Mary Parker, Salem Witch Trials

Mary Ayer, daughter to John and Hannah, married Nathanial Parker. Mary (Ayer) Parker was accused of witchcraft in 1692. Mary Parker refused to confess during the witchcraft trials saying, "I know nothing of it, there is another woman of the same name in Andover." She was refering to her sister-in-law, Mary Parker, the aged and senile widow of Joseph Parker" [ref Woodward, Records of Salem Witchcraft, 2:163-154]

On September 17, 1692 Margaret Scott, Wilmott Redd, Samuel Wardwell, Mary Parker, Abigail Faulkner, Rebecca Eames, Mary Lacy, Ann Foster, and Abigail Hobbs were tried and condemned.

On September 22, 1692 Martha Corey, Margaret Scott, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Wilmott Redd, Samuel Wardwell, and Mary Parker were hanged.

Mary (Ayer) Parker was buried in an unmarked grave, somewhere in Salem Massachusetts.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ayergenealogy/sal...

family

John and Hannah Ayer gave birth to their daughter Mary sometime in the early to mid 1600's. Mary and her siblings may have been born in England, and later moved to North America with their parents. The Ayers moved several times during the early stages of their settlement in America but resettled for the last time in 1647 in Haverhill.2

The family was apparently of some prominence. Tax records from 1646 showed that John Ayer possessed at least one hundred and sixty pounds, making him one of the wealthiest settlers in Haverhill.

Mary Ayer married Nathan Parker sometime before her father's death in 1657. Although no marriage record survived in the hometowns of either Nathan or Mary, the wording of her father John Ayer's will made it obvious that she was married with children when it was written.3 Nathan married his first wife Susanna Short on November 20, 1648.4 Within the next three years, the couple relocated to Andover, where she soon after died on August 26, 1651.5

Andover's Vital Records listed the birth of Nathan and Mary Parker's first son John in 1653.6 Nathan could have remarried and had children within the two years after the death of his first wife.

Mary and Nathan continued to have children for over twenty years after the birth of

• John Parker in 1653. Mary bore four more sons:
• James in 1655, James died on June 29, 1677, killed in an Indian skirmish at Black Point.
• Robert in 1665, Robert died in 1688 at the age of 23.
• Peter in 1676, and a son
• Joseph.12 She and Nathan also had four daughters:
• Mary, born in 1660 (or 1657)13,
• Hannah in 1659, Hannah married John Tyler in 1682.15
• Elizabeth in 1663, Elizabeth married John Farnum in 1684.
• Sara in 1670. 14

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Mary Ayer Parker of Andover came to trial in Salem Massachusetts, suspected of witchcraft. During her examination she was asked, "How long have ye been in the snare of the devil?" She responded, "I know nothing of it." http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people?group.num=all&mbio.num=mb42

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16 Mary Ayer, born about 1634. She married Nathan Parker and lived in Andover, Massachusetts. Nathan died in 1685. Mary (Ayers) Parker was executed on 22 September 1692, at Salem, Massachusetts, by hanging, as a result of a conviction on a charge of witch-craft

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~machaver/jayer.htm

Sources:

• http://suffer-a-witch.wikia.com/wiki/Mary_Ayer_Parker
• Re: Obadiah AYRES: England,MA,NJ 1600s

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Executed for witchcraft at the Salem witch trials (see http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people?group.num=all&mbio.num=mb42)

8th great-grandmother of US President George W. Bush

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Mary Ayer Parker (mid-1600's-1692) - Of Andover, Massachusetts, Mary Ayer Parker was executed on September 22, 1692, with several others, for witchcraft in the Salem witch trials. Fifty-five years old and a widow at the time of her arrest, Mary was born to John and Hannah Ayer. From England, the family moved to America somewhere along the line, settling in a couple of places, before they finally landed in Haverhill in about 1646. Mary Ayer grew up to marry Nathan Parker and the couple had at least eight children. Over the years, her husband Nathan increased his land holdings from just his house lot and four acres to more than 200 acres. When Nathan died on June 25, 1685, he left an ample estate to his wife and children. Mary inherited one-third of the house and lands.

