontinued using it in 1939 and during its publication, it had 16 revisions, most during the 1500 and 1600s. 

Even though the church discontinued its use, the damage was done. As you'll hear in the interview, many protestant ministers made similar versions to suit their own needs. 

I want to share an excerpt that I found by Fia Forsström, a Swedish author who posted a comment on Facebook about the witch trials in Europe and beyond. 

I thought it sums up the injustice, pain, and suffering that the church and state inflicted on its citizens. 

It was not witches who burned.
It was women.
Women who were seen as;
Too beautiful,
Too outspoken,
Had too much water in the well (yes, seriously),
Who had a birthmark,
Women who were too skilled with herbal medicine,
Too loud,
Too quiet,
Too much red in their hair,
Women who had a strong nature connection,
Women who danced,
Women who sang,
or anything else, really.

Any woman was at risk of burning in the 1600s.

Sisters testified and turned on each other when their babies were held under ice.

Children were tortured to confess their experiences with “witches” by being fake executed in ovens.

Women were held underwater, and if they could float, they were guilty and executed. If they sank and drowned, they were innocent.

Women were thrown off cliffs.

Women were put in deep holes in the ground.

Why do I write this?

Because knowing our history is important when we are building a new world.

When we are doing the healing work of our lineages and as women.

To give the women who were slaughtered a voice, to give them redress and a chance of peace.

It was not witches who burned.

It was women.


XXX

This is Connecticut's story – it's a 30-year reign of terror, pain, and suffering, and injustice. 

During those 30 years, 11 people were falsely accused of the crime of witchcraft and executed. In some cases, the reason for how the court came to its conclusion is crazy, and it boggles the mind. 

One can only conclude the accusers, the church, and the court was corrupt. It was nothing more than men dressed in clergy cloaks and robes acting as an organized crime syndicate. 

Approximately 35 more victims – that we know of – were accused of witchcraft. In one case, a woman was accused several times. 

In that day and age, this was a serious business. Any accusation destroyed a person's life and family. Many were forced to flee into the wilderness, often leaving children behind to deal with the fallout. 

And for what? Someone owning a prime piece of land? An outspoken spouse? A farmer's crop grew better than his neighbors? A woman had freckles or a mole on her body or, sadly, had a child with a disability – therefore, she must be a witch? 

Tony Griego and Beth Caruso, founders of the Connecticut Witch Memorial, present a compelling argument as to why they believe acknowledgment from the State of Connecticut and an official memorial is long overdue. These victims and their descendants deserve to be recognized. They deserve peace, justice, and an official place to mourn their ancestors.  

Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Connecticut Colonial Lawmaking witchcraft a crime, punishable by death. Picture Brenda J. Sullivan (click here to view picture)
Hartford Courant December 3, 1904, Annie Eliot Trumbull receives the personal diary of Matthew Grant of Windsor CT from 1635 – 1681. She discovers the name Alice Young and the date she was hanged and realizes this is the unnamed woman referred to at “One Blank of Windsor.” (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Connecticut Witch Trial Timeline – Witchcraft Trials of Connecticut, R.G. Tomlinson page 1, Google Scholar (click here to view picture)
Delayed Justice: Windsor Atones for its Witch Trial History – July 6, 2017
Windsor Town Council, Windsor, Connecticut (click here to view video)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Congregational Church where Alice Young was a member and was accused of witchcraft in 1647. (Website) Picture Brenda J. Sullivan (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
The field in Windsor, Connecticut Alice would have walked through to get the boat to be taken to Hartford for her trial and execution. Picture Brenda J. Sullivan (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Beth Caruso on Windsor Town Green in front of the statue of General John Mason who is responsible for starting the witch trials and the extermination of the Pequot Indians. Picture Brenda J. Sullivan (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
General John Mason Statue. Picture Brenda J. Sullivan (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Kathryn Gibbs grave in the church cemetery. She was Alice Young's neighbor on Backer Row. Picture Brenda J. Sullivan (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Church cemetery, Windsor Connecticut. Picture Brenda J. Sullivan (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Congregational Church, Hartford Connecticut. This is where Beth and Tony are hoping to place the Connecticut Witch Memorial pending state and city approval since they own the land around the church. Picture Wikipedia (Website) (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Back of the Congregational Church, Hartford Connecticut. Ancient burial grounds. This is the place they would like to place the witch memorial since all the clergy members who executed the 11 people are buried. Picture Wikipedia (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Entrance gates to the ancient burial grounds in Hartford. All 11 victims memorial bricks lay at the feet of the statute of Reverend Stone who presided over the witch trials. Picture Wikipedia (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Connecticut Old State House – This is where the witch trials took place and the second possible site for the CT Witch Memorial. Website Picture Wikipedia (click here to view picture)
Back of the Old State House. Picture Wikipedia (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Brick next to the flagpole honoring Alice Young. Not pictured is Lydia Gilbert brick. Windsor, Connecticut. Picture used with permission. (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Memorial in Fairfield, Black Rock, Connecticut. Picture used with permission (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Resolution regarding Alice Young, Windsor, Connecticut. Picture used with permission. (click here to view picture)

