Memorial plaque located on Masonic Temple. This G. B. was indicted for witch-craft, and in the prosecution of the charge against him he was accused by five or six of the bewitched, as the author of their miseries; he was accused by eight of the confessing witches, as being an head actor at some of their hellish randevouzes, and one who had the promise of being a king in Satans kingdom, now going to be erected. He was buried in Inglewood Cemetery, Inglewood, Taranaki, New Zealand. The claim: The cause of George Floyd's death was a drug overdose. Jurat in Curia, ( Essex County Court Archives, Salem -- Witchcraft Vol. Burroughs (Reverse), ( Essex County Court Archives, Salem -- Witchcraft Vol. However they were enough to fix the character of a witch upon him according to the rules of reasoning, by the judicious Gaule, in that case directed.. Last Known Residence . 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. 6th great-grandson John Ritter. Visit this site's About page to find out more about Rebecca. Society ), Wm & Mary by the Grace of God of England Scotland france & Ireland King & queen defend'rs of the faith &ca --, Wee Comand you to Warn & give Notice unto John Pierce and John lane. 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. He served as minister of Salem Village from 1680 until he left in 1683. . The afflicted girls, Ann Putnam, Jr., Sarah Bibber, Mercy Lewis, Elizabeth Hubbard, Abigail Hobbs, Mary Warren, Susannah Sheldon, testified against Burroughs as well and accused him of murdering members of his family and other people in the community. 23. Despite not living in Salem for many years prior to the Salem Witch Trials, Burroughs was found guilty of witchcraft and sentenced to hang. Gadsden, Etowah County, Alabama 35901 . Born in Glace Bay he was the son of Blanche and the late Patrick Burrows. Burroughs was carried in a cart with the others, through the streets of Salem to execution. ThoughtCo. 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. ), 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 Reverend George Burroughs (c1650 - 1692) - Executed for witchcraft in the infamous Salem witch trials, George Burroughs was born about 1650 in Suffolk County, England, the son of Nathaniel Burroughs (1618 - 1682) and Rebecca Style (1622 - 1684). He answered that it was an amazing & humbling Burroughs and other refugees relocated to the settlement of Salisbury, Massachusetts where Burroughs served as a minister until 1680 when he received an offer to serve as a minister for the Salem Village Church. 072: Elizabeth How Executed July 19, 1692, SWP No. 042: Lydia Dustin Died in Prison, March 10, 1693, SWP No. on The Witchcraft Trial of Reverend George Burroughs, The Witchcraft Trial of Reverend George Burroughs, View all posts by Rebecca Beatrice Brooks. 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. [2] He was raised by his mother in the town of Roxbury, Massachusetts. 140163, 296-304, 319, 480, 482, 514. Upon realizing this, the people of Salem stopped paying his wages to get him to resign. [Edward Putnam]?tag/putnam_edward.html) It appears from court records that Burroughss children soon began fighting over the money. The doctor, who is in his early 30s, earned his medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 2016 and had received his physician and surgeon license just 18 days before May 25,. Thomas Greinslit Sepr. On Monday afternoon, an independent autopsy ordered by George's family found . If anyone is interested in any of these historical groups you can contact me. ThoughtCo, Jul. My husband descends from George Burroughs through the Virginia line of John Burroughs. Burroughss secrecy and his other odd traits later became a theme during his trial and were discussed in great detail in the testimony of his accusers and former associates. 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. Nothing therefore was done at the village, but the steps to arrest him originated at Boston. 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. George Burroughs proceeded to quote the Lord's Prayer perfectly which was believed to be impossible for a witch to do. My mother was Norma Burroughs. Aprel.30'th 1692 He served as minister of Salem Village from 1680 until he left in 1683. Sarah died in 1689, probably also in childbirth, and Burroughs moved with his family to Wells, Maine. the Bewitched being present. wards in his own person he acknowledged to attest *Step. Included were George Burroughs, John Proctor, George Jacob, John Willard, Giles, andMartha Corey,Rebecca Nurse,Sarah Good, Elizabeth How,Mary Easty, Sarah Wilds, Abigail Hobbs, Samuel Wardell, Mary Parker, Martha Carrier, Abigail Faulkner,Anne (Ann) Foster, Rebecca Eames, Mary Post, Mary Lacey, Mary Bradbury, and Dorcas Hoar. at that time Before us *John Hathorne ), Memorand'm in mr George Burroughs Tryall besides the written Evidences that was Sworne sev'll who gave theirs by word of mouth & Major Browne holding Out a heavy Gun w'th One hand. 