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| '''John Proctor''' ( |
'''John Proctor''' (1632–1692) was a farmer and tavern-keeper in 17th century ]. During the ] he was accused of witchcraft, convicted and hanged. | ||
| == Early life == | == Early life == | ||
| Line 6: | Line 6: | ||
| In 1655 John, Jr. married Martha Giddons, in ]. They had seven children of whom only one, Benjamin, survived childhood. In December of 1662 John married again, also in ], to ], daughter of ] and his wife, ]. John and Elizabeth had six children, three of them born in ]. | In 1655 John, Jr. married Martha Giddons, in ]. They had seven children of whom only one, Benjamin, survived childhood. In December of 1662 John married again, also in ], to ], daughter of ] and his wife, ]. John and Elizabeth had six children, three of them born in ]. | ||
| In 1666 Proctor moved from ] to ], where he leased a 700 acre estate called Groton, in Salem Farms, the section of Salem Township just south of Salem Village (now ]). Groton was adjacent to Proctor's own 15 acre farm. Beginning in |
In 1666 Proctor moved from ] to ], where he leased a 700 acre estate called Groton, in Salem Farms, the section of Salem Township just south of Salem Village (now ]). Groton was adjacent to Proctor's own 15 acre farm. Beginning in 1668 the Proctors also operated a tavern here. The men ran the farm while the women ran the tavern. | ||
| In April of 1674 Proctor married for a third time, to Elizabeth Basset, daughter of William and Sarah Basset, with whom he had five children. | In April of 1674 Proctor married for a third time, to Elizabeth Basset, daughter of William and Sarah Basset, with whom he had five children. | ||
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| == The trials' aftermath == | == The trials' aftermath == | ||
| In |
In January 1693, while still in jail, Elizabeth (Bassett) Proctor gave birth to a son, John Proctor III. Elizabeth and John III remained in jail until May 1693 when a general release freed all of those prisoners who remained jailed. Unfortunately, even though the general belief of the people was that innocent people had been wrongly convicted, Elizabeth had in fact been convicted and was considered guilty. In the eyes of the law she was considered a "dead woman" and could not claim any of her husband's estate. Elizabeth petitioned the court for a reversal of ] to restore her legal rights. No action was taken for seven years. | ||
| In |
In June 1696]], Elizabeth filed an appeal to contest her husband's will. At the time John wrote his will, he had assumed that Elizabeth would be executed and had left her nothing. ], ] Elizabeth married again to Daniel Richards. | ||
| In |
In July 1703]], several more people filed petitions before any action was taken on Elizabeth’s appeal for reversal of attainder. The ] finally passed a bill disallowing spectral evidence. However, they only gave reversal of ] for those who had filed petitions. This basically applied to only two people – Elizabeth Proctor and ]. | ||
| In |
In 1705, another petition was filed requesting a more equitable settlement for those wrongly accused. In 1709, the ] received a request to take action on this proposal. In May 1709, 22 people who had been convicted of ], or whose parents had been convicted of ], presented the government with a petition in which they demanded both a reversal of ] and compensation for financial losses. | ||
| On ], ], the ] passed a bill reversing the judgment against the 22 people listed in the |
On ], ], the ] passed a bill reversing the judgment against the 22 people listed in the 1709 petition. There were still an additional 7 people who had been convicted, but had not signed the petition. There was no reversal of ] for them. | ||
| On ], ], monetary compensation was finally awarded to the 22 people in the |
On ], ], monetary compensation was finally awarded to the 22 people in the 1709 petition. 578 pounds 12 ] was authorized to be divided among the survivors and relatives of those accused. Most of the accounts were settled within a year. ₤150 was awarded to the Proctor family for Elizabeth. The Proctor family received much more money from the ] ] than most families of accused ]. | ||
| Following John II's death, his son Thorndike Proctor purchased the Groton Farm from the Downings of ]. The farm was renamed Downing Farm where eight generations of Proctors resided up until 1851. Thorndike subsequently sold nearly half of the Downing Farm to his half brother Benjamin. | Following John II's death, his son Thorndike Proctor purchased the Groton Farm from the Downings of ]. The farm was renamed Downing Farm where eight generations of Proctors resided up until 1851. Thorndike subsequently sold nearly half of the Downing Farm to his half brother Benjamin. | ||
| By |
By 1957, not all the condemned had been exonerated. Descendants of those falsely accused demanded the ] clear the names of their family members. In 1957 an act was passed pronouncing the innocence of those accused, however, it only listed ] by name and the others as "certain other persons", still failing to include all names of those convicted. | ||
| In |
In 1992, The ] ] persuaded the ] to issue a resolution honoring those who had died. After much convincing and hard work by ] school teacher Paula Keene, Representatives J. Michael Ruane and Paul Tirone and a few others, the names of all those not previously listed were added to this resolution. When it was finally signed on ], ] by ] ], more than 300 years later, all were finally proclaimed guiltless. | ||
| == Proctor in ''The Crucible'' == | == Proctor in ''The Crucible'' == | ||
Revision as of 07:40, 12 July 2007
John Proctor (1632–1692) was a farmer and tavern-keeper in 17th century Massachusetts. During the Salem witch trials he was accused of witchcraft, convicted and hanged.
