Imagine yourself living in 1688. In the small community of Salem, Massachusetts, a 13 year old girl accuses the family laundress, Goody Glover, as being a witch. Glover is hanged. The result of that action leads other young girls in the community to begin accusing others of bewitching. The ring leaders are Abigail Williams, 11, and Elizabeth Parris, 9. Other girls follow suit, claiming to see the “specter” of certain people committing atrocious crimes. Eventually, even a man, Giles Corey, is accused of being a “wizard” and is crushed to death with stones. The year 1692 was not a good one for Salem. In all, nineteen women were executed by hanging, and others imprisoned and when the madness was over, released. Still more of the accused died in prison.
One of the first accused and sentenced was Sarah Good. Written accounts portray her as unpleasant, disheveled, idle and lazy. The truth of the matter is that she had lost her father to suicide by drowning and her first husband, Daniel Poole, an indentured servant, died in 1686, leaving debts that fell to her second husband, William Good, to pay. The family had resorted to begging door-to-door. Reportedly, when they received no alms, Mrs. Good would mutter under her breath, words that the townspeople took for curses.
Although she looked much older, Sarah Good was only 39 years old (note: accounts of her birth year vary from either 1653 or 1655). She was the mother of a small child (some accounts say her daughter was four years old, while others say that Dorcas was six). Hauled off to prison after being denounced by her own daughter, the court received additional damning testimony from her own husband that she was not “good.” She was pregnant, but sent to prison anyhow, and her infant child died there. Dorcas was also put in prison and wasn’t quite “right” the rest of her life.
Sarah was arrested on February 29, 1692 and thrown into prison. The first day of trials in 1692 was scheduled for June 29, and Sarah, along with four other women were sentenced to die. On July 19, 1692, this sentence was carried out. Later, William Good would receive one of the highest amounts granted, in payment for his wife being unjustly taken from him.
“Old Witch House” quilt block, as re-interpreted by Patricia Cummings (in needleturn appliqué)
Fast forward to the early 1930s. While visiting Salem, Massachusetts, Ellen Webster enters the Corwin House, the former home of Magistrate Jonathan Corwin who sentenced Sarah Good to die. During the Great Depression, the upper floors were rented out to dealers of antiques. One of the antique quilts that Mrs. Webster saw there had a tag on it that said that the quilt had been found in the “Old Witch House” – “The witch was Sarah Good and the house was Jonathan Corwins’, corner of Essex and North Streets.”
Read more about this block in my e-book and see the design that Mrs. Webster re-created! (I’ve added borders to mine). Is this block believable as one made in 1692? I have my own opinions. What is yours?
To read more fascinating stories, please consider acquiring a copy of my e-book, Ellen Emeline (Hardy) Webster (1867-1950): Her Amazing Quilt “Charts,” Her Writings, and Her Life by Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings and James Cummings. See our home page for details. Comments? Questions? Please write to us at: pat@quiltersmuse.com