Books

Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Click here to read book Google Scholar
Loving and Lovin Herbs Podcast
Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers is a great book! (affiliate link) Picture Brenda J. Sullivan (click here to view picture)
Living and Lovin Herbs Podcast
The Malleus Maleficarum – The book that started it all. (affiliate link) (click here to view picture)

Thank you Tony Griego and Beth Caruso for coming on the show and sharing this incredible story.

Reference Links

CT Witch Memorial Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/ctwitchmemorial

Beth Caruso Website

https://www.oneofwindsor.com/

Email: oneofwindsor@yahoo.com

Old State House website

https://cga.ct.gov/osh/

Center Congregational Church, Hartford

https://centerchurchhartford.org

Windsor Congregational Church

http://www.fcwucc.org/

State of Connecticut State Library Witchcraft Materials:

https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/hg/colonialresearch/witchcraft

https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/ld.php?content_id=8928764

Samuel Wyllys Papers

https://cslib.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15019coll10/search/searchterm/witchcraft/field/subjec/mode/exact/conn/and/order/nosort/ad/asc

Samuel Wyllys Papers at Brown University

https://www.riamco.org/render?eadid=US-RPB-mswyllys&view=inventory

The Witchcraft Delusion In Colonial Connecticut 1647-1697 by John Taylor

https://archive.org/details/witchcraftdelusi00tayluoft

Mathew Grants Diary – regarding Alice Young’s hanging for being a witch

https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/hg/colonialresearch/grantdiary

Digital View:

https://cslib.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15019coll14/id/414

Transcript:

https://cslib.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15019coll14/id/1425

The Malleus Maleficarum Website:

http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org

Malleus Maleficarum Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malleus_Maleficarum

Adultery or Witchcraft? A New Note on an Old Case in Connecticut, William K. Holdsworth

https://www.jstor.org/stable/364866?seq=1

New England's Other Witch-hunt: The Hartford Witch-hunt of the 1660s and Changing Patterns in Witchcraft Prosecution

https://academic.oup.com/maghis/article-abstract/17/4/16/970318

Show's Sponsor

Farm to Bath| Our philosophy is to live a locally focused naturally beautiful life, a lifestyle choice that is infused into the products we make. The ingredients are locally grown and/or acquired and are as basic and pure as nature itself. Each bar is full of fragrant aromatics that provide a rich moisturizing lather with no artificial colors or preservatives added – naturally beautiful!

https://www.farmtobath.com/

My Garden Journal: A How To Garden Book For Kids| Gardening is a learned skill – everyone has to start somewhere, and a journal provides the best way to improve your gardening skills to ensure more successes and fewer failures.

The intent of this journal is to simultaneously teach basic gardening techniques while providing a place to record your journey with important information about the “how, when, and where” to grow food and flowers.

There are suggestions on themed gardens such as “A Harry Potter Garden”, “A Young Chef's Garden”, or a “Monarch Butterfly Superhero Garden” for budding Naturalists and places to either sketch or photograph your plants to remember their appearance for the next growing season.

You'll be amazed at how much you will learn by journaling about your garden!

