Thomas Carrier was born in Wales, England, about 1626 and died in Colchester, Conn. May 18, 1735; Colchester records say in his 109th year although the family claimed his age to be 113 years. Records of the town embody some remarkable traditions about him. He was 7' 4" tall, was notorious for his fleetness of foot, and his strength was his pride at one hundred years of age. He settled in Colchester soon after the turn of the century, when his age was about 76 years. He would frequently walk from Colchester to the mill in Glastonbury, a distance of eighteen miles, carrying a sack of corn on his shoulder to be ground, walking very fast and erect, stopping but once to shift his load and then walk back. The New England Journal for June 9, 1735 stated: "His head in his last years was not bald nor his hair gray. Not many days before his death he traveled on foot six miles to see a sick friend, and the day before he died he was visiting his neighbors. His mind was alert until he died, when he fell asleep in his chair and never woke up."
Tradition has it that he belonged to the bodyguard of King Charles I and that he was the regicide of the King. It could be that he was a member of the Royal Guard, Roundhead or Cavalier, as they would be selected for size and strength, or he could have been a member of the Rump Parliament which condemned the King, but these possibilities would seem to call for an older man at the time, AD 1648. However, the history of Thomas Carrier is a most colorful one even if we omit all unproven facts.
Charles I, son of James I of England (VI of Scotland) succeeded to his father's throne in 1625. His father was a firm believer in the devine rights of Kings, believing that they were only responsible to God, and he was in continual
disagreement with Parliament; parliament believing that the authority of the people was above that of the King. Charles I was of the same persuasion as his father, and soon after he was crowned, conflict with his legislature began. Parliament would not grant all the money he demanded, consequently he imposed excessive taxes on people, which led to protest by Parliament. Hence in 1629 he dissolved Parliament and ruled without assistance for eleven years, proceeding to get money by illegal means. Civil War resulted in 1642. In 1646 Charles, defeated, gave himself up to the Scottish Army. In 1647 the Scots surrendered him to Parliamentary Army. He was tried before the English Parliament, and beheaded January 30, 1649. It was probably during these two years that Thomas Carrier was one of the Guards. The tradition cannot be disregarded as an impossible one but means of verification are lacking.
Charles II, the lawful prince, escaped to the continent in 1648, but in February, 1649, Scotland proclaimed him King and his coronation took place January 1, 1651. Nine months later he was vanquished by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell was made Lord Protector and Governor of the Commonwealth but he refused the title of King. He died in 1658 and his son Richard proved incompetent to take over his work. In 1660 Charles II was again made King. He agreed to a pardon for all political offenders except the regicides and the judges of Charles I, and in May, 1660 the House of Commons ordered the arrest of all judges. Two of the judges, Major General William Goffe and his father-in-law Major General Edward Whalley, under assumed names set sail for America in May, 1660 on the Prudence Mary, the day before the warrant was issued. With a bounty on their heads they were forced to live in secrecy and concealment for over thirty years.
Dates for the arrival of Thomas Carrier in this country vary, but he probably arrived about 1655 in Cambridge, and soon after in
Billerica where he was known as Thomas Carrier alias Morgan, and vice versa. Some historians say he changed his name from Morgan to
Carrier to escape detection, however, if this is true an alias would not have protected him. He obviously was not in hiding and his alias may be due to the fact that in Wales it was customary for sons to carry on the surnames of both parents, to wit: Morgan ap Carrier, ap being a prefix signifying "son of." It is apparent that in America he followed the custom of this country and used one name only, presumably his father's.
From the book of tryals: Imprimatur: J. Backenhead 1660, published immediately after the trials, one of the signers of the sentence of Charles Stuart, King of England on January 29, 1648, was a Thomas Wogan, Esquire. Dr. Stiles of Yale in his History of the Three Judges of Charles I of England (found in the Library of American History, a reprint of standard works edited by Samuel L. Knapp) printed a list of names he copied from the Journal of Major General William Goffe who had been in hiding in Hadley, Mass. One Sunday, while the people of Hadley were at worship, Goffe discovered Indians were gathering to commit massacre of the town's people, so he came out of hiding to warn them and was thereafter known as the Good Angel of Hadley. Goffe's original diary was not disclosed until death had put everyone in it out of danger. In the diary were the names of nineteen men "condemned and in the Tower, but" said Goffe: "Morgan was not in the Tower." It seems probable that Goffe knew the men personally, so perhaps Thomas (Morgan) Carrier was one who escaped before the order for arrest was issued and owed his freedom to an indistinct signature. (Wogan-Morgan)
In November, 1667, Thomas Carrier was assigned to cutting brush in Billerica with his comrade and employee, John Levistone. He apparently was a man of means because he was next to the highest taxpayer in town. Levistone may have come with him from England, giving his services for passage and settlement, or he may have been assigned later to help him. Thomas Carrier took the oath of Fidelity, December 4, 1667, so he must have complied with the requirements of "an inhabitant." He married Martha Allen May 7, 1674 and soon after, perhaps because rumors of his political affiliations had reached Billerica, the selectmen and constables gave notice to him that the town was not willing that he abide there. They removed to North Billerica from 1684-1690 and then to Andover. Again they were unwelcome because of a smallpox epidemic in the family and authorities did not want to be responsible for them. However, they remained in Andover where Martha helped nurse the afflicted family, which did not add to her popularity.
