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I chose to focus in on Susanna Martin, because she is the victim in the Cotton Mathers text. Cotton Mather depicts her as an evil wicked witch. After doing some research, I found out that in reality she is just a Christian woman who got into arguments with her neighbors. She had to fight the witch allegations for almost 30 years, before they finally convicted her and hung her. Although the rumors surrounded her for 30 years, she was not convicted until after she became a widow. Widows and single women were often targeted due to the misogyny of the men in charge. Married women were seen as property of their husbands. The men in town did not make legal accusations of "witchcraft", until after her husbands' passing, likely out of respect for him.

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On April 30 of that year, Thomas Putnam and Jonathan Walcott swore a complaint against Goody Martin. Martin was accused by Mary Walcott, Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam Jr., and Mercy Lewis. Amesbury constable Orlando Bagley escorted Goody Martin the 20 miles to Salem Village, where she was examined on May 2, and subsequently jailed in Boston. On May 31, she was transported from Boston Jail to Salem Town to await her trial. She was tried and convicted on June 29 and sentenced to death. She was hanged on July 19 on Proctor's Ledge at Gallows Hill.

Cotton Mather, who observed her trial, called Susannah Martin one of the most "impudent, Scurrilous, wicked creatures in the world." The marker, however, states that she was an honest, hard-working Christian woman, and was "a Martyr of Superstition."

How did a widow of approximately 70 who lived some 20 miles from Salem Village get caught up in the witchcraft accusations? By all reports, her reputation made her a prime target. Long suspected of practicing witchcraft, and a victim of decades of gossip, she was no stranger to altercations with her neighbors.

Born Susannah North in England in 1621, she moved with her family to Salisbury, MA when she was 18. In 1646, at the age of 25, she married widower George Martin and they lived west of the Powow River. In 1654, the area separated from Salisbury and became Amesbury, Massachusetts. The Martins were two of the earliest residents of Amesbury, which would be officially incorporated in 1668. In total, the couple had eight children. Susannah was left a poor widow in 1686 when George Martin died.

Forthright and argumentative, Goody Martin's past included six unsuccessful lawsuits to inherit her father's estate. She had appeared in court as a defendant numerous times for a variety of offenses, including calling one neighbor a liar and a thief. She was accused of witchcraft on two occasions before 1692, with the charges eventually dropped.

Thirty years of gossip and accusations had hardened Martin. She laughed at her accusers during her examination, treating them with contempt. Skeptical of the witch hunt, when asked if she had compassion for the afflicted, clear-eyed Martin replied, "No. I have none."

At her June trial, at least nine (some suggest as many as 24) neighbors traveled to Salem to testify against Martin. Among the personal grievances harbored over the years were claims that she had caused one man's oxen to drown themselves, her specter had stalked a farm hand, she had bitten another man's hand, she had driven a neighbor mad, and she had been seen at witch meetings. Her reply? "I have led a most virtuous and holy life."

Additional note: Poet John Greenleaf Whittier imagined the life of Susannah's daughter in his 1874 poem "Mabel Martin."

"Let Goody Martin rest in peace, I never knew her harm a fly."

It is thought that when the Amesbury-Salisbury section of Route 495 was completed in 1967, it likely covered the location of the George and Susannah Martin homestead. In fact, today, 495 splits Martin Road in two, with North Martin Road to the northwest and South Martin Road to the southeast. According to Joseph Merrill in his 1880 work, History of Amesbury, "...[George Martin] removed to the west side of Ring's hill on the old Hunt's Lane, where he lived until his death."
The marker for Susannah Martin is located at the end of North Martin Road, which intersects with Route 110 approximately one-half mile west of the intersection of Routes 110 and 150.

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Susannah Martin House Marker | Salem Witch Museum

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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.

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"Thirty years of gossip and accusations had hardened Martin. She laughed at her accusers during her examination, treating them with contempt. Skeptical of the witch hunt, when asked if she had compassion for the afflicted, clear-eyed Martin replied, 'No. I have none.'" (Salem Witch Museum).

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What really happened during the Salem Witch Trials - Brian A. Pavlac

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"There are Presumptions, which do at least probably and conjecturally note one to be a Witch. These give occasion to Examine, yet they are no sufficient Causes of Conviction" (Mather, 1).

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"Magistrate: Well what have you done towards this?
Martin: Nothing at all." (Mather, 5).

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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.

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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.

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"Her chief plea was that she had led a most virtuous and holy life" (Mather, 9).