  Though there was no documented friction with any of her neighbors, nor any no prior accusations of wrong doing, Mary Ayer Parker was accused of having afflicted Sarah Phelps, Hannah Bigsby, and Martha Sprague of witchcraft. William Barker, Jr. named her in his confession on September 1, 1692, testifying that he and Goody Parker had afflicted Martha Sprague and that the two of them had ridden upon a pole and had been baptized in Five Mile Pond. Mary Parker was examined on September 2, 1692, where several "afflicted girls" from both Andover and Salem Village fell into fits. These included Mary Warren, Sarah Churchill, Hannah Post, Sara Bridges, and Mercy Wardwell. When the "touch test" was employed during the examination, the girls were "cured." Mercy Wardwell and William Barker, Jr. would also say that she had tortured Timothy Swan with iron spindles, pins, and other instruments. Mary Ayer Parker was found guilty of witchcraft on September 16, 1692 and she was executed just six days later on September 22, 1692.  
Interestingly, regarding Mary Ayer Parker and the fact that she had no conflicts with anyone in Andover or in Salem Village, are questions about why she was targeted, and even if she was the correct woman who was arrested. At that time, there was another woman who lived in the area who was also named Mary Parker. That particular Mary Parker had been taken to court a number of times. In 1669 she was sentenced for fornication. In 1672, the court extended her indenture to Moses Gillman for bearing a child out of wedlock. A year later, she went back to court to obtain child support from Teague Disco of Exiter. Once again she was charged with fornication and was sentenced to ten stripes. She came to trial two more times for fornication in 1676. This would be a reputation that was very bad during those Puritan times. Gossip was rampant. Was the wrong woman accused? Or, was the fact that she had the same "disreputable" name enough to cause her to be accused?  There was little evidence given to convict Mary Parker and her testimony was seemingly ignored. Interestingly, the presiding officer, a man named Thomas Chandler, had once been good friends with the Parkers. But, had apparently had a disagreement with them somewhere along the line.

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Mary Ayer, daughter to John and Hannah, married Nathanial Parker. Mary (Ayer) Parker was accused of witchcraft in 1692. Mary Parker refused to confess during the witchcraft trials saying, "I know nothing of it, there is another woman of the same name in Andover." She was refering to her sister-in-law, Mary Parker, the aged and senile widow of Joseph Parker" [ref Woodward, Records of Salem Witchcraft, 2:163-154]

On September 17, 1692 Margaret Scott, Wilmott Redd, Samuel Wardwell, Mary Parker, Abigail Faulkner, Rebecca Eames, Mary Lacy, Ann Foster, and Abigail Hobbs were tried and condemned.

On September 22, 1692 Martha Corey, Margaret Scott, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Wilmott Redd, Samuel Wardwell, and Mary Parker were hanged.

Mary (Ayer) Parker was buried in an unmarked grave, somewhere in Salem Massachusetts.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ayergenealogy/sal...

family

John and Hannah Ayer gave birth to their daughter Mary sometime in the early to mid 1600's. Mary and her siblings may have been born in England, and later moved to North America with their parents. The Ayers moved several times during the early stages of their settlement in America but resettled for the last time in 1647 in Haverhill.2

The family was apparently of some prominence. Tax records from 1646 showed that John Ayer possessed at least one hundred and sixty pounds, making him one of the wealthiest settlers in Haverhill.

Mary Ayer married Nathan Parker sometime before her father's death in 1657. Although no marriage record survived in the hometowns of either Nathan or Mary, the wording of her father John Ayer's will made it obvious that she was married with children when it was written.3 Nathan married his first wife Susanna Short on November 20, 1648.4 Within the next three years, the couple relocated to Andover, where she soon after died on August 26, 1651.5

Andover's Vital Records listed the birth of Nathan and Mary Parker's first son John in 1653.6 Nathan could have remarried and had children within the two years after the death of his first wife.

Mary and Nathan continued to have children for over twenty years after the birth of

John Parker in 1653. Mary bore four more sons: James in 1655, James died on June 29, 1677, killed in an Indian skirmish at Black Point. Robert in 1665, Robert died in 1688 at the age of 23. Peter in 1676, and a son Joseph.12 She and Nathan also had four daughters: Mary, born in 1660 (or 1657)13, Hannah in 1659, Hannah married John Tyler in 1682.15 Elizabeth in 1663, Elizabeth married John Farnum in 1684. Sara in 1670. 14

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Mary Ayer Parker of Andover came to trial in Salem Massachusetts, suspected of witchcraft. During her examination she was asked, "How long have ye been in the snare of the devil?" She responded, "I know nothing of it." http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people?group.num=all&mbio.num=mb42