It is difficult to explain the Furore which swept Salem Village, Mass. in 1692. For years learned men in the Christian church had been trying to control witchcraft, believing that witches were persons who received certain powers from the devil, notably to cause or cure illness, or transfer it from one person to another. Some village children, stimulated to hysteria by stories of the Barbados told by Tituba, a West Indian servant, invented a game whereby they would fall to the ground in fits. Confused parents, convinced that their children were tormented by demons, brought charges of witchcraft against more than two hundred persons and they were taken into custody. Illness, land feuds and hatred for neighbors, provided others with a chance to settle old scores. The accused could only gain their freedom by confessing to an alliance with the devil. Martha Carrier was one of those caught in this web, where guilt was established by spectral or make-believe evidence, and she was arrested May 28, 1692. She was then about thirty-three years old and confessions were extorted from them by violence. Her sons would not confess until they had been tied by their necks and heels. Eight year old Sarah, a pathetic little figure too young to realize what it was all about, was versed in a confession that her mother made her a witch when she was six years old; that she came to her like a black cat and told her that she was her mother. Eighteen year old Richard testified that he also had been "in the devil's snare." At the examination the local magistrate said to Martha: "you see they look upon you and fall down." "It is false," she replied, "it is a shameful thing that you should mind these folks that are out of their wits." When offered her freedom if she would confess, Martha proudly said: "I would rather die than confess a falsehood so filthy." No amount of persuasion could make her change her stand and with unflinching courage and dignity she went to her execution on Gallows Hill, Salem, August 1, 1692. Soon after the junta court was abolished and a new court established that would not accept spectral evidence. Suits for slander were brought against accusers, and the witchcraft delusion ended in Massachusetts. Thomas made frequent petitions for the reversal of the witchcraft convictions and in 1711 the convictions were finally reversed. A public apology was made by the General Court and reparations granted.References: History of Billerica by Rev. Henry Hazen,
A.M.; Historical Sketches of Andover by Sarah Loring
Bailey; other ref. in text.August 28, 1957--265 years later--a resolve was made relative to the indictment, trial, conviction and execution of those found guilty, sentenced and executed in the year1692 (Chapter 143 of the Acts and Resolves of the General Court of Massachusetts) stating that "if these proceedings were lawful under the Provincial Charter and the law of Massachusetts as it then was--were and are shocking and are superseded by our more civilized laws.....that no disgrace or cause for distress attaches to the descendants by reason of said proceedings." It further stated "that the passage of this resolve does not bestow on any person the right to bring suit for redress, nor affect in any way whatsoever the title or rights in any real or personal property...."
Thomas Carrier remained in Andover as far as is known until soon after the end of the century. Taintor's Recordings of Colchester associates the Carriers with Colchester in 1701. His name is on the Andover list of 1702 with his sons. He probably returned to Andover from time to time until his business there was finished. He was the first settler in the valley of North Westchester (Colchester). Land was taken there in Richard's name in 1703 and a trifle later for Andrew. In his day he owned most of the land which comprises North Westchester where he built a house and sawmill on Jeremy's River. Thomas, Jr. did not remove from Andover with his brothers, as there are records of his family in Andover until 1712, but in 1718 he was admitted to Colchester as an inhabitant.A word about the Ingalls:
The name is supposed to be of Scandinavian origin derived from Ingralld. In England the name appears as Ingall, Engle, Ingolds, and Ingles, and the following coat-of-arms is recorded:Ingles: Gules, 3 bars gamelli or on a cantonargent 5
billete en cable.
Crest: A lily springing from a crown.
Motto: Hamilis ax carons.When Thomas Carrier arrived in New England, he already had a
mysterious and historic past. According to Carrier family tradition, Thomas'
exceptional physical ability led him to be chosen as one of the King of England's
Royal Guard. Then in 1649, when King Charles I was put on trial and sentenced to
death, it was Thomas who acted in the historic position as executioner of the King.
Unfortunately for Carrier, Charles I's son, Charles II, would re-take the throne and
gain control of the country. In May 1660, Charles II ordered the arrest of those
responsible for his father's death. If Carrier was involved, the arrest orders could have
been what motivated him to make the journey across the Atlantic. The Puritans of
Massachusetts certainly did not approve of the repression of Charles I, but they also
did not approve of regicide (the killing of a king). The facts of Carrier's actions may
have found their way across the Atlantic and could have played a part in the darkest
chapter of Carrier's life. Carrier's arrival in New England comes sometime about 1665, shortly after the arrest
orders were sent out. His first stop was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but he would
soon move on to the village of Billerica. It seems that Carrier lived an unsettled life at
first, moving three or four times between Billerica and Andover. While in Andover in
1672, Carrier met Martha Ingalls Allen who was 20 years younger than himself. The
couple was married in 1674 and after the birth of their second son they moved back
to Billerica.
The couple settled in Billerica proceeded to enlarge their family. After what must have
been a joyful time for the Carriers, now with three sons and two daughters, the tough
times began in 1690. The next two Carrier children died from the common 17th
century disease of smallpox. Although Boston had already been hit with several
smallpox epidemics, the smaller villages had been spared so far. When Martha's
father also died later that year, the Carriers moved back to Andover to live with
Martha's mother. They are noted in public records as receiving the standard, but
ominous, warning from the Andover Selectmen to "move on." Unfortunately for the
Carriers, they brought the smallpox virus with them to Andover and it quickly spread
to Martha's family. Within two months of the arrival of the Carriers, nine people had
died from the illness. The victims included Martha's two brothers, her sister-in-law
and a nephew, all living in Martha's mother's house when the Carriers arrived.
