Andover Bewitched: Andover's Accused Witches (Part I)

Why were so many people accused of witchcraft in Andover? And who were they?

Why were there so many people accused of witchcraft in Andover?  Part of the reason was the massive town-wide “touch test,” a search for possible witches, which brought accusations against 18 people.  Another reason for the spread in Andover was the ways that accusations spread through families, drawing everyone into the fear-driven frenzy. 

Today’s article is a working list of all those accused in Andover, which I’ll continue in installments in the weeks to come. For a narrative intro to the 1692 witch trials, read the first “Andover Bewitched” entry.

From the first accusations of witchcraft onward, the hysteria spread like a disease across the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  Again and again, it’s clear that the courts used members of the same family to strengthen cases against the accused.  They arrested children and put them through the grueling trial and imprisonment process, often drawing out accusations against their parents or other family members.  

Martha Carrier and her children were the first accused…

Andover’s most famous accused witch, Martha (Allen) Carrier was the first person from Andover accused and imprisoned for witchcraft on May 28, 1692. She was accused by Joseph Houlton and John Walcott, but many people served as witnesses against her. She was found guilty and was executed on August 19, 1692.  But Martha’s troubles didn’t end with her.¹  

Martha’s children were arrested too: Richard Carrier, age 18 and Andrew Carrier, age 15, were arrested on July 21, 1692. Thomas Carrier Jr., age 10, and Sarah Carrier, age 7, were examined in early August, just before Martha’s trial.  Sarah and Thomas, led by the courts, confessed to witchcraft, adding to the accusations against their mother.²

The Barker Cousins were accused in September…

Abigail (Wheeler) Barker was accused of witchcraft on September 8 during the Andover Touch Test.  Rose Foster and Ralph Farnum were her formal accusers.  Abigail was arrested and tried, and declared not guilty on January 6, 1693.³

Mary Barker was accused of practicing witchcraft on August 25, and arrested on August 29. Her accusers, Samuel Martin and Moses Tyler, pointed fingers at many people in town over the course of 1692.⁴ Mary Barker was only 13 when she was arrested. 

Mary’s first cousin William Barker Jr. was accused and arrested a few days later, on September 1.  He was only one year older than Mary, age 14.  William Barker Jr. and Mary Barker were later declared not guilty in early 1693, and married in 1704.⁵

William Barker Sr. was also accused by Samuel Martin and Moses Tyler on August 25. He was arrested on August 29 with young Mary Barker. He confessed to witchcraft and was indicted, but fled from prison in late September 1692.

Reverend Francis Dane’s family took the fall for him…

Reverend Francis Dane already had a bad reputation around town after struggling with the town magistrate over his salary, and because he was outspoken against the witch trials.  Read more of his story here. 

Deliverance (Haseltine) Dane was married to Francis Dane’s son. She was accused of witchcraft on September 7 and arrested; during her trials, she accused Francis Dane.  Thankfully, her testimony was ignored.  Deliverance was imprisoned for 13 weeks.⁶

A man enslaved by Deliverance and Nathaniel Dane, who was unnamed in the court records, was also arrested with Deliverance and brought to trial.  

First, Dane’s daughter Abigail was accused…

Abigail (Dane) Faulkner was the daughter of Reverend Francis Dane.  She was charged with witchcraft on August 11, accused of afflicting Sarah Phelps. Abigail was convicted and sentenced to death, but escaped execution because she was pregnant at the time. The baby, Ammi Ruhamah, was born in early 1693, after Abigail was released from prison.⁷

Abigail Faulkner Jr. and Dorothy Faulkner, ages 9 and 12 respectively, were arrested on September 7, 1692.  Both daughters were coerced into accusing their mother of practicing witchcraft.  They were eventually released from prison and both children’s names were later cleared.⁸

Then, Dane’s other daughter, Elizabeth took the fall…

Elizabeth (Dane) Johnson, daughter of Reverend Francis Dane, was accused of witchcraft in late August 1692, arrested, and brought to trial.  Her accusers were Samuel Martin and Moses Tyler. Reverend Francis Dane spoke on her behalf; in January 1693, Elizabeth was found not guilty.

Two of Elizabeth’s children, Abigail Johnson, age 10, and Stephen Johnson, age 13, were arrested in mid-to-late August, but were later found not guilty and released.

Another of Elizabeth Dane Johnson’s children, Elizabeth Johnson Jr., age 22, was arrested.  She was found guilty of witchcraft in January and condemned to death.  But the Governor stepped in and saved Elizabeth Jr. and several other condemned women, stemming the last of the hysteria.⁹

The list this week (age marked at date of accusation):

1. Abigail (Wheeler) Barker, confessed, found not guilty

2. Mary Barker (age 13), confessed, found not guilty

3. William Barker Jr. (age 14), confessed, found not guilty

4. William Barker Sr. (age 46), confessed, found not guilty

5. Martha (Allen) Carrier (age 50), executed August 19, 1692

6. Richard Carrier (age 18), confessed, found not guilty

7. Andrew Carrier (age 13), confessed, found not guilty

8. Thomas Carrier Jr. (age 10), confessed, released on bail

9. Sarah Carrier (age 7), confessed, released on bail

10. Deliverance (Haseltine) Dane (age 41), confessed, found not guilty

11. An enslaved man in the Dane household, arrested

12. Abigail (Dane) Faulkner (age 40), convicted, escaped due to pregnancy

13. Abigail Faulkner Jr. (age 8), confessed, released on bail

14. Dorothy Faulkner (age 10), confessed, released on bail

15. Elizabeth (Dane) Johnson, confessed, found not guilty

16. Abigail Johnson (age 11), confessed, released on bail

17. Stephen Johnson, (age 13), released on bail

18. Elizabeth Johnson Jr. (age 22), convicted, escaped due to Governor Phipps’ edict

---

Thank you for reading! Tune into our next edition of Andover Bewitched for the Bridges, the Posts, the Wardwells, and the Laceys!

I’m excited to hear from you, so if you have any questions or if there’s any aspect of the trials you’d like to learn more about, leave a comment.

Plus, click here to open a free Substack account, so you can like, share, and comment.

— Toni

1. Record of the Trial of Abigail Barker, Salem Witch Trials Archive, University of Virginia.

2. Enders Anthony Robinson, Genealogy of Andover Witch Families, (Goose Pond Press, 2017): 101-103.

3. Robinson, Genealogy of Andover Witch Families, 111-112.

4. Juliet Haines Mofford, Andover Massachusetts: Selections from Four Centuries (Merrimack Valley Preservation Press, 2004): 31-32.

5. Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege (Taylor Trade Publishing, 2002): 233.

6. Petition for Restitution of Nathaniel Dane for Deliverance Dane, Salem Witch Trials Archive.

7. Genealogy of Andover Witch Families, 139-141.

8. Andover Witchcraft Genealogy, 135.

9. Genealogy of Andover Witch Families, 147.