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16 Mary Ayer, born about 1634. She married Nathan Parker and lived in Andover, Massachusetts. Nathan died in 1685. Mary (Ayers) Parker was executed on 22 September 1692, at Salem, Massachusetts, by hanging, as a result of a conviction on a charge of witch-craft

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~machaver/jayer.htm

Sources:

http://suffer-a-witch.wikia.com/wiki/Mary_Ayer_Parker Re: Obadiah AYRES: England,MA,NJ 1600s Executed for witchcraft at the Salem witch trials (see http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people?group.num=all&mbio.num=mb42)

8th great-grandmother of US President George W. Bush

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Hanged in Salem, MA - on 22 September 1692 "Mary Parker was of Andover, and a widow. A warrant for her arrest was issued on September 1, being one of the latest issued for any person who was subsequently executed. She was examined on the following day before Hathorne, Corwin, Gedney and Higginson, "justices of the peace." She was charged with practicing witchcraft on Martha Sprague of Boxford. Samuel Shattuck at the trial testified that one time a man took her up to carry her home, "but in a little way going he let her fall upon a place of stones, which did not awake her, which caused me to think she was really dead, after that we carried her into the house and caused her clothes to be taken off, and while we were taking off her clothes to put her into bed she was up and laughed in our faces." "Jonathan Bullock testified to seeing Parker lying out in the dirt and snow. Mary Wardwell "owned she had seen the shape of Parker when she afflicted Swan and Martha Sprague, but did not know Parker was a witch." "As we have already seen, Martha Carrier and Mary Parker were of Andover. So, too, was Samuel Wardwell. Andover was particularly unfortunate during the rage of the witchcraft delusion. It suffered more than any place save Salem Village. The outbreak there, although closely connected with that in the Village, was yet somewhat independent of it." "Whereas ye Generall Assembly in their last Session accepted ye report of their committee appointed to consider of ye Damages Sustained by Sundry persons prosecuted for Witchcraft in ye year 1692 Viz: .......Mary Parker 8-0-0." Biography

Hanged on Gallows Hill after being accused of witchcraft and found guilty in the witchcraft trials. The story I read was that she was accused by two young girls one with the last name of Chandler and the other last name Abbott who were neighbors. There is speculation that it was an attempted land grab since the property was well located and highly desired. The Homestead was in what is now North Andover near the intersection of the present rte 133 and 125 junction. The law was that a witch's property could be taken by the town and sold to the highest bidder.[1]

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Mary Parker was a widow from Andover. Parker was accused by Sarah Phelps and Martha Sprague of Andover. It is not known why the women accused her but Mary Parker stated during her examination that there was another woman in Andover named Mary Parker and suggested it was a case of mistaken identity. Martha Sprague then stated that the woman in front of her was the woman who afflicted her. Mary Parker was brought to trial on September 17 and hanged on September 22, 1692.

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In September1692, Mary Ayer Parker of Andover came to trial in Salem Massachusetts, suspected of witchcraft. During her examination she was asked, "How long have ye been in the snare of the devil?" She responded, "I know nothing of it." Many people confessed under the pressure of the court of Oyer and Terminer, but she asserted they had the wrong woman. "There is another woman of the same name in Andover," she proclaimed. At the time, no one paid much attention. Mary Ayer Parker was convicted and hanged by the end of the month.

Mary Parker was a typical Puritan wife. She appeared in the records only in birth notices and the records associated with the will of her late husband Nathan Parker. Notably, the records included no legal trouble at all, for witchcraft or anything else.

John and Hannah Ayer gave birth to their daughter Mary sometime in the early to mid 1600's. Mary and her siblings may have been born in England, and later moved to North America with their parents. The Ayers moved several times during the early stages of their settlement in America but resettled for the last time in 1647 in Haverhill. The family was apparently of some prominence. Tax records from 1646 showed that John Ayer possessed at least one hundred and sixty pounds, making him one of the wealthiest settlers in Haverhill.

Mary Ayer married Nathan Parker sometime before her father's death in 1657. Although no marriage record survived in the hometowns of either Nathan or Mary, the wording of her father John Ayer's will made it obvious that she was married with children when it was written. Andover's Vital Records listed the birth of Nathan and Mary Parker's first son John in 1653.