Suspicion about Martha began to surface. The fact that her husband and children had
been stricken with smallpox, but none of them died, would have been interpreted as
proof that Martha possessed special powers. To make her situation worse, after the death of her two brothers Martha took charge
of her father's estate. In colonial New England, the ownership of land by women was
seriously frowned upon and considered improper behavior. She immediately ran into
friction with her neighbors, threatening vengeance upon those she believed were
cheating her or her husband. Martha was described as "a woman of a disposition not
unlikely to make enemies; plain and outspoken in her speech, of remarkable strength
of mind, a keen sense of justice, and a sharp tongue." Not far from Andover in Salem
Village, the witchcraft hysteria was beginning to pick up momentum. The troubles in
Salem started when some impressionable young girls began listening to stories told by
the minister's servant Tituba, a slave from Barbados, West Indies. Soon the minister's
daughter, Elizabeth Parris, became ill and refused to eat. Other Salem girls began
throwing fits, having strange dreams and making animal-like noises. Some of them
developed spots that looked like pin pricks and teeth marks. They were examined by
Dr. William Griggs, who could not find any reason for the state of the girls and
proclaimed, "The evil hand is upon them." When the girls were asked who was
bewitching them, they named Tituba, an obvious pagan, and a couple old beggarwomen. As the women were dragged off to jail and put on trial, the girls' popularity
rose and they became regarded as visionaries. The witch-hunt had begun.Shortly thereafter in Andover, Joseph Ballard's wife came down with an illness that
the normal herb remedies failed to cure. He suspected witchcraft and rode to Salem
to enlist the help of the now prestigious Salem girls. The girls arrived in Andover with
great ceremony and announced that Ballard's wife was indeed bewitched, naming
Martha Carrier and others as witches. A warrant was signed for Martha's arrest on
May 28, 1692, the first person in Andover to be charged with witchcraft. She was
taken to jail and placed in chains to keep her spirit from roaming. Three days later,
Martha underwent the "examination" that preceded witchcraft trials. During the
examination, most accused witches made confessions to avoid the extreme penalty of
death. Not Martha, she maintained her innocence in the face of the scrutiny. She was then transported to the Salem Village Meeting House to face the notorious
Salem girls. When Martha entered the Meeting House the girls fell to the floor
writhing with cries of agony. After the elders read the indictment, naming Mary
Wolcott of Salem as the victim, Martha responded with a plea of "not guilty." From
the floor of the Meeting House the Salem girls responded, "I would see the souls of
the 13 persons whom she murdered at Andover." Martha was also confronted by five
women and children from Salem who claimed to be suffering from her. Susannah
Shelden claimed that her hands were tied together with a wheel band by Martha's
specter. The magistrates asked, "Susannah, who hurts you?" Her response was clear,
"Goody Carrier. She bites me, pinches me and tells me she would cut my throat if I
did not sign her devil's book." Witnesses in the court said they saw a "black man" whispering in Martha's ear as she
stood at the bar in front of the magistrates. When they questioned her, "What black
man did you see?" Martha replied sharply, "I saw no black man but your own
presence." Pushed on by the confrontation Martha proclaimed, "You lie; I am
wronged.... It is false and it is a shame for you to mind what these say, that are out of
their wits!" Her defiance and confrontational attitude only helped confirm the
magistrates' opinion of her guilt.The accusers persisted and Martha was formally indicted. She was bound in chains
and taken to jail to await further trial while more evidence could be found. Martha's
two oldest sons, Andrew and Richard, and her seven and a half year old daughter,
Sarah, were also put in jail as suspected witches. During their stay, the children
confessed that they were witches and it was their mother that made them witches. It is
reported that Andrew and Richard were "tied neck and heel until the blood was ready
to come out of their noses" before they confessed. Under the persuasive magistrates,
the children related time, place and occasion of their "evil" behavior. They told the
examiners about journeys, meetings and "mischiefs by them performed, and were very
credible in what they said." However, the sons' testimony was never heard in court,
the magistrates feeling there was enough other evidence.
On August 2, 1692 a special court of Oyer and Terminer was held in Salem to deal
with six accused witches, including Martha Carrier. When the witnesses were brought
before the court the evidence against Martha was overwhelming. All of the past
arguments Martha ever had were brought up and there were many facts which
"looked greatly against her." Martha again pleaded not guilty, but the proceedings
continued, "there was first brought in a considerable number of the bewitched
persons, who not only made the court sensible of an horrid witchcraft committed
upon them, but also deposed that it was Martha Carrier, or her shape, that grievously
tormented them by biting, pricking, pinching and choking them. It was further
disposed that while this Carrier was on her examination before the magistrates, the
poor people were so tormented that everyone expected their death on the very spot;
but that upon the binding of Carrier they were ceased. Moreover, the looks of Carrier
then laid the afflicted people for dead and her touch, if her eyes were at the same timeoff them, raised them again. Which things were also now seen upon her trial. And it
was testified that upon mention of some having their necks twisted almost round by
the shape of this Carrier, she replied, 'It's no matter, though their necks had been
twisted quite off.' "The witnesses then came individually before the magistrates. Martha's neighbor Phebe
Chandler testified that she heard Martha's voice over her head as she walked across
a field. She claimed that the voice told her she would be poisoned within two or three
days. A few days later Chandler reports that her right hand and part of her face had
become swollen and painful.Another neighbor, Benjamin Abbott, testified that there were angry words between
them concerning a land dispute. Shortly afterwards Abbott became ill with swelling in
his foot and then with a pain in his side. The sore in his side was lanced by the local
doctor and released "gallons of corruption." Abbott's pain grew worse and worse
over six weeks, bringing him close to death. Mysteriously, as soon as Martha was put
in jail, Abbott began to regain his health.The testimony continued with Andover resident John Rogers. He came before the
court to state that "one of his cows which used to give a good mess of milk would
give none... Carrier being a malicious woman." Even Martha's own nephew, Allen
Toothacker, stood in front of the magistrates and testified that he "lost a
three-year-old heifer, next a yearling, and then a cow and knew not any cause of ye
deaths... but I always feared it hath been ye effect of my Aunt Carrier's her malice."
