# data[].attributes.body
After reading excerpts from Mather about the Salem Witch Trials, I found the information about Susanna Martin’s trial interesting. I was drawn to this specific trial after reading the accounts of those who accused her. Though the actions she was accused of sound torturous (and insane), she was mostly ridiculed for her demeanor and lack of femininity. I’ll be explaining her background and trial using media that I hope will simplify her story. I will also include research about The Salem Witch Trials through a feminist lens.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Life Story of Susannah Martin - 1692 Salem Witch Trials Victim

# data[].attributes.body
In 1692, 8 young girls suffered from unexplained psychological related illnesses, causing mass hysteria in Salem. The conclusion was that the girls were "bewitched". Susanna Martin was accused three times and found guilty and sentenced to death.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Witch Hysteria in the Puritan World

When the devil was thought to be behind every misfortune, it isn't difficult to understand the witch hysteria taking shape in the repressive, Puritan society of Salem, Massachusetts.

January 1692
The troubles began in January, 1692 when eight young girls in Salem Village (now Danvers, MA) became ill. The girls suffered from convulsions, delirium and developed strange skin afflictions. The townspeople of Salem desperately searched for an explanation. Their conclusion was the girls were being bewitched. And then the finger pointing began.

Susannah (North) Martin
Susannah (North) Martin was born in England about 1621, the daughter of Richard and Joan (Bartram) North. Susannah was living in Salisbury, Massachusetts in 1646 when she married widower, blacksmith George Martin, with whom she would have eight children. Later, they came to live in the new town of Amesbury, Mass.

Accused of Being a Witch Three Times
The contentious Susannah was accused of being a witch on three different occasions; first in 1661, and later in 1669. When the Salem witch hysteria broke out in 1692, it was inevitable that she was again accused. By this time her neighbors were so upset with her because she was outspoken, she had a temper and she did not care what people thought of her.

Arrested May 1692
Susannah was arrested on May 2, 1692. She proclaimed her innocence throughout, but at the trial's end, Susannah Martin, age 71, was found guilty and sentenced to hang on Gallows Hill in Salem Village on July 19, 1692 along with Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Wildes.

The Ergot Poison Theory
In recent years, another theory has been presented that the bewitched accusers of Salem had in fact suffered hallucinations and other bizarre symptoms cause by 'Ergot' poisoning, a fungus affecting the rye crops. Ergot poisoning can't explain all of the events that happen in Salem in 1692. Some of the behavior exhibited by the accusers probably was the result of mass hysteria. Others point to revenge and even fraud, as some of these women owned valuable property.

Pressed to Death
When it was over, nineteen men and women were hanged and one man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death with rocks. Four others died in jail awaiting trial. By May 1693, all the people accused of witchcraft that were still jailed were released, but only after jail and court costs were paid. This finally put an end to the hysteria of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, but not with its fascination.

Susannah Martin's Cradle on Display

Displayed at the Macy-Colby House is the wooden cradle that belonged to Susannah Martin (1621-1692). She and her husband George were among the first settlers of Amesbury, Massachusetts.

The 17th-century witch hysteria only lasted about a year, but our fascination into this grim period of New England's history continues to this day.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Susannah Martin & The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 | The Witch Hysteria In The Puritan World

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When the devil was thought to be behind every misfortune, it isn't difficult to understand the witch hysteria taking shape in the repressive, Puritan society of Salem, Massachusetts. January 1692 The troubles began in January, 1692 when eight young girls in Salem Village (now Danvers, MA) became ill.

# data[].attributes.body
Scrolling down you'll see an account from John Atikson, he explains how a deal made with her son went terribly. Though I'm sure the actions accused were exaggerations, it's interesting to note how her bad attitude is one of the reasons she's being accused.

# data[].attributes.body
Had 8 children, widowed in 1686

6 unsuccessful lawsuits to inherit father’s estate (left poor)

30 years of gossip and accusations involving witchcraft

Described as one of the most, “impudent, Scurrilous, wicked creatures in the world”

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Susannah Martin House Marker | Salem Witch Museum

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A stone with a historical marker embossed in it currently occupies the space where Susannah Martin’s house once stood. Although the location of the marker is in present day Amesbury, MA (about 20 miles from then Salem Village), Susannah was accused of practicing witchcraft, tried, and hanged. Her re…

# data[].attributes.body
“Let Goody Martin rest in peace, I never knew her harm a fly,
And witch or not – God knows – not I?
I know who swore her life away;
And as God lives, I’d not condemn
An Indian dog on word of them.”