Music

A special thank you to Gene Tullio for writing and producing this music. He has given me special permission to use this song for the show.

Gene's music can be downloaded from Amazon, iTunes, and Spotify.

For more information please contact him at dreamshipmusic@gmail.com

Album: The Dreamship| The Forge Of Life| Copyright 2018

Social Media Links

Please follow us on all our social media outlets. We would love to hear if you tried the recipe(s) from these podcasts.

Please follow us on all our social media outlets. We’d love to hear if you tried the recipe(s) from these podcasts.

Living and Lovin Herbs Website: https://livingandlovinherbs.com/
Instagram: @livingandlovinherbspodcast
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livingandlovinherbspodcast/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Twitter: @Livingandlovin6
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuuHD-5N2tPYDbWwI4wzIJA
Thompson Street Farm LLC: https://thompsonstreetfarm.com/
Brenda J. Sullivan Books: https://brendajsullivanbooks.com/

08 One of Windsor: The Untold Story of America’s First Witch Hanging

“I mean a, witch was a scapegoat basically.”

…”so why would someone accuse someone else of that? You’re in league with the devil… they really did believe the devil was among them. They, were in this vast wilderness…”

A Historical Novel Picture used with permission – link to book in the reference section.

Today's Show

Today I'm talking to Beth Caruso Author of the historical novel One of Windsor – The Untold Story of America's First Witch Hanging.

It's a tragic story of a young woman who comes over from England as an indentured servant and settles in the religiously strict Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635.

She adapts to the new world, is an active participant in her community, and then is hung after being accused of practicing witchcraft by her friends and neighbors.

Her name is Alice Young, and she is victim number one in the colonies. Unfortunately, she wasn't the last. The witch trials continued for another 30 years here in Connecticut and another 50 in the greater Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Alice's story is relevant today – most of the debated issues in her time are still being discussed today, some 373 years later.

Issues like pandemics, falsely imprisoning people, the inhumane treatment of minorities. Bullying, character assassination, and acts of genocide. It appears history has taught us little!

And Yes, we talk about herbs, medicine of the day, healers, doctors, and the definition of a witch in the 1600s, among other topics. Its a great interview!

Beth M. Caruso

Beth M. Caruso, Author, Picture used with permission – Click here to view picture

Author Beth M. Caruso grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and spent her childhood writing puppet shows and witches’ cookbooks. She studied French Literature and Hispanic Studies, earning a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cincinnati. She later obtained Masters degrees in Nursing and Public Health and served diverse communities.

Aside from writing, Beth’s interests include travel, and gardening. Her latest passion is to discover and convey important stories of women in history. One of Windsor: The Untold Story of America’s First Witch Hanging was her debut novel in 2015.  She released her second novel, The Salty Rose: Alchemists, Witches & A Tapper In New Amsterdam, in September of 2019. It takes place in colonial New York and New England. Beth is a Connecticut resident.

Personal Update

Me after running sprints for 3.69 miles cold turkey! I don't recommend this… Picture by Brenda J. Sullivan – click here to view picture
Paul hanging the last of the lavender to dry. Our garage smells AMAZING!!! Picture by Brenda J. Sullivan – Click here to view picture
Dried lavender bundles – $7.50 each USA sales only… Picture by Brenda J. Sullivan – Click here to view picture
Free ebook coming out soon….- Click here to view picture