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. 21. Not surprisingly, he remarried soon. putnam aged 40: years and Edward putnam agged 38 years who testifieth and saith. 168: A Bill Against Conjurations, Witchcraft, and Dealing with Evil and Wicked Spirits (December 1692), SWP No. Thomas Ruck of his sudden coming in after them & that he could tell his thoughts. Elis: Hubbard {& they all fell into fits take it in his hands or arms out of the Cannoo or boat and carry it and set it on the shore: and mr Borroughs being: there sayd that he had carryed one barrill of molasses.or sider: out of a cannoo that had like to have done him a displeasure: s'd mr Borroughs intimated: as if he did not want strength to do it but the disadvantage of the shore was such: that his foot slipping in the sand: he had like to have strained his legg On August 2, the Court of Oyer and Terminer heard the case against Burroughs, as well as cases against John and Elizabeth Proctor, Martha Carrier, George Jacobs, Sr. and John Willard. She is a former faculty member of the Humanist Institute. and know nothing of it myselfe otherwise Except by common report of others also concerning such things In 1711,thelegislatureof the Province of Massachusetts Bayrestored all rights to those who had been accused in the 1692 witch trials. After Boston minister Cotton Mather reassured the crowd that his execution was the result of a court decision, Burroughs was hanged. dreadfull & tedious fit, 3. Stoughton By Before the Honoured John Hallum 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 Peabody Essex Museum, Phillips Library, Salem, MA.). He denyed that about the Mallossoes ), 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 . https://www.thoughtco.com/george-burroughs-3529133 (accessed March 4, 2023). George Burroughs, a 1670 Harvard graduate, grew up in Roxbury, MA; his mother returned to England, leaving him in Massachusetts. 114: Wilmott Reed Executed, September 22, 1692, SWP No. Thomas Hutchinson,The History of the Colony and Province of Massachusetts-Bay (1767.) George Burroughs was probably born around Suffolk, England around 1650 prior to migrating to Massachusetts Bay Colony with his parents. 28. He died in August 1974 at 57 years old. The six, including Burroughs, were sentenced to death. Witnesses 171: Officials' Expense Accounts for 1692 (Submitted 1692 - 1694), SWP No. Burroughs .) While standing on a ladder before the crowd, waiting to be hanged, he successfully recited the Lord's Prayer, something that was generally considered by the Court of Oyer and Terminer to be impossible for a witch to do. Elizabeth Hubbard 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. I having Receved perticuler Order from the Govern'r & Council of their Maj'sts Colony of the Masathusets, for the Same, you may not faile herein, Dated in portsmouth in the provenc of Hamshire. 1, Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA.. ), The Examination of Geo: Burroughs 9.May.1692 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 24 ). Wells: Sept: 28th 1691 p 294. Salem.Aug't 5'th 1692. 92. This category includes civil, church, cemetery, obituary, and other death-related collections. Being askd w[hat] he thought of these things. 2, no. of the afflicted, wo stood behind him. It was an odd trait indeed for a man in a profession that required many quiet hours dedicated to studying that Bible, preparing and giving sermons, and tending to the spiritual needs of his flock.. He had to borrow money for his wife's funeral. Its not clear why Greenlit or the other witness felt compelled to testify against Burroughs long after he had already been tried and executed but it suggests that the community may have begun to doubt Burroughss guilt, particularly after the events of his execution, and Greenlit may have been pressured to testify to provide further proof of this alleged guilt. It is not known why exactly Burroughs was accused but it may have been due to left over resentment from his time as the minister in Salem Village as well as his legal troubles with the Putnam family. He was hanged on 19 August 1692 at Gallows Hill, Salem, Essex . The Salem Witch Trials: A Reference Guide. white calf in his house. above written evidence: is the truth Aug'st 3: 1692 One of the most common complaints these witnesses testified to was rumors of Burroughss super human strength. *Jonathan Corwin { Assis'ts, M[emoran]d[um]. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember George Burroughs. I am a descendant of George Burroughs from his daughter Rebecca Fowle. Nevertheless, Burroughss trial reached its end shortly after and he was promptly found guilty and sentenced to hang later that month. One theory is that she saw her parents killed. Cotton Mather witnessed the event as well. 29. 133: Samuel Wardwell Executed, September 22, 1692, SWP No. *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 Deliberance Hobbs {testimony read Jurat in Curia, ( Withcraft Papers, 11a, Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA., Boston, MA., Boston. Salem Witchcraft. 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 July 1954 . John Pierce and The 46-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest while . [3] As an American Congregational pastor, he graduated from Harvard College in 1670 with distinguished honors, where he was also considered an outstanding athlete. (Reverse) The [examination] 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. Keyzer: declared: to the Jury of Inquest that the evidence: in this paper is the truth upon oath: Aug'st 3 1692 Mercy Lewis. Susan Sheldon. yo'r humble Servant, (Reverse) To Jno Hauthorn Susan Sheldon {affirmed each of them that Eliz. Because the executions took place during a heat wave, the bodies had to be buried immediately in a shallow grave at the execution site to prevent them from rotting. Dr. Andrew Baker, who performed Mr. Floyd's autopsy, said police officers'. He took a job as minister of the Salem Village Church in 1680 and his contract was renewed the next year. Richd.Hanniwell & John Greinslett were then present & some others yt are dead. her, that he had made her set her hand to 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. We will remember him forever. The Salem Witch Trials Victims: Who Were They? 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. Death . knew, Abig: Hobbs Death: August 19, 1692 (37-46) . In the book, Mather said he preferred not to discuss the case at all but was required to include it by the government of Massachusetts Bay Colony. William & Mary by the Grace of God of England Scotland France & Ireland King & Queen defend'rs of the faith &ca He owned that none of his children, but the Eldest She was the youngest of six siblings, and had three sisters, Mary (1644-1695), Sarah (1646-1716), and Hannah (1652-1698), and two brothers, Andrew (1657 . Burroughs denied these accusations, but they were common accusations against him. At his entry into the Room, many (if not Tho Som of us Can Remember of Considerable in the House, besides his Liberary which she Sold and Recd the money for; then Lett it out att Intrest and was afterward Recd by another Husband; and not one farthing bestowed upon any Child but her Own: This being matter of fact we Humbly Leave it with your Honours to Consider wheather of what The Honourable Generall Court allowd &c she have not allredy Recd To much And the Children To Little. 173: Reversal of Attainder and Restitution (1710 - 1750). Stories circulated about him, including many that described his tremendous strength so great that some believed it could not be earthly. In 1674, Burroughs moved to Falmouth, Maine where he served as the pastor at the Falmouth Congregational Church. 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. Susan: Sheldon {& 2 Children did accuse him, The Bewitched were so tortured that Authority Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1968 (indexed) (at Ancestry/requires payment); includes scanned copies of the death certificates Pennsylvania Death Records Indexes, 1906-1972 (index only; free) PDF files; you must search each year separately; for some years surnames are listed by Soundex code; from the Pennsylvania State . *John Partridge feild Mercy Lewis, who lost relatives in one of the attacks on Falmouth, fled to Casco Bay, with a group that included Burroughs and her parents. His failure to baptize his children or to attend communion and the secrecy he seemed to keep did not look well on him. Herrick Dep't Sheriff, ( Essex County Court Archives, Salem, Witchcraft, vol. According to Mathers account of the trial, in September, two witnesses came forward and offered testimony against Burroughs. 