Mary and Nathan continued to have children for over twenty years after the birth of John Parker in 1653. Mary bore four more sons: James in 1655, Robert in 1665, Peter in 1676, and a son Joseph. She and Nathan also had four daughters: Mary, born in 1660 (or 1657), Hannah in 1659, Elizabeth in 1663, and Sara in 1670.

When Nathan died on June 25, 1685, he left an ample estate to his wife and children. Mary Ayer Parker brought an inventory of the estate to court in September of the same year, totaling 463 pounds and 4 shillings. The court awarded her one-third of the house and lands, equal shares to Robert, Joseph, Peter, Hannah, Elizabeth, and Sarah, and a double share to John. Mary Parker widow obtained an estate of over 154 pounds-a good amount of money in the late seventeenth century.

Mary Parker did not appear in Essex County records after September 29, 1685 when she brought the inventory to court. We know little about her interaction with her neighbors and the community after her husband's death. The Parkers were a respectable family that continued to root itself in the community.

The Salem crisis had spread to Andover when William Barker Jr. named her in his confession on September 1, 1692. He testified that "goode Parker went w'th him last Night to Afflict Martha Sprague." He elaborated that Goody Parker "rod upon a pole & was baptized at 5 Mile pond," a common reference to a union made with the devil. The examination of Mary Parker occurred the next day. At the examination, afflicted girls from both Salem and Andover fell into fits when her name was spoken. The girls included Mary Warren, Sarah Churchill, Hannah Post, Sara Bridges, and Mercy Wardwell. The records state that when Mary came before the justices, the girls were cured of their fits by her touch-the satisfactory result of the commonly used "touch test," signifying a witch's guilt.

When Mary denied being the witch they were after Martha Sprague, one of her accusers, quickly responded that is was for certain this Mary Parker, who had afflicted her. Sprague and Mary Lacy effectively fell into fits. Historian Mary Beth Norton discovered that Mary Parker was related to Sprague; she was Sprague's step-great-aunt. Mary Parker's son-in-law John Tyler's father Moses Tyler had married Martha's mother. Martha also lived in Andover, and the Tylers and the Parkers were friendly for sometime before their families were joined in marriage. Still, it was a distant relation and Martha was only sixteen years old at the time of the trial, so it is doubtful she knew Mary Parker personally.

Nevertheless, Mary Parker's defense was ignored, both by the courtroom, and most historians until now. However, Mary Ayer Parker told the truth: there was another Mary Parker living in Andover. In fact there were not one, but three other Mary Parkers in Andover. One was Mary Ayer's sister-in-law, Mary Stevens Parker, wife of Nathan's brother Joseph. The second was Joseph and Mary's daughter Mary. The third was the wife of Mary and Joseph's son, Stephen. To complicate things even further, there was yet another Mary Parker living nearby in Salem Towne.

Mary Ayer Parker told the truth about the other Marys, but the court ignored her. William Barker Jr. came in to speak against her. He testified "looking upon Mary Parker said to her face that she was one of his company, And that the last night she afflicted Martha Sprague in company with him." Barker Jr. pointed Mary out in court but he may have been confused himself. In his own confession, William accused a "goode Parker," but of course, he did not specify which Goody Parker he meant. There was a good possibility that William Barker Jr. heard gossip about one Goody Parker or another and the magistrates of the court took it upon themselves to issue a warrant for the arrest of Mary Ayer Parker without making sure they had the right woman in custody.

When Mary Parker was arrested, they found the ideal candidate to take advantage of her husband and her brother-in-law were no longer around to defend her and her young sons could not counter the power of the Chandlers.

Nothing else remains of Mary Parker case. It appeared that Mary's trial was over on September 16, 1692. She was executed only six days later. Evidence seems lacking. In essence, Mary was convicted almost solely from the testimony from two teenage confessors. Her examination, indictment, and grand inquest all took place expediently, and within one month, Mary was accused, convicted and executed.

Her death seems irresponsible at the least, and even almost outrageous. She was convicted with such little evidence, and even that seems tainted and misconstrued. The Salem trials did her no justice, and her treatment was indicative of the chaos and ineffectualness that had over taken the Salem trials by the fall of 1692. However, her treatment by historians is even less excusable. The records of her case are disorganized and erroneous, but what has been written about the case is even more misinformed. Today it is impossible to exonerate the reputation of Mary Ayer Parker. The records that survive are too incomplete and confused. But perhaps we can acknowledge the possibility that amidst the fracas of 1692, a truly innocent woman died as the result of sharing the unfortunate name "Mary Parker."