Toothacker also stated that during a fight with Richard Carrier he was held on the
ground by Martha's spirit.
Martha, her two oldest sons, and her seven and a half year-old daughter had been
arrested and kept in jail for almost three months before the trial. All of the old disputes between Martha and her neighbors were brought up and reviewed for suspicious activity. At least four of Martha's neighbors from Andover came to testify that she had used witchcraft against them, killing livestock and causing illnesses. Martha's two teenage sons had been hung by their heels "until the blood was ready to come out of their noses," before they confessed to being involved with witchcraft. The magistrates didn't use the sons' confessions, but they did bring Martha's young daughter, Sarah, to testify against her mother.Sarah's confession came six days after Martha was already convicted and sentenced to death. "It was asked by the Magistrates or Justices, John Hathorne, Esq., and others: How long hast thou been a witch? A. Ever since I was six years old. Q. How
old are you? A. Near eight years old, brother Richard says I shall be eight years old in November last. Q. Who made you a witch? A. My mother, she made me set my hand to a book. Q. How did you set your hand to it? A. I touched it with my fingers and the book was red and the paper of it was so white.... Q. What did they promise to give you? A. A black dog. Q. Did the dog ever come to you? A. No. Q. But you said you saw a cat once; what did it say to you? A. It said it would tear me to pieces, if I would not set my hand to the book. Q. How did you afflict folks? A. I pinched them.... mother carried her thither to afflict. Q. How did your mother carry you when she was in prison? A. She came like a black cat. Q. How did you know it was your mother?A. The cat told me she was my mother. She said she afflicted Phelps child last Saturday and Elizabeth Johnson helped her do it. She had a wooden spear about as long as the finger of Elizabeth Johnson and she had it of the devil.... This is the substance. Attest: Simon Willard." The trial prompted the well known Boston cleric, Dr. Cotton Mather, to report, "This rampant hag, Martha Carrier, was the person of whom the confession of the rest agreed that the devil had promised her, she should be the Queen of Hell."On August 19, 1692, Martha was taken in the back of a cart to Gallows Hill in Salem. Jeering crowds lined the streets and gathered at the scaffold to witness the hanging of Martha and four men, also "convicted" witches. Screaming her innocence from the scaffold, Martha never gave up. A report from the time describes the treatment of Martha and two of the men, including a Mr. Burroughs: "When he was cut down, he was dragged by a halter to a hole or grave between the rocks about
two feet deep; his shirt and breeches were pulled off and an old pair of trousers of one of the executed put on his lower parts; he was so put in together with Willard and Carrier that one of his hands and his chin and a foot of one of them was left uncovered."
In May 1693, Governor Phips of Massachusetts returned from the Indian Wars and revoked all death sentences and released all those still held. The Governor also revoked the acceptance of "spectral evidence" in court, effectively ending the witch
trials. Martha Carrier's name appeared on a 1711 list of sufferers whose legal representatives received compensation for imprisonment and death of relatives. The Carrier family received seven pounds, six shillings.
Belief in witchcraft was universal in the 17th century and was considered a major
problem for the leaders of the time. The devil was an active force, constantly on hand
to recruit new helpers in his fight against good Christians everywhere. In western
Europe, some estimates claim nearly two million men and women lost their lives under
accusations of witchcraft. In the Salem area, over 200 people were accused of
practicing witchcraft. Within three months of Martha Carrier's arrest, in Andover
alone, 40 warrants had been issued, naming members of some of the most prominent
families in town. At one point every woman in Andover was blindfolded and led
before the Salem girls to prove their innocence or guilt. When Magistrate Dudley
Bradstreet threw down his pen and declared he would sign no more warrants, he
himself was accused of being a witch. He and his family had to escape the town,
fearing for their lives. In Salem, the 23 people who were hung, tortured or died in jail.
