Alse Young

Alse Young (sometimes cited as Achsah Young or Alice Young) (b. cal 1600) (died May 26, 1647) of Windsor, Connecticut, was the first person in the records executed for witchcraft in the thirteen American colonies.

Very little is recorded of Alse Young; her existence is only known through her reputation as a witch. She is believed to have been the wife of John Young, who bought a small parcel of land in Windsor in 1641, sold it in 1649, and then disappeared from the town records. She had a daughter, Alice Young Beamon, who would be accused of witchcraft in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts, some 30 years later. Like many similar cases of witchcraft, Alse Young was a woman without a son when the accusation was lodged, which implied that she would be eligible to receive through inheritance her husband's estate.

There is no further record of Young's trial or the specifics of the charge, only that Alse Young was a woman. Early historical record hints at the possibility that there may have been some sort of epidemic in the town of Windsor in early 1647. Alse Young was hanged at the Meeting House Square in Hartford, Connecticut, on what is now the site of the Old State House. A journal of then Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor John Winthrop states that "One... of Windsor arraigned and executed at Hartford for a witch." [1] The second town clerk of Windsor, Matthew Grant also confirms the execution with the May 26, 1647 diary entry, "Alse Young was hanged."

In 1642, witchcraft became punishable by death in the Connecticut Colony. This capital offense was backed by references to the King James version of the Bible: Exodus (22:18) says, Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. And Leviticus (20:27) says, A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood (shall be) upon them. In Connecticut, witchcraft was last listed as a capital crime in 1715. The crime of witchcraft disappeared from the list of capital crimes when the laws were next issued in 1750.

See also Capital punishment in Connecticut Capital punishment in the United States List of individuals executed in Connecticut References ^ John Winthrop, Journal: 1630-49, ed. James K. Hosmer (New York, 1908), II, 323. David D. Hall, (editor), Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth Century New England, Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1999, ISBN 1-55553-416-3 John Winthrop, Journal: 1630-49, ed. James K. Hosmer (New York, 1908), II, 323. External links Alse Young (1647): First American Execution for Witchcraft PersondataNAMEYoung, AlseALTERNATIVE NAMESYoung, Achsah; Young, Alice (alternate citations)SHORT DESCRIPTIONFirst person in the records executed for witchcraft in the American coloniesDATE OF BIRTHN/APLACE OF BIRTHN/ADATE OF DEATHMay 26, 1647PLACE OF DEATHHartford, Connecticut

Alse Young was hanged at the Meeting House Square in Hartford, Connecticut, the current site of the Old State House.

On this Day: Alse Young Hanged for Witchcraft in Connecticut May 26, 2008 12:00 PM by findingDulcinea Staff On May 26, 1642, Young became the first person executed for witchcraft in America, setting off a wave of witch hysteria.

This case has presented formidable problems for witchcraft scholars. The Alice Young in question is not mentioned elsewhere in the documentary record of early New England. It seems probably that she was the wife of one John Young, whose lands at Windsor were recorded as early as 1640. The same man sold all his holdings in Windsor in 1649 - perhaps as part of the removal from the town, following the execution of his wife. A John Young subsequently appears in the records of Stratford; dying there in 1661, he left a modest estate (including "carpentry tools") and no specific heirs. Very probably, however he and his wife had raised at least one child - a second Alice Young, recorded as marrying Simon Beamon at Springfield on December 15, 1654. The line of connection to the Windsor "witch" is suggested by the following facts. (1) The children born to Simon Beamon included both a John and an Alice (as it was customary to name children after grandparents.) (2) There is no other Young mentioned in any seventeenth-century records at Springfield (imploying a place of origin, for Alice Young Beamon, outside of the immediate area.) (3) Two Beamon children seem, when grown to have married Windsor residents, and one of them settled there. (4) Years later (1677) Thomas Beamon, son of Alice [Young] Beamon sued another man for slander - specifically, for saying that "his mother was a witch, and he looked like one." (Was not the unsaid presumption here "like mother, like daughter"?) Admitting the speculative nature of these conjectures, a rough profile of the first New England with can now be sketched. She was a married woman, probably no younger than forty nor older than fifty-five, with at least one child (aged between ten and twenty at the time of the mother's death.) Her husband was a humble sort, perhaps a carpenter by trade. They had lived in Windsor for at least seven years before her trial and conviction. On John Young, see Tow Records, Windsor, Conn. (manuscript copy, made in 1722-23, at the Connecticut State Library, Harford), I, 9, 16, 20, 44, 88, 107, 112; Connecticut Probates, file no 6313 (manuscript record, at the Connecticut State Library, Harford) Records of the Particular Court of Connecticut, 1639-1663, 244-46. On Simon and Alice [Young] Beamon, see Mary Walton Ferris, ed., Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines, 2 vols. (1931, no place given,) II 105ff.; Hampshire County Probate Records, I, leaf 1821 (manuscript record at Registry of Probate, Northampton, Mass.)

from a book Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England by John Putnam Demos

Edition: reprint, illustrated Published by Oxford University Press US, 1983 ISBN 0195033787, 9780195033786 In the first edition of the Bancroft Prize-winning Entertaining Satan, John Putnam Demos presented an entirely new perspective on American witchcraft. By investigating the surviving historical documents of over a hundred actual witchcraft cases, he vividly recreated the world of New England during the witchcraft trials and brought to light fascinating information on the role of witchcraft in early American culture. Now Demos has revisited his original work and updated it to illustrate why these early Americans' strange views on witchcraft still matter to us today. He provides a new Preface that puts forth a broader overview of witchcraft and looks at its place around the world--from ancient times right up to the present.