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. When he was upon the ladder, he made a speech for the clearing of his innocency, with such solemn and serious expressions, as were to the admiration of all present: his prayer (which he concluded by repeating the Lords prayer) was so well worded, and uttered with such composedness, and such (at least seeming) fervency of spirit, as was very affecting, and drew tears from many, so that it seemed to some that the spectators would hinder the execution. 098: Mary Parker Executed, September 22, 1692, SWP No. As Baker suggests, although the issue was quickly settled, the arrest may have left a bad impression on the Salem villagers and may have set Burroughs up for further trouble in the community. 25 Duncan Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, M.A. Burroughs was born in Suffolk, England in 1652 and migrated to the settlement of Roxbury in the Massachusetts Bay Colony with his mother when he was a child, although some sources say he first lived in Virginia before moving to Roxbury. The accusers said the black man [Devil] stood and dictated to him. 8, Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA. ), Province of the Mattathusets Bay in New EnglandThe deposition of Thomas Greinslitt aged about forty years Testfieth. Due to Burroughss role as a religious leader, it was theorized that he was recruited by the Devil so he could use his influence to convince his parishioners to become witches. ), Mary Webber wid aged aboute 53 years Testifieth and sayth that she liveing at Casco Bay aboute six or seaven years agoe, when George Burroughs was Minester at s'd place, and liveing anner -- Neighbour to s'd Burroughs , was well acquainted with his wife w'ch was dauter 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 soe desired mee to wright to her father that he would be pleased to send for her and told mee she had beene much affrighted, and that something in the night made anoise in the chamber where she lay as if one Went aboute the Chamber, and she calling up the negro. 27. Jurat in Curia, wee whose names are under writen being present with Ann putnam att the time above mentioned hard hir declare what is above writen what she said she saw and hard from the Apperishtion of Mr. George Burroughs : and allso beheld hir tortors:and perceived her hellish temtations by hir loud out cries I will not I will not writ tho you torment al days of my life:and being conversant with hir ever sence have seen hir tortored and complaining that Mr. Burroughs hirt hir.and tempts hir to writ in his Book [4] He became the minister of Salem Village (now Danvers) in 1680 (where he would eventually be convicted of witchcraft and hanged). then we come into the house of left Ingersoll and I went into the great Roome and abigle come in and said ther he stands I said wher wher and presently draed my rapyer but he emmedetly was gon as she said then said she ther is a gray catt then i said wher abouts doth she stand ther s'd she ther than I struck # [with] with my rapyer then she fell in afitt and when it was over she said you kild hur and immedetly Sary good come and carrid hur away this was about 12 a clock At some point during this time period, Burroughss second wife, Sarah, died and Burroughs remarried again. 107: John Proctor Executed, August 19, 1692, SWP No. Thanks for writing it. 4. The unhappy animosities arising from this source entirely demoralized the Society, and, besides making it otherwise very uncomfortable to a minister, led to a neglect and derangement of all financial affairs. ), The deposistion of Tho. He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Lorraine (Turnbull); his daughter, Nancy; special sons . George Burroughs. Robert Calef later said that he had been buried so poorly that his chin and hand protruded from the ground. Three years later, on June 22, 2008, George once again experienced heart failure and passed away at . George Burroughs and the Salem Witch Trials." After most humble and hearty thanks presented to your Honors for the great care and pains you have already taken for us, for which we are never able to make you recompense (and we believe you do not expect it of us; therefore a full reward will be given you of the Lord God of Israel, whose cause and interest you have espoused, and we trust this shall add to your crown of glory in the day of the Lord Jesus); and we, beholding continually the tremendous works of divine providence -- not only every day but every hour -- thought it our duty to inform your Honors of what we conceive you have not heard, which are high and dreadful: of a wheel within a wheel, at which our ears do tingle.