A testament to her courage, Martha Carrier was the only person, of all those accused, that maintained her innocence to the end, "I would rather die than confess a falsehood so filthy." Thomas and his family remained in Andover for a few years after him mothers trial. The first
record of the Carriers in the Connetticut area comes in 1701, when Thomas Carrier built a house and then opened a sawmill on the Jeremy River. Records indicate that Carrier owned almost all the land then called North Westchester, which would eventually become
part of Marlborough. Later on Thomas' sons would join him in Connecticut. Land
was taken in Richard's name in Westchester in 1703, and a little later Andrew was
also granted a plot. Thomas, Jr. remained in Andover for a while longer, then joined
his brothers and father in 1716 as a Colchester inhabitant.Thomas became known as the "Tall Man," having reached an unusual 7' 4" tall, with
his strength and agility his pride at 100 years old. The Carrier Genealogy reports that
Thomas, about 80 years old when he moved to North Westchester, would frequently
walk to a grist mill in Glastonbury, a distance of eighteen miles. He would carry a bag
of corn on his shoulders, walking very fast and erect, stopping only once to shift his
load. He would have his corn ground and then walk back.Thomas Carrier died on May 18, 1735 at a ripe old age of 109. Some of the Carrier
family members maintain he was actually 113 when he died. It is reported in the New
England Journal on June 9, 1735 that, "His head, in his last years, not bald nor his hair
grey. Not many days before his death he traveled on foot six miles to see a sick
friend, and the day before he died he was visiting his neighbors. His mind was alert
until he died, when he fell asleep in his chair and never woke up." Thomas left five
children, 39 grand children and 38 great grandchildren who would continue to fill the
land with Carriers.But even after Thomas passed away his remnants would be shrouded in mystery. The
original Carrier burial ground was not in a regular church cemetery, but located near
Thomas' property on the Jeremy River. This small piece of land became lost and
forgotten in the woods of Marlborough until construction on Rt. 2 in the 1930s. While
the local road crews were looking for gravel around town, they discovered the bodies
buried in the Carrier plot located at the corner of South Main St. and Kellog Rd. The
remains of the Carriers were reportedly taken to the Marlboro Cemetery, in
Marlborough center, and given another burial. The monument which was erected is
also a mystery, the names of Thomas' sons are repeated and seem confused. The
town of Marlborough has no record of the movement of which body went where and
who is responsible for erecting the monument. The fact that there are also at least two
other people buried in the Carrier plot that were not moved only raises more
questions. It is also strange that there are tombstones for Richard, Andrew and their wives in the
Colchester Congregational Church, even though Andrew is listed twice on the
Marlborough monument. It was a hard life for Thomas Carrier and his family. They
had the unfortunate luck of being at the center of some of their era's most horrifying
episodes, and the mystery continues.Subject: Thomas and Martha Carrier
Date: Sat, 20 Mar 1999 12:07:05 EST
Taken from the Lowell Sun newspaper dated Tuesday March 16, 1999:Billerica family's 323-year exile ends
by Pierre Comtois, Sun CorrespondentBILLERICA- The Carrier family won redemption last night-although it came 323years too late.
The Board of Selectmen, seeking to undo a wrong committed by their predecessors during colonial times, voted last night to rescind the banishment
of the entire Carrier family.
In 1676, Thomas and Martha Carrier and family were told by selectmen to leave town forthwith or pay a surety of 20 shillings per week if they wanted
to stay.
Selectman Edward Hurd, who's wife is a descendant from the family, said town records aren't clear but he believes that "a member of the family had the
smallpox virus" and town officials didn't want them to be a burden on their neighbors.
This immediate family moved to Andover, only to see Martha accused of witchcraft in the 1690's and sentenced to hang atop Gallows Hill in Salem.
Members of the family later moved to Colchester, CT, Hurd said, though some stayed behind in Billerica.
In the early 1700's, said Hurd, the Massachusetts government apologized to Thomas Carrier for the hanging of his wife and paid him a settlement.
Last night was the town's turn to make good. Hurd asked his colleagues to rescind the banishment as an "appropriate gesture" to the Carrier family.
It was unanimously approved.-------------------
Info from James G. Brown references these sources:
Bibliography
Colchester CT Vital Records, Barbour Collection.
Hebron, CT Vital Records, n.d., RIN#942, (?) Connecticut State Library.
Kneeland, Stillman F.. Seven Centuries In The Kneeland Family in no series (New York, NY: Published by the Author, 1897).
MacGunnigle, C.G., Bruce Campbell. Mayflower Families Through Five Generations Edward Fuller in Volume 4, Edward Fuller (n.p.: General Soiciety of Mayflower Descendants, 1990).
May, George S.. Some Descendants Of Thomas Carrier Of Andover And Billerica in no series (Fair Oaks, CA: George S. May, 1978).
Robinson, Enders A.. Salem Witchcraft And Hawthorne's House Of-The 7 Gables in no series (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1992).
Torrey, Clarence Almon. New England Marriages Prior To 1700 in no series (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1985).