Interview

Puritans – 1600's – a strict religious group from England seeking freedom to worship their religion picture Wikipedia public domain – Click here to view picture
Town Map of Windsor 1600s – Picture by Brenda J. Sullivan – Click here to view picture
Major John Mason – is responsible for the genocide of hundreds of Pequot Indians (including women and children) called the Mystic Massacre 1636 – 1638. He is also was involved in accusing innocent people of witchcraft and in particular, is responsible for the hanging of Alice Young. Beth Caruso giving her guided tour through the historic district of the Town of Windsor about Alice Young and the CT Witch Trials Fall 2019. Picture by Brenda J. Sullivan – Click here to view pictures
Gravesite of Katherine Gibbs who was a neighbor and witness to Alice's accusation. As Beth stated in her talk, too bad we can't speak to her and ask her what happened. Picture by Brenda J. Sullivan – Click here to view pictures
Places in Windsor where Alice would have walked during her lifetime. The Connecticut River is just beyond the cornfield. Alice was taken by boat down to Hartford to stand trial for witchcraft. Picture by Brenda J. Sullivan – Click here to view pictures
A private home from Alice's time period – This is Return Strong's home 1699 – his wife Sarah gravesite – she died at the age of 37 – 1678. Picture by Brenda J. Sullivan – Click here to view pictures
Windsor Historical Society. Picture by Brenda J. Sullivan – Click here to view picture
Beth Caruso and Brenda Sullivan after Beth's Witch Walk in the historic district of Windsor CT. Picture by Paul F. Sullivan – Click here to view pictures
New-Englands Rarities Discovered by John Josselyn. One of Beth's research books about herbs, medicine, and how Native Americans lived during Alice's time period – Picture by Brenda J. Sullivan – Click here to view picture. Free Public Domain copy available in the reference section.
Green Pharmacy: The History and Evolution of Western Herbal Medicine by Barbara Griggs. Another recommended research book about herbal medicine. Picture by Brenda J. Sullivan – Click here to view picture. Link to book in the reference section.
Mugwort growing in Brenda's garden. References comments made during the show about herbal bloopers in the series Outlander TV series . And NO – mugwort or mullen is not natural contraceptives! Picture by Brenda J. Sullivan – Click here to view picture.
Beth and Brenda on the patio before the interview discussing our love of history and research. Picture by Paul F. Sullivan – Click here to view picture

Alice's Medicinal Garden

If you're curious about what a garden looked like in the 1600s, Beth sent me a list of plants grown in Alice's time. Using historical records, I put together a historically accurate garden plan that might have been something Alice and her family built.

It's simple because that's how the Puritans lived. Having fancy flower beds or garden ornaments like many have today was frowned upon and could be considered blasphemy and punishable by the church.

Many of the colonists were not gardeners or farmers – so a lot of the gardening was trial and error – or in their case, God's blessing or devils curse depending on how successful their garden was that year.

Those who dared to make friends with the First People of America did so at considerable personal risk. It was illegal to even speak to the Native Americans.

However, those who did, learned many useful skills, such as native medicinal plants, how to grow certain crops in the New England rocky soil, or modify their gardening techniques, so the plants survived.

The garden plan is free to download, just click on the link below. It includes the house and garden and a list of plants – some are perfect for small spaces or pots on a patio.

Although I don't recommend growing skunk cabbage in your garden. If not processed properly it can cause nausea and vomiting. It's best to leave them in the bogs for the critters.

Alice had two types of herbs – European and Native plants.

Note: Some of these plants can be toxic and could cause serious illness if not processed properly. If you are interested in growing a medicinal garden, please contact me for assistance or ask someone in your local area who is a plant expert such as an herbalist.

European Herbs:

Parsley

Sorrel

Marigold

Chervil

Winter Savory

Summer Savory

Thyme

Sage

Spearmint

Southernwood

Rosemary

Lavender

Coriander

Horehound

Licorice

Anise

Plantain

Heal-All

Yarrow

Adder’s Tongue

Tansy

Rue

Native Herbal Plants:

Elecampane

Coltsfoot

Yarrow

Elderberry

Whortleberries

Black Cohosh

Blue Cohosh

Wild cherry bark

“Kinnikinnik”-Bearberry

“Indian Sage”-Boneset

White Pine, pine turpentine

Skunk Cabbage

“Red Puccoon”-Bloodroot

“Yellow Puccoon”-Goldenseal

“Touch-me-not”-Jewelweed

Wild Geranium

Hemlock

Books

One of Windsor: The Untold Story of America's First Witch Hanging – Beth M. Caruso

https://amzn.to/2P8Zobf

Salty Rose: Alchemists, Witches & A Tapper In New Amsterdam, Beth M. Caruso

https://amzn.to/2EwxGTY

Culpepper'a Complete Herbal: Over 400 herbs and their uses, Nicolas Culpepper

https://amzn.to/2BEHg5

Green Pharmacy: The History and Evolution of Western Herbal Medicine, Barbara Griggs

https://amzn.to/3fc1P7q

Reference and Books Section:

