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Research in Other Countries => United States of America => Topic started by: Erato on Tuesday 07 July 09 12:40 BST (UK)
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My 8x g grandmother, Elizabeth Austin Dicer, was accused of witchcraft in 1692 [during the Salem witchcraft trials] and was jailed for a period of time in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Fortunately, she escaped execution. She was born about 1641 in Salem, Massachusetts and was the wife of William Dicer.
I have been unable to find any specifics about her case and wonder if anyone has membership in the NEHGS [New England Historic Genealogical Society] which might hold records concerning these events.
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Kate,
I'm going to the library to check on some of my family members in the NEHGR books. I'll take a look while I'm there, if I can find an index.
Elizabeth
Have you seen this?
http://tiny.cc/wccMx
or this?
http://tiny.cc/MPOFJ
Here's a link to a book with information on Elizabeth Dicer
http://tiny.cc/WT3yn
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Thanks, Genealiza. I had not seen the first two. I had found the book but it is not fully visible in Ecuador.
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The book is not a PDF that can be downloaded. In fact, you can't even copy the pages that show up. It says there are 3 items on Elizabeth Dicer. Can you pull up the three? If not, I might be able to transcribe them, or maybe get the book from the library.
As for anything on her in the NEGHR books, there is one reference to a Wm. Dicer who marries someone else, and there are two references to Elizabeth Dicer who marries someone else. Nothing on witch trials. I think your best bet is the above referenced book on the witch trials.
As for anything in Medina County, I found nothing. There was one listing for an Artemetia(?) Bacon w/o Joseph in the cemetery books, and nothing on a Bacon marrying a Logan nor a Clarissa Logan marrying anyone else.
Sorry not to have been able to give you some news of interest. On the bright side, I did get all of my references looked up and came home with a pile of information on several families.
Till next time,
Genealiza
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Thanks for looking. I think I'll ask my father to request the witchcraft book by interlibrary loan. Glad to hear you came up with some useful information for yourself.
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Erato,
I can do a screen capture of the 3 pages of interest to you if you like, and PM them to you. There is little real info contained within.
Nick
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Thanks, Nick - the pages came through fine.
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Have you seen this website before?
http://www.17thc.us/primarysources/accused.php?pg=2
My own ancestor Phebe Wilds Day was also accused in the trials.
Best wishes
Jean
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Thanks, JJ. I found that site while poking around yesterday.
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Here's a link to a book with information on Elizabeth Dicer
http://tiny.cc/WT3yn
When searching the book at the above link without quotation marks around her name there were a couple of other entries regarding Elizabeth Dicer. One entry dated 5 Sep 1692 indicates that "Elizabeth Dicer had been fined thirteen years past for calling Mary English's mother 'a black-mouthed witch and a thief.' She was married to Wm. Dicer, a refugee from Saco who now worked as a mariner out of Boston, but she was arrested in Gloucester, where her married daughter lived. The notes to her case are lost but she, too, was held for trial."
Jacquie
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erato
Try contacting Massachusett's Judicial Court Archives to inquire if there is a transcript of her arrest.
See
http://www.genforum.familytreemaker.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?Dicer::austin::5738.html
These are actual court records from the Salem Witch trials:
(Warrant for Arrest of Elizabeth Dicer and Margaret Prince ) To: To the Constable of Gloster
Requests for information involving court records held by the Massachusetts Archives should be sent by mail only to:
Elizabeth Bouvier
Head of Archives
Supreme Judicial Court Archives
16th Floor, Highrise Court House
3 Pemberton Square
Boston, MA 02108
Phone: 617-557-1082
No return faxes; please include your name, mailing address and telephone number for a response.
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ARC/arccol/colidx.htm
Lexi
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Hi
Don't know if this will help but go to: www.archive.org search texts and type in Salem - quite a lot should come - it includes fictional texts as well as non-fiction - including 2 vols of First Church in Salem. Click on PDF.
This link should work:
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Salem%20AND%20mediatype%3Atexts
This perhaps dumb thing to say but when searching try Dycer as well as Dicer.
Good Luck!
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It's been a while since the last post, but just in case anyone is looking for info on Elizabeth Austin Dicer:
She lived in Gloucester, not Salem. The girls in Salem were at one point sent to a few other town in which there were charges of witchcraft.
Elizabeth's trial records have not survived according to a few different books I've read on the subject.
She was imprisoned, though I'm not sure which jail. The women accused in Gloucester were divided between the Salem jail and the Ipswich jail. At that time, she gave her location as "of Piscquatis." She was part of a group of women who petitioned to be released from jail in November (I'd assume 1692, as that's the year all the Salem craziness happened) because the conditions were so horrible. They promised to return in June. I don't think any of the women were made to return (this is conjecture on my part) because around the time the girls were giving evidence in other towns, they accused the wife of Gov. Phipps.
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I just discovered Elizabeth Dicer was my 8x grandmother. This is very interesting additional information. Thank you!
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I guess that makes us cousins. Welcome to RootsChat.
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Guess so! My grandmother's maiden name was Tarr. Thanks for the welcome. It's been a fun site to explore.
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The ggg-grandma in my avatar is Nancy Davis Tarr, 1789-1866, who married Joshua Mitchell. Her daughter, Nancy Ann Mitchell, married Cyrus Henry Ware. They moved from Maine to Wisconsin in about 1851.
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Interesting!!!
My Grandmother was Bessie Susan Tarr (1913-1985) she married my grandfather Gunnar Johnson and they moved here to Minnesota in 1931 from Maine. (My father was born in Maine). Bessie's father was James Madison Tarr, his father was Charles Andrew Tarr, his father was Andrew Jackson Tarr, his father was Paul Tarr, his father was Joseph Richard Tarr, his father was William Tarr, and his father was Richard Tarr Jr, who was Richard Tarr and Elizabeth's (Dicer) son.