_________. The Great Migration Begins in no series (Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995).
More Notes:
When Thomas Carrier arrived in New England, he already had a mysterious and historic past. According to Carrier family tradition, Thomas' exceptional physical ability led him to be chosen as one of the King of England's Royal Guard. Then in 1649, when King Charles I was put on trial and sentenced death, it was Thomas who acted in the historic position as executioner of the King. Unfortunately for Carrier, Charles I's son, Charles II, would re-take the throne and gain control of the country. In May 1660, Charles II ordered the arrest of those responsible for his father's death. If Carrier was involved, the arrest orders could have been what motivated him to make the journey across the Atlantic. The Puritans of Massachusetts certainly did not approve of the repression of Charles I, but they also did not approve of regicide (the killing of a king). The facts of Carrier's actions may have found their way across the Atlantic and could have played a part in the darkest chapter of Carrier's life. Carrier's arrival in New England comes sometime about 1665, shortly after the arrest orders were sent out. His first stop was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but he would soon move on to the village of Billerica. It seems that Carrier lived an unsettled life at first, moving three or four times between Billerica and Andover. While in Andover in 1672, Carrier met Martha Ingalls Allen who was 20 years younger than himself. The couple was married in 1674 and after the birth of their second son they moved back to Billerica. The couple settled in Billerica proceeded to enlarge their family. After what must have been a joyful time for the Carriers, now with three sons and two daughters, the tough times began in 1690. The next two Carrier children died from the common 17th century disease of smallpox. Although Boston had already been hit with several smallpox epidemics, the smaller villages had been spared so far. When Martha's father also died later that year, the Carriers moved back to Andover to live with Martha's mother. They are noted in public records as receiving the standard, but ominous, warning from the Andover Selectmen to "move on. "Unfortunately for the Carriers, they brought the smallpox virus with them to Andover and it quickly spread to Martha's family. Within two months of the arrival of the Carriers, nine people had died from the illness. The victims included Martha's two brothers, her sister-in-law and a nephew, all living in Martha's mother's house when the Carriers arrived. Suspicion about Martha began to surface. The fact that her husband and children had been stricken with smallpox, but none of them died, would have been interpreted as proof that Martha possessed special powers. To make her situation worse, after the death of her two brothers Martha took charge of her father's estate. In colonial New England, the ownership of land by women was seriously frowned upon and considered improper behavior. She immediately ran into friction with her neighbors, threatening vengeance upon those she believed were cheating her or her husband. Martha was described as "a woman of a disposition not unlikely to make enemies; plain and outspoken in her speech, of remarkable strength of mind, a keen sense of justice, and a sharp tongue." Not far from Andover in Salem Village, the witchcraft hysteria was beginning to pick up momentum. The troubles in Salem started when some impressionable young girls began listening to stories told by the minister's servant Tituba, a slave from Barbados, West Indies. Soon the minister's daughter, Elizabeth Parris, became ill and refused to eat. Other Salem girls began throwing fits, having strange dreams and making animal-like noises. Some of them developed spots that looked like pin pricks and teeth marks.
They were examined by Dr. William Griggs, who could not find any reason for the state of the girls and proclaimed, "The evil hand is upon them." When the girls were asked who was bewitching them, they named Tituba, an obvious pagan, and a couple old beggarwomen. As the women were dragged off to jail and put on trial, the girls' popularity rose and they became regarded as visionaries. The witch-hunt had begun. Shortly thereafter in Andover, Joseph Ballard's wife came down with an illness that the normal herb remedies failed to cure. He suspected witchcraft and rode to Salem to enlist the help of the now prestigious Salem girls. The girls arrived in Andover with great ceremony and announced that Ballard's wife was indeed bewitched, naming Martha Carrier and others as witches. A warrant was signed for Martha'sarrest on May 28, 1692, the first person in Andover to be charged with witchcraft. She wastaken to jail and placed in chains to keep her spirit from roaming. Three days later, Martha underwent the "examination" that preceded witchcraft trials. During the examination, most accused witches made confessions to avoid the extreme penalty of death. Not Martha, she maintained her innocence in the face of the scrutiny. She was then transported to the Salem Village Meeting House to face the notorious Salem girls. When Martha entered the Meeting House the girls fell to the floor writhing with cries of agony. After the elders read the indictment, naming Mary Wolcott of Salem as the victim, Martha responded with a plea of "not guilty." From the floor of the Meeting House the Salem girls responded, "I would see the souls of the 13 persons whom she murdered at Andover." Martha was also confronted by five women and children from Salem who claimed to be suffering from her. Susannah Shelden claimed that her hands were tied together with a wheel band by Martha's specter. The magistrates asked, "Susannah, who hurts you?" Her response was clear, "Goody Carrier. She bites me, pinches me and tells me she would cut my throat if I did not sign her devil's book." Witnesses in the court said they saw a "black man" whispering in Martha's ear as she stood at the bar in front of the magistrates. When they questioned her, "What black man did you see?" Martha replied sharply, "I saw no black man but your own presence." Pushed on by the confrontation Martha proclaimed, "You lie; I am wronged.... It is false and it is a shame for you to mind what these say, that are out of their wits!" Her defiance and confrontational attitude only helped confirm the magistrates' opinion of her guilt. The accusers persisted and Martha was formally indicted. She was bound in chains and taken to jail to await further trial while more evidence could be found. Martha's two oldest sons, Andrew and Richard, and her seven and a half year old daughter, Sarah, were also put in jail as suspected witches. During their stay, the children confessed that they were witches and it was their mother that made them witches. It is reported that Andrew and Richard were "tied neck and heel until the blood was ready to come out of their noses" before they confessed. Under the persuasive magistrates the children related time, place and occasion of their "evil" behavior. They told the examiners about journeys, meetings and "mischiefs by them performed,and were very credible in what they said." However, the sons' testimony was never heard in court, the magistrates feeling there was enough other evidence.