# data[].attributes.body
Giving birth and killing illegitimate baby (husband sued accuser for slander)

Having a “witch mark” (physically examined against her will)

Bewitching people and livestock

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Susannah North Martin was one of a handful of accused witches during the Salem Witch Trials who did not actually live in Salem.

Born in 1621 in Buckinghamshire, England to Richard and Joan North, Susannah relocated with her father and stepmother to the Massachusetts Bay Colony and settled in Salisbury, Massachusetts in 1639.

Susannah Martin's Early Life:

The North family were some of the first settlers of Salisbury, which is located 40 miles north of Boston. The family lived with the other settlers on plots along the "circular road," now known as the triangle formation of Elm street, School street and Bridge road in Salisbury square. At the time, the area was inhabited by Penacook Native Americans, wolves and wild animals.

After Susannah grew up, she married a blacksmith from Salisbury named George Martin in 1646 and eventually gave birth to eight children. In 1654, George and Susannah moved to nearby Amesbury.

Much like the other accused witches, Susannah was also viewed by others as a troublemaker and her name appears numerous times in court records prior to the Salem Witch Trials.

Like Bridget Bishop, Susannah had also been accused of witchcraft twice before 1692. During her first witchcraft case, she was accused by William Browne of tormenting his wife Elizabeth with her spirit. After her arrest, Susannah was released on bail and the charges were eventually dropped.

She was accused again in 1669, this time by William Sargent Jr, who also said he witnessed Susannah give birth to and kill an illegitimate baby.

Susannah posted bail, promising to return to court for her trial but, again, the charges were dropped. Her husband, George, later sued Sargent for slander.

The court held Sargent libel for slander in accusing Susannah of fornication and infanticide but allowed the witchcraft accusations. The charges were later dismissed.

After several failed court battles to inherit the bulk of her father's estate in 1671 and with the death of her husband in 1686, Susannah was left a poor, defenseless widow.

Susannah Martin & the Salem Witch Trials:

When Susannah was accused of witchcraft for the final time in 1692, she had no one to come to her rescue. According to Susannah's arrest warrant, she was accused by the afflicted Salem village girls: Mary Walcott, Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam, Jr., and Mercy Lewis.

Since they lived in different villages, it is not known how these girls knew Susannah, but it is possible they heard about her bad reputation from others and made the decision to accuse her.

After her arrest in Amesbury on May 2, Susannah was brought to Salem Village where she was questioned by Judge John Hathorne and Judge Jonathan Corwin and twice underwent a humiliating physical examination in an effort to find a witch's teat that prosecutors believed witches used to feed their familiars.

No such witch mark was found but the examiner did make a note that "in the morning her nipples were found to be full as if the milk would come," but later in the day "her breasts were slack, as if milk had already been given to someone or something."

Although most of the court records from her trial were lost, Cotton Mather, a well known minister at the time, personally documented her trial:

"[Magistrate] (to the afflicted girls): Do you know this Woman?
[Abigail Williams]: It is Goody Martin she hath hurt me often.
Others by fits were hindered from speaking. Eliz: Hubbard said she hath not been hurt by her. John Indian said he hath not seen her Mercy Lewes pointed to her & fell into a little fit. Ann Putman threw her Glove in a fit at her. The examinant laught.
[Magistrate] (To Martin): What do you laugh at it?
[Martin]: Well I may at such folly.
[Magistrate]: Is this folly? The hurt of these persons.
[Martin]: I never hurt man woman or child.
[Mercy Lewes]: She hath hurt me a great many times, & pulls me down
Then Martin laughed again
[ Mary Walcott]: This woman hath hurt me a great many times.
Susan Sheldon also accused her of afflicting her.
[Magistrate] (To Martin): What do you say to this?
[Martin]: I have no hand in Witchcraft.
[Magistrate]: What did you do? Did not you give your consent?
[Martin]: No, never in my life.
[Magistrate]: What ails this people?
[Martin]: I do not know.
[Magistrate]: But w't do you think?
[Martin]: I do not desire to spend my judgm't upon it.
[Magistrate]: Do not you think they are Bewitcht?
[Martin]: No. I do not think they are
[Magistrate]: Tell me your thoughts about them.
[Martin]:Why my thoughts are my own, when they are in, but when they are out they are anothers."