Books:

New England Rarities Discovered in Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Serpents, and Plants of that country, John Joslin – Public Domain pdf

Green Pharmacy: The History and Evolution of Western Herbal Medicine. Barbara Griggs

Beth Caruso's Books:

One of Windsor: The Untold Story of America's First Witch Hanging. Beth M. Caruso

The Salty Rose: Alchemists, Witches & A Tapper In New Amsterdam. Beth M. Caruso

Beth's Website: oneofwindsor.com
Beth's Email: oneofwindsor@yahoo.com.

Beth's Facebook Page: One of Windsor
Tony Griego and Beth Caruso Facebook Page – CT Witch Memorial

Historial Reference Links:

Epidemics in US History: https://ashp.cuny.edu/epidemics-us-history

Massachusetts Bay Colony: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Bay_Colony#:~:text=The%20Massachusetts%20Bay%20Colony%20(more,the%20Province%20of%20Massachusetts%20Bay

Connecticut State Library – Colonial Witch Craft Trials Research Guide pdf: https://livingandlovinherbs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Research_Guide_to_Colonial_Witchcraft_Trial_Materials.pdf

CT State Library Historical Archives https://archive.org/details/witchcraftdelusi00tayluoft/page/xii/mode/2up

History of the Puritans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritans

Health in the 17th Century – Royal Museums Greenwich England: https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/explore/health-17th-century

History of Herbalism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_herbalism

Hippocrates and the Theory of the Four Humors: https://exploringyourmind.com/hippocrates-theory-four-humors/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20theory%20of,with%20cold%20and%20dry%20properties.

Medicine in Colonial North America: https://colonialnorthamerica.library.harvard.edu/spotlight/cna/feature/medicine-in-colonial-north-america

The Most Dangerous Epidemics in U.S. History: https://www.healthline.com/health/worst-disease-outbreaks-history#16

20 of The Worst Epidemics and Pandemics in History Article March 20, 2020: https://www.livescience.com/worst-epidemics-and-pandemics-in-history.html

Show's Sponsor Info:

Farm to Bath| Our philosophy is to live a locally focused naturally beautiful life, a lifestyle choice that is infused into the products we make. The ingredients are locally grown and/or acquired and are as basic and pure as nature itself. Each bar is full of fragrant aromatics that provide a rich moisturizing lather with no artificial colors or preservatives added – naturally beautiful!

My Garden Journal: A How To Garden Book For Kids| Gardening is a learned skill – everyone has to start somewhere, and a journal provides the best way to improve your gardening skills to ensure more successes and fewer failures.

The intent of this journal is to simultaneously teach basic gardening techniques while providing a place to record your journey with important information about the “how, when, and where” to grow food and flowers.

There are suggestions on themed gardens such as “A Harry Potter Garden”, “A Young Chef's Garden”, or a “Monarch Butterfly Superhero Garden” for budding Naturalists and places to either sketch or photograph your plants to remember their appearance for the next growing season.

You'll be amazed at how much you will learn by journaling about your garden!

Music

A special thank you to Gene Tullio for writing and producing this music. He has given me special permission to use this song for the show.

Gene's music can be downloaded from Amazon, iTunes, and Spotify. For more information please contact him at dreamshipmusic@gmail.com

Album: The Dreamship| The Forge Of Life| Copyright 2018

Social Media Links

Please follow us on all our social media outlets. We would love to hear if you tried the recipe(s) from these podcasts.

Please follow us on all our social media outlets. We’d love to hear if you tried the recipe(s) from these podcasts.

Living and Lovin Herbs Website: https://livingandlovinherbs.com/
Instagram: @livingandlovinherbspodcast
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livingandlovinherbspodcast/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Twitter: @Livingandlovin6
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuuHD-5N2tPYDbWwI4wzIJA
Thompson Street Farm LLC: https://thompsonstreetfarm.com/
Brenda J. Sullivan Books: https://brendajsullivanbooks.com/