On August 2, 1692 a special court of Oyer and Terminer was held inSalem to deal with six accused witches, including Martha Carrier. When the witnesses were brought before the court the evidence against Martha was overwhelming. All of the past arguments Martha ever had were brought up and there were many fact which "looked greatly against her." Martha again pleaded not guilty, but the proceedings continued, "there was first brought in a considerable number of the bewitched persons, who not only made the court sensible of an horrid witchcraft committed upon them, but also deposed that it was Martha Carrier, or her shape, that grievously tormented them by biting, pricking, pinching and choking them. It was further disposed that while this Carrier was on her examination before the magistrates, the poor people were so tormented that everyone expected their death on the very spot, but that upon the binding of Carrier they were ceased. Moreover, the looks of Carrier then laid the afflicted people for dead and her touch, if her eyes were at the same timeoff them, raised them again. Which things were also now seen upon her trial. And it was testified that upon mention of some having their necks twisted almost round by the shape of this Carrier, she replied, 'It's no matter, though their necks had been twisted quite off.' " The witnesses then came individually before the magistrates. Martha's neighbor Phebe Chandler testified that she heard Martha's voice over her head as she walked across a field. She claimed that the voice told her she would be poisoned within two or three days. A few days later Chandler reports that her right hand and part of her face had become swollen and painful. Another neighbor, Benjamin Abbott, testified that there were angry words between them concerning a land dispute. Shortly afterwards Abbott became ill with swelling in his foot and then with a pain in his side. The sore in his side was lanced by the local doctor and released "gallons of corruption." Abbott's pain grew worse and worse over six weeks, bringing him close to death. Mysteriously, as soon as Martha was put in jail, Abbott began to regain his health. The testimony continued with Andover resident John Rogers. He came before the court to state that "one of his cows which used to give a good mess of milk would give none... Carrier being a malicious woman." Even Martha's own nephew,Allen Toothacker, stood in front of the magistrates and testified that he "lost three-year-old heifer, next a yearling, and then a cow and knew not any cause of ye deaths... but I always feared it hath been ye effect of my Aunt Carrier, her malice." Toothacker also stated that during a fight with Richard Carrier he was held on the ground by Martha's spirit. Martha, her two oldest sons, and her seven and a half year-old daughter had been arrested and kept in jail for almost three months before the trial. All of the old disputes between Martha and her neighbors were brought up and reviewed for suspicious activity. At least four of Martha's neighbors from Andover came to testify that she had used witchcraft against them, killing livestock and causing illnesses. Martha's two teenage sons had been hung by heir heels "until the blood was ready to come out of their noses," before they confessed to being involved with witchcraft. The magistrates didn't use the sons' confessions, but they did bring Martha's young daughter, Sarah, to testify against her mother.Sarah's confession came six days after Martha was already convicted and sentenced to death.-----------------------------------
Nov 21, 1997--From an internet search, The Carrier Family of Jefferson County, PA home page:
"Thomas Carrier, the earliest known ancestor of the Carrier Family in North America was born about 1626 in Wales. There is a family tradition that he was a member of the Royal Guard in the court of King Charles I of England, and that when Oliver Cromwell overthrew the monarchy in 1649, Carrier was one of two men who carried out the execution of the King. When Charles II regained the throne six years later, Thomas Carrier fled to Massachusetts and settled in the town of Billerica. In 1674 he married Martha Allen, daughter of Andrew and Faith (Ingalls) Allen. They lived first in Billerica, and later moved to Andover. In the spring of 1692, the Carriers were caught up in the witch hysteria in Andover and nearby Salem, with Martha and five of her children being arrested and charged with witchcraft. The children were tortured until they testified against their mother. Martha refused to confess her evil ways and was hanged, along with four others, on August 19, 1692. Following the tragic demise of his wife, Thomas moved his family to Connecticut, where he was one of the first settlers in what was to become the town of Colchester. He died in 1735 at the age of "108 or 109 years", according to Colchester town records."
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The Boston News-Letter
June 12 1735Location: Boston, MA
Description: Obituary of Thomas CARRIER.
We have advice from Colchester in the Colony of Connecticut, that on the 16th instant died there Mr. Thomas Carrier of that place, a person of good repute, in the hundred and tenth year of his age, has left 5 own children, 39 grand-children, and 38 great-grand-children, some of the last are married. What is further remarkable, his hair was not grey nor his head bald. He walked as upright as men commonly do to the last, on the day of election (at Hartford) he travell'd on foot six miles to visit a sick man, and the day but one before his death, he was visiting his neighbors, who took notice of his activity and familiarity.
It was asked by the Magistrates or Justices, John Hathorne, Esq., and others:Q. How long hast thou been a witch?
