Andover and the Salem Witch Trials

In 1692, more people from Andover were accused and arrested for witchcraft than from any other town in New England. 80% of the town's residents were drawn into this witch hunt. Andover also holds the dubious distinction of having the most confessed witches, and the highest number of children arrested. Through petitions that eventually turned public opinion against the trials, Andover led the campaign that brought them to an end. Before the madness was over, however, 3 adults had been hanged and one woman perished in jail.

Tombstone of accused witch, William Barker, Jr., First Burial Ground, North Andover photo by Gretchen Sanders Joy

Most people who lived in the 17th century believed in witches. Folklore and magical practices were part of their cultural heritage from Great Britain. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were indicative of a society unable to deal with social, economic, religious and political change. Many Puritans then living in Massachusetts Bay Colony were convinced that the devil was plotting to take over New England and destroy the "Cities of God" they had established in the American wilderness. Evidence of Satan's conspiracy seemed all around them: in the failure of their crops, epidemics, the French and Indian wars, the decline of clergy power, and the loss of their original Royal Charter which resulted in the breakdown of the legal system. This climate of fear which resulted in scapegoating and intolerance manifested itself differently in various communities.

As a frontier town, Andover had suffered sporadic Indian raids. Martha Carrier, the first arrested for witchcraft in May, 1692, had been exiled from town several years before "for spreading smallpox with wicked carelessness." Religious strife was a factor in Andover, where townspeople were taxed to support two ministers for one church. The Reverend Francis Dane, the senior minister, did not believe in witches, while his assistant, Parson Thomas Barnard, supported the Trials.

Research on Andover witchcraft is ongoing at Andover Historical Society. Community plays and educational programs help recreate details of the 1692 community in crisis.