In 1642 witchcraft was punishable by death in Connecticut. This capital offense was backed by references to the Bible, i.e., Ex: 22, 18; Lev: 20, 27; Deu: 18, 10, 11. Alse Young (sometimes also referred to as Achsah or Alice) of Windsor, Connecticut was the first person executed for witchcraft in America. Alse was hanged at Meeting House Square in Hartford on what is now the site of the Old State House. A journal of then Massachusetts Governor John Winthrop states that "One of Windsor was hanged." The second town clerk of Windsor, Matthew Grant also confirms the execution with the May 26, 1647 diary entry, "Alse Young was hanged." http://www.jud.ct.gov/LawLib/History/witches.htm

1647 Alse Young, a widow,[actually she was not a widow] hanged for witchcraft in Hartford, Connecticut. Hers was the first trial and execution expressly for witchcraft in the colonies. Her daughter Alice was accused of witchcraft 30 years later, in MA

http://www.thelizlibrary.org/site-index/site-index- frame.html#soulhttp://www.thelizlibrary.org/brett/brett008.htm

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The first execution in the US, by hanging, was Alse Younge on May 26, 1647.

From the web:

The most common form of execution was hanging. Admittedly, burning was important in many of these cases also, since to further protect against any malevolence from the dead witch, authorities often burned the remains afterward.

A notoriously common myth is that the alleged witches at Salem in colonial Massachusetts were burned. All of the convicted during the Salem Witch Hunt in 1692 died by hanging. Others died by natural causes before conviction or execution, and Giles Corey was pressed to death. In fact, no witches were executed by burning in the English colonies of North America. English law did not permit it. However, in Europe witchcraft was considered heresy and punishable by burning at the stake.

Alse Young (sometimes cited as Achsah Young or Alice Young) (d. May 26, 1647) of Windsor, Connecticut, was the first person in the records executed for witchcraft in the thirteen American colonies. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 574 pixels Full resolution (924 × 663 pixel, file size: 121 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photograph of the Old State House, Hartford, Connecticut (built 1796, photograph taken 1937). ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 574 pixels Full resolution (924 × 663 pixel, file size: 121 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photograph of the Old State House, Hartford, Connecticut (built 1796, photograph taken 1937). ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1647 (MDCXLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Motto: First in State, First in Service Location in Hartford County, Connecticut Coordinates: NECTA Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford Region Capitol Region Settled 1633 Named 1637 Government - Type Council-manager[1] - Town manager Peter Souza - Town council Donald S. Trinks, Mayor; Timothy Curtis, Deputy Mayor; Robert B. Gegetskas II; William... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... In 1775, the British claimed authority over the red and pink areas on this map and Spain ruled the orange. ...

Very little is known about Alse Young; her existence is only known through her reputation as a witch. She is believed to have been the wife of John Young, who bought a small parcel of land in Windsor in 1641, sold it in 1649, and then disappeared from the town records. She was the mother of a daughter, Alice Young Beamon, who would be accused of withcraft in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts, some 30 years later. Like many similar cases of witchcraft, Alse Young was a woman without a son when the accusation was lodged, which implied that she would be eligible to receive through inheritance her husband's estate. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Nickname: City of Homes Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Hampden County Settled 1636 Incorporated 1636 Government - Type Mayor-council city - Mayor Charles Ryan (D) Area - City 33. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

There is no further record of Young's trial or the specifics of the charge, only that Alse Young was a woman. Early historical record hints at the possibility that there may have been some sort of epidemic in the town of Windsor in early 1647. Alse Young was hanged at the Meeting House Square in Hartford, Connecticut, on what is now the site of the Old State House. A journal of then Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor John Winthrop states that "One of Windsor was hanged." The second town clerk of Windsor, Matthew Grant also confirms the execution with the May 26, 1647 diary entry, "Alse Young was hanged." Hanging is the suspension of a person by a ligature, usually a cord wrapped around the neck, causing death. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Old State House, Hartford, Connecticut. ... A map of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. ... John Winthrop (12 January 1587/8–26 March 1649) is a historical figure, famous for having led a group of Puritans to the New World, joining the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629. ...

In 1642, witchcraft became punishable by death in the Connecticut Colony. This capital offense was backed by references to the King James version of the Bible: Exodus (22:18) says, Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. And Leviticus (20:27) says, A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood (shall be) upon them. In Connecticut, witchcraft was last listed as a capital crime in 1715. The crime of witchcraft disappeared from the list of capital crimes when the laws were next issued in 1750. A map of the Connecticut, New Haven, and Saybrook colonies. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ... It has been suggested that Pharaoh of the Exodus be merged into this article or section. ... Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, also the third book in the Torah (five books of Moses). ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Alse-Young

See Find A Grave

Alse (Alice) Young Year: 1647 Town: Windsor Outcome: Guilty, hanged

As mentioned above, Alse Young was the first recorded person to be executed for witchcraft in New England. According to local historian Katherine Spada-Basto, she was hanged on May 26th of the year, most likely in the area of Hartford where Trinity College now stands and was formerly known as Gallows Hill. Others claim that she was hanged at Meeting House Square, which is the current location of the Old State House. Her execution is mentioned in a single sentence in Massachusetts Bay Colony Gov. John Winthrop's journal, and also in the diary of Matthew Grant, the town clerk of Windsor. Sadly, there is scant other information about Alse, other than she was most likely the wife or daughter of John Young, and that she had a daughter named Alice Young Beamon, who would be accused—although not executed—of the same crime in Springfield, Mass., 30 years later.

Of course, our favorite version of the story is The Grimm Generation's song "Alse Young."

https://dsancesters.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/the-witch-of-windsor/

Also see this excellent book that I have almost completed:

http://www.oneofwindsor.com/