A visit to Salem gone bad

Last night was a great episode of Genealogy Roadshow on PBS!  They actually had a lady on the show who wanted to know if the family legend was true that her relative, John Alden Jr, was involved in the Salem witch trials.  Whaaaaaattt??  My peeps!!

Family member name: John Alden, Jr.

Lifetime: 1626-1702
Tree branch: Pearson
Relation: My 10th great-uncle (my dad's mom's dad's mom's mom's mom's mom's mom's dad's mom's mom's brother)

John Alden, Sr. is my 10th great grandfather.  He was a Mayflower passenger.  His son, John, was born in Plymouth in 1626.  Johnny Jr. is not my direct ancestor (he's an uncle) so I probably would never have found this information.  So glad it was featured on TV!

Turns out Johnny was strolling through Salem on his way back from Quebec one day and a schoolgirl he never met accused him of being a witch.  Bam!  Talk about out of the blue!

John Jr. ended up spending four months in prison in Boston till he was busted out by some friends.  He got out of Dodge, realizing hysteria prevailed in the area and there was no hope of a fair trial.  He stayed away until 1693, when he went back to Salem after they stopped executing people. (!)

The charges against him were dismissed.

John Alden, Jr. was a well-known public figure in his time but is now chiefly remembered as a survivor of the Salem Witch trials, of which he wrote a much quoted account.  Click this link to read his firsthand account.

This is me visiting John Alden Sr.'s home in Duxbury, Massachusetts.  It's a national historic landmark and museum.

Source: 

Thought Co. - John Alden Jr. and the Salem Witch Trials

Don't sell wine to the Indians

My 9th great-grandfather, Edward Bangs, was a prominent member of Plymouth Colony.  He did not come over on the Mayflower, however, he came over 3 years later in 1623 on the Anne.  

Family member name: Edward Bangs

Lifetime: c1591-1677/78
Tree branch: Pearson

Places lived: England, Plymouth, MA, Eastham, MA
Relation: My 9x great-grandfather (my father's father's mother's father's father's mother's father's father's father's father's father)

He immediately jumped into life in the new world and began establishing himself. He is mentioned numerous times throughout the years in Plymouth Colony Records. Many times he is listed with Capt. Myles Standish, who is my 10th great grandfather.  I wonder if they were friends?

Here is some stuff he did:

* Division of land
* Division of cattle
* Founder of Eastham, Cape Cod
* Located boundaries of properties, including new meeting house
* Juror
* Survey highways
* Bought land
* Farmer
* Innkeeper / Tavern keeper

"Liberty is granted unto Edward Bangs to draw and sell wine and strong waters at Eastham, provided it be for the refreshment of the English, and not to be sold to the Indians," 6 Oct 1657, PCR 3:123. An account of liquor brought into Eastham dated 28 Nov 1664 included "Edward Bangs, six gallons of liquor," PCR 4:100.

He surveyed and divided up the land belonging to John Alden, a Mayflower passenger and also my 10th great grandfather.

Source:

Pilgrim Hall Museum - Passenger Biographies

North America Family Histories

A Special Shoemaker

In 1850, a man named Charles Arnold and his wife lived in the same household with my 3x great grandparents, Edwin B. Webber and Lucy Towne.  Edwin and Charles Arnold were both shoemakers.  Perhaps they worked together.  Charles Arnold was about 26 years old at the time and Edwin was 31.  I can imagine that if they lived together and worked together, they were very good friends.  I don't think those arrangements could have worked too well otherwise.

In December of 1857, Charles Arnold the shoemaker died at age 33.  How horrible!  The family must have been devastated.

Less than one year later, Edwin and Lucy had a baby boy in November of 1858.  They named him Charles Arnold Webber.  I'm sure they were reminded of their friend regularly.  Charles Arnold Webber is my great great grandfather.  This is his picture.

Family member name: Charles Arnold Webber

Lifetime: 1858-1933
Tree branch: Webber

Place lived: All in Massachusetts: Holland (Mass), Brimfield, Boston, Needham

Relation: My 2x great-grandfather (my dad's dad's dad's dad)