My Grandmother the Witch (standard:non fiction, 1042 words)
Author: Lou Hill	Added: Apr 25 2002	Views/Reads: 3137/2130	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Delving into family history reveal an eerie surprise.

MY GRANDMOTHER THE WITCH 

Vermont writer Joseph Citro, author of "Green Mountain Ghosts, Ghouls
and Unsolved Mysteries" and "Passing Strange," often bemoans the fact 
that he has never experienced any paranormal events similar to those 
which play such an important part in his writing, both fiction and 
non-fiction. 

Joe has never seen a ghost, nor has he ever encountered one of the
strange creatures that are said to inhabit the forests and lakes of the 
Green Mountain State about which he has so often reported.  He has 
never been abducted by aliens  or much less spotted a UFO.  However, if 
you are ever able to attend one of his speaking engagements, you might 
be fortunate enough to hear the story about the time he "thought" he 
had seen a UFO. 

In that respect Joe and I are kindred spirits.  I have never experienced
anything that could even vaguely be considered as worthy of mention in 
the "X Files" or "Unsolved Mysteries."   However I have just discovered 
something that puts me one up on Joe.  I have a great grandmother who 
was a witch!  Yes a bonafide, tried and convicted witch of the 17th 
century. 

Those of you who may have read a story I wrote few years back titled
"Shaking the Family Tree" know that I am a dyed-in-the-wool genealogy 
nut.  Recently I made an excursion to the Vermont Historical Society's 
Library located in the old Pavilion Building in Montpelier.  This 
outstanding collection of material includes a large number of volumes 
of various family histories.  While browsing through the shelves I 
discovered a fairly large volume on the Foster family, one of the 
"limbs" of my tree.   I located the