Early life
John, Jr. was born in Assington, Suffolk, England. His father was also named John (1595–1672) and his mother was Martha Harper (1607–1659). Along with his parents and his sister Mary (b.1634), John, Jr. departed from London, England aboard the ship the Susan and Ellen on April 12, 1635, bound for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The voyage took a little over two months. In Massachusetts, the family settled in Ipswich, Essex County, a young settlement begun only in 1633. John, Jr's's parents had six more children there.
In 1655 John, Jr. married Martha Giddons, in Ipswich. They had seven children of whom only one, Benjamin, survived childhood. In December of 1662 John married again, also in Ipswich, to Elizabeth Thorndike, daughter of John Thorndike and his wife, Elizabeth Stratton. John and Elizabeth had six children, three of them born in Ipswich.
In 1666 Proctor moved from Ipswich to Salem, where he leased a 700 acre estate called Groton, in Salem Farms, the section of Salem Township just south of Salem Village (now Danvers). Groton was adjacent to Proctor's own 15 acre farm. Beginning in 1668 the Proctors also operated a tavern here. The men ran the farm while the women ran the tavern.
In April of 1674 Proctor married for a third time, to Elizabeth Basset, daughter of William and Sarah Basset, with whom he had five children.
Salem witch trials
John Proctor was a tall and outspoken man. Around the time the trials started, he was near 60 years of age. During the witchcraft hysteria he disparaged the trials and accused the girls of lying. When his wife and children were accused of witchcaft, he proclaimed the innocence of his family. This made him a direct target of the accusers and he was the first man to be accused.
John wrote a letter to authorities in Boston, to alert them to the issues taking place in Salem and asked them to intervene. He claimed, for example, if a woman so well respected as Rebecca Nurse could be convicted, then no restraint was left in the town. In his letter, John asked that the trials be moved to Boston, or that new judges be appointed. His letter brought about a meeting of eight ministers at Cambridge on August 1, 1692. No records survive of what took place at this meeting, but when the ministers emerged they had drastically changed their position on spectral evidence, having decided that the devil could take on the form of innocent people. Unfortunately for John Proctor, their decision made no practical difference until after his execution.
Mary Warren, the twenty-year-old maidservant in the Proctor house, accused John as well. Warren was later accused of witchcraft, herself.
John and Elizabeth were tried on August 5, 1692. They were both found guilty and sentenced to hang. The execution of Elizabeth, who was then pregnant, was postponed until she had given birth, and eventually she was released. John tried to save himself one last time at his execution saying he was not fit to die. His attempt was unsuccessful, and he was hanged on August 19, 1692.
The trials' aftermath
In January 1693, while still in jail, Elizabeth (Bassett) Proctor gave birth to a son, John Proctor III. Elizabeth and John III remained in jail until May 1693 when a general release freed all of those prisoners who remained jailed. Unfortunately, even though the general belief of the people was that innocent people had been wrongly convicted, Elizabeth had in fact been convicted and was considered guilty. In the eyes of the law she was considered a "dead woman" and could not claim any of her husband's estate. Elizabeth petitioned the court for a reversal of attainder to restore her legal rights. No action was taken for seven years.
In June 1696]], Elizabeth filed an appeal to contest her husband's will. At the time John wrote his will, he had assumed that Elizabeth would be executed and had left her nothing. September 22, 1696 Elizabeth married again to Daniel Richards.
In July 1703]], several more people filed petitions before any action was taken on Elizabeth’s appeal for reversal of attainder. The Massachusetts House of Representatives finally passed a bill disallowing spectral evidence. However, they only gave reversal of attainder for those who had filed petitions. This basically applied to only two people – Elizabeth Proctor and Rebecca Nurse.
In 1705, another petition was filed requesting a more equitable settlement for those wrongly accused. In 1709, the General Court received a request to take action on this proposal. In May 1709, 22 people who had been convicted of witchcraft, or whose parents had been convicted of witchcraft, presented the government with a petition in which they demanded both a reversal of attainder and compensation for financial losses.
On October 17, 1711, the General Court passed a bill reversing the judgment against the 22 people listed in the 1709 petition. There were still an additional 7 people who had been convicted, but had not signed the petition. There was no reversal of attainder for them.