A. Ever since I was six years old.
Q. How old are you?
A. Near eight years old, brother Richard says I shall be eight years old in November last.
Q. Who made you a witch?
A. My mother, she made me set my hand to a book.
Q. How did you set your hand to it?
A. I touched it with my fingers and the book was red and the paper of it was so white....
Q. What did they promise to give you?
A. A black dog.
Q. Did the dog ever come to you?
A. No.
Q. But you said you saw a cat once; what did it say to you?
A. It said it would tear me to pieces, if I would not set my hand to the book.
Q. How did you afflict folks?
A. I pinched them.... mother carried her thither to afflict.
Q. How did your mother carry you when she was in prison?
A. She came like a black cat.
Q. How did you know it was your mother?
A. The cat told me she was my mother.She said she afflicted Phelps child last Saturday and Elizabeth Johnson helped her do it. She had awooden spear about as long as the finger of Elizabeth Johnson and she had it of the devil.... This is the substance. Attest: Simon Willard." The trial prompted the well known Boston cleric, Dr. Cotton Mather, to report, "This rampant hag, Martha Carrier, was the person of whom the confession of the rest agreed that the devil had promised her, she should be the "Queen of Hell."On August 19, 1692, Martha was taken in the back of a cart to Gallows Hill in Salem. Jeering crowds lined the streets and gathered at the scaffold to witness the hanging of Martha and four men, also "convicted" witches. Screaming her innocence from the scaffold, Martha never gave up. A report from the time describes the treatment of Martha and two of the men, including a Mr. Burroughs: "When he was cut down, he was dragged by a halter to a hole or grave between the rocks about two feet deep; his shirt and breeches were pulled off and an old pair of trousers of one of the executed put on his lower parts; he was so put in together with Willard and Carrier that one of his hands and his chin and a foot of one of them was left uncovered." In May 1693, Governor Phips of Massachusetts returned from the Indian Wars and revoked all death sentences and released all those still held.The Governor also revoked the acceptance of "spectral evidence" in court, effectively ending the witch trials. Martha Carrier's name appeared on a 1711 list of sufferers whose legal representatives received compensation for imprisonment and death of relatives. The Carrier family received seven pounds, six shillings. Belief in witchcraft was universal in the 17th century and was considered a major problem for the leaders of the time. The devil was an active force, constantly on hand to recruit new helpers in his fight against good Christians everywhere. In western Europe, some estimates claim nearly two million men and women lost their lives under accusations of witchcraft. In the Salem area, over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft. Within three months of Martha Carrier's arrest, in Andover alone, 40 warrants had been issued, naming members of some of the most prominent families in town. At one point every woman in Andover was blindfolded and led before the Salem girls to prove their innocence or guilt. When Magistrate Dudley Bradstreet threw down his pen and declared he would sign no more warrants, he himself was accused of being a witch. He and his family had to escape the town, fearing for their lives. In Salem, the 23 people who were hung, tortured or died in jail. A testament to her courage, Martha Carrier was the only person, of all those accused, that maintained her innocence to the end, "I would rather die than confess a falsehood so filthy."
Thomas and his family remained in Andover for a few years after his wife's trial. The first record of the Carriers in the Connetticut area comes in 1701, when Thomas Carrier built a house and then opened a sawmill on the Jeremy River. Records indicate that Carrier owned almost all the land then called North Westchester, which would eventually become part of Marlborough. Later on Thomas' sons would join him in Connecticut. Land was taken in Richard's name in Westchester in 1703, and a little later Andrew was also granted a plot. Thomas, Jr. remained in Andover for a while longer, then joined his brothers and father in 1716 as a Colchesterinhabitant.Thomas became known as the "Tall Man," having reached an unusual 7' 4" tall, with his strength and agility his pride at 100 years old. The Carrier Genealogy reports that Thomas, about 80 years old when he moved to North Westchester, would frequently walk to a grist mill in Glastonbury, a distance of eighteen miles. He would carry a bag of corn on his shoulders, walking very fast and erect, stopping only once to shift his load. He would have his corn ground and then walk back. Thomas Carrier died on May 18, 1735 at a ripe old age of 109. Some of the Carrier family members maintain he was actually 113 when he died. It is reported in the New England Journal on June 9, 1735 that, "His head, in his last years, not bald nor his hair grey. Not many days before his death he traveled on foot six miles to see a sick friend, and the day before he died he was visiting his neighbors. His mind was alert until he died, when he fell asleep in his chair and never woke up." Thomas left fivechildren, 39 grand children and 38 great grandchildren who would continue to fill the land with Carriers. But even after Thomas passed away his remnants would be shrouded in mystery. The original Carrier burial ground was not in a regular church cemetery, but located near Thomas' property on the Jeremy River. This small piece of land became lost and forgotten in the woods of Marlborough until construction on Rt. 2 in the1930s. While the local road crews were looking for gravel around town, they discovered the bodies buried in the Carrier plot located at the corner of South Main St. and Kellog Rd. The remains of the Carriers were reportedly taken to the Marlboro Cemetery, in Marlborough center, and given another burial. The monument which was erected is also a mystery, the names of Thomas' sons are repeated and seem confused. The town of Marlborough has no record of the movement of which body went where and who is responsible for erecting the monument. The fact that there are also at least two other people buried in the Carrier plot that were not moved only raises more questions. It is also strange that there are tombstones for Richard, Andrew and their wives in the Colchester Congregational Church, even though Andrew is listed twice on th Marlborough monument. It was a hard life for Thomas Carrier and his family. They had the unfortunate luck of being at the center of some of their era's most horrifying episodes, and the mystery continues.
She was arrested upon the complaint of Joseph Holton and John Walcott.
Four of her five children were taken with her to jail.
Her eight-year-old daughter, Sarah, admitted to being a witch since she was six. She told the court that her mother baptized her a witch in Andrew Foster's pasture.
Richard and Thomas Carrier also confessed to witchcraft, and blamed their mother for making them witches. Numerous others confessed that she also made them witches.
Martha denied the charges of witchcraft and making others witches.
She spoke her mind freely on her feelings of the Court of Oyer and Terminer and its methods.
The Rev. Francis Dane spoke in her defense and stated that she was a victim of gossip.
Almost 10 years after her hanging, her surviving family was paid 7 pounds and 6 shillings in restitution for her death.
From Diary of Judge Samuel Sewall (1674-1729)
19 AUG 1692 ....George Burroughs, John Willard, John Proctor, Martha Carrier and George Jacobs were executed at Salem, a very great number of Spectators being present. Cotton Mather, Simns, Hale, Noyes, and Cheever, etc. All of them said they were innocent, Carrier and all.