Dorcas Good, Salem Witch Trial

Dorcas Good (born c.1688) - Dorcas was the daughter of William Good and Sarah Solart. William Good was a poor man and her parents lived a life of homelessness and begging, earning them a reputation as unsavory people. Her mother, Sarah Solart Poole Good, was accused of witchcraft on 25 February 1692, when Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Parris claimed to be bewitched under her hand. She was arrested and was tried for witchcraft on March 1st. She would never confess to any guilt, but was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. However, Sarah was pregnant and her execution was delayed until she gave birth to her child.

In the meantime, her four year-old daughter, Dorcas was also accused of practicing witchcraft in a complaint was filed by Edward Putnam and Jonathan Putnam of Salem Village. She was arrested on 24 March 1692 and taken to the house of Nathaniel Ingersol to be examined. There, Mercy Lewis, Ann Putnam, Jr., and Mary Walcott would all testify that the small girl had afflicted them by pinching, biting, and choking them. Examined over several days, the little girl finally broke down crying and confessed and incriminated her mother. She was soon imprisoned with her mother at the Ipswich Jail. While imprisoned, Sarah Good gave birth to a daughter she named Mercy, who died a short time later.

While little Dorcas remained in jail, her mother was taken away and hanged on 19 July 1692. Because Dorcas' father was a poor laborer, he could not come up with the money to bond out his child for some time. Dorcas was in custody for over eight months, from 24 March 1692, when she was arrested, until she was released on a £50 bond on 10 December 1692. She was never indicted or tried. After her release, she was psychologically damaged for the rest of her life. By some historic accounts, she was insane.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/203027206/dorothy-good

Dorothy “Dorcas” Good

BIRTH 1687
Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA

DEATH unknown

BURIAL Unknown

MEMORIAL ID 203027206
Family Members

Parents

Sarah Solart Good
1653–1692