On December 11, 1711, monetary compensation was finally awarded to the 22 people in the 1709 petition. 578 pounds 12 shillings was authorized to be divided among the survivors and relatives of those accused. Most of the accounts were settled within a year. ₤150 was awarded to the Proctor family for Elizabeth. The Proctor family received much more money from the Massachusetts General Court than most families of accused witches.
Following John II's death, his son Thorndike Proctor purchased the Groton Farm from the Downings of London. The farm was renamed Downing Farm where eight generations of Proctors resided up until 1851. Thorndike subsequently sold nearly half of the Downing Farm to his half brother Benjamin.
By 1957, not all the condemned had been exonerated. Descendants of those falsely accused demanded the General Court clear the names of their family members. In 1957 an act was passed pronouncing the innocence of those accused, however, it only listed Ann Pudeator by name and the others as "certain other persons", still failing to include all names of those convicted.
In 1992, The Danvers Tercentennial Committee persuaded the House of Representatives to issue a resolution honoring those who had died. After much convincing and hard work by Salem school teacher Paula Keene, Representatives J. Michael Ruane and Paul Tirone and a few others, the names of all those not previously listed were added to this resolution. When it was finally signed on October 31, 2001 by Governor Jane Swift, more than 300 years later, all were finally proclaimed guiltless.
Proctor in The Crucible
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A fictionalised John Proctor is one of the main characters in The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller. In the play, Proctor is in his thirties and Abigail Williams is 17 years old. The real John Proctor and Abigail Williams were respectively about sixty and eleven years old at the time of the witch trials. Most likely their ages were altered in the play to make the fictional affair between them more believable. Miller probably created the affair to add to the drama of the play. Also, as a result of the affair, Abigail accused Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft in the play. In reality, the Proctors' servant, Mary Warren, was the one who accused her.
A loose comparison can be drawn between the fictional John Proctor and Arthur Miller himself. On May 31, 1958, Miller was found guilty of contempt of Congress for refusing to reveal the names of members of a literary circle suspected of Communist affiliation. Like John Proctor and witchcraft, Miller refused to acquiesce to the fear of Communist during an age of McCarthyism. This is especially notable because many of Miller's peers chose to disclose the names of their associates under pressure from the House Un-American Activities Committee. His conviction was reversed on August 8, 1958 by the U.S. Court of Appeals.
References
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "John Proctor" Salem witch trials – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
- University of Massachusetts: John Proctor
- The Salem News, “Documents Shed New Light On Witchcraft Trials”, By BETSY TAYLOR, news staff Danvers, Massachusetts
- The History of the Town of Danvers, from it’s Earliest Settlement to 1848, by J.W. Hanson, copyright 1848, published by the author, printed at the Courier Office, Danvers, Massachusetts
- House of John Proctor, Witchcraft Martyr, 1692, by William P. Upham, copyright 1904, Press of C.H. Shephard, Peabody, Massachusetts,
- Puritan City, The Story of Salem, by Frances Win war, King County Library System 917.44, copyright 1938, Robert M. McBride & County, New York.
- The Salem witchcraft papers : verbatim transcripts of the legal documents of the Salem witchcraft outbreak of 1692 / compiled and transcribed in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration, under the supervision of Archie N. Frost ; edited and with an introduction and index by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum; Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library; pg. 662; Essex County Archives, Salem -- Witchcraft Vol. 1
- The Founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, A Careful Research of the Earliest Records of Many of the Foremost Settlers of the New England Colony: Compiled From The Earliest Church and State Records, and Valuable Private Papers Retained by Descendants for Many Generations, by Sarah Saunders Smith, Press of the Sun Printing Company, 1897, Pittsfield Massachusetts
- The Devil Discovered : Salem Witchcraft, 1692 by Gaylord Robinson
- Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft by Paul Boyer
- Chronicles of Old Salem, A History in Miniature by Francis Diane Robotti
- The Devil in Massachusetts, A Modern Enquiry Into the Salem Witch Trials, by Marion L. Starkey, King County Library System, copyright 1949, Anchor Books / Doubleday Books, New York
- A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials by Frances Hill
- The Salem Witch Trials Reader by Frances Hill
- The Witchcraft of Salem Village by Shirley Jackson
- Salem Witchcraft; With an Account of Salem Village and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Subjects. by Charles W. Upham
- The Devil Hath Been Raised: A Documentary History of the Salem Village Witchcraft Outbreak of March 1692 by Richard B. Trask
- The Visionary Girls: Witchcraft in Salem Village by Marion Lena
Starkey
- The Salem Witch Trials, A Day by Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege, by Marilynne K. Roach, copyright 2002, Taylor Trade Publishing, Lanham, Maryland.