Despite the lack of evidence against her, Susannah was found guilty of witchcraft and hanged at Proctor's Ledge near Gallows Hill on July 19 along with Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, and Sarah Wildes.

She was buried in a shallow grave near the execution site with the other victims but because the exact location of the executions has never been found, it is not known where her body currently lies.

In 1857, the poet John Greenleaf Whittier, who was a direct descendant of Susannah Martin, honored Susannah in a poem titled The Witch's Daughter:

"Let Goody Martin rest in peace, I never knew her harm a fly,
And witch or not - God knows - not I?
I know who swore her life away;
And as God lives, I'd not condemn
An Indian dog on word of them."

Residents of the town of Amesbury later placed a stone marker near Susannah and George Martin's home that read:

"Here stood the house of Susannah Martin. An honest, hardworking Christian woman accused of being a witch and executed at Salem, July 19, 1692. She will be missed! A Martyr of Superstition. T.I.A. 1894"

In 1711, the Massachusetts legislature passed a resolution clearing the names of the convicted witches and offered financial restitution to their descendants. Susannah Martin's family did not wish to be named in the law and did not seek restitution.

In 1957, the Massachusetts legislature formally apologized to the victims of the Salem Witch Trials but did not specifically mention any of the victims by name.

In 1992, the Salem Witch Trials Memorial was built in Salem, Mass and a marker was established for Susannah Martin.

In 2001, the Massachusetts legislature passed a resolution officially exonerating five of the victims not mentioned in the previous resolutions: Susannah Martin, Bridget Bishop, Alice Parker, Wilmot Redd and Margaret Scott.

In 2017, the Proctor's Ledge Memorial was built in Salem, Mass and a marker was established for Susannah Martin.

Susannah Martin Historical Sites:

Salem Witch Trials Memorial
Address: Liberty Street, Salem Mass

Proctor's Ledge Memorial
Address: 7 Pope Street, Salem, Mass

Site of the Salem Witch Trials Executions
Address: Proctor's Ledge, wooded area between Proctor Street and Pope Street, Salem, Mass

Former Site of the Salem Courthouse
Address: Washington Street (about 100 feet south of Lynde Street), opposite the Masonic Temple, Salem, Mass. Memorial plaque located on Masonic Temple.

Former Site of Susannah Martin's house
Address: end of North Martin Road, Amesbury, Mass. A large boulder with a memorial plaque marks the spot of Martin's house.

Sources:
"Massachusetts Clears 5 from Salem Witch Trials." New York Times, The New York Times Company, 2 Nov. 2001, www.nytimes.com/2001/11/02/us/massachusetts-clears-5-from-salem-witch-trials.html
"Susannah Martin Executed July 19, 1692." Salem Witchcraft Papers, Volume 2: Verbatim Transcripts of the Legal Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Outbreak of 1692, University of Virginia, salem.lib.virginia.edu/texts/tei/BoySal2R?div_id=n92
"Salem Witch Trials Chronology" Salem Massachusetts, www.salemweb.com/memorial/chronology.shtml
Goss, David K. The Salem Witch Trials: A Reference Guide. Greenwood Press, 2008.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Susannah North Martin was one of a handful of accused witches during the Salem Witch Trials who did not actually live in Salem. Born in 1621 in Buckinghamshire, England to Richard and Joan North, Susannah relocated with her father and stepmother to the Massachusetts Bay Colony and settled in Salisbury, Massachusetts in 1639.

# data[].attributes.body
I found this article on the Salem Witch Trials through a feminist lens and wanted to include it. It discusses gender norms in and how many of the women accused of witchcraft were said to be, " behaving in a manner not befitting of Puritanical society".

A line that stuck out to me: "] The women in Salem were indoctrinated into believing this myth that honour is contingent with maternal and feminine qualities, a classic illustration of the control exercised over women by the established order of the time, in an attempt to subdue them, for fear of their own position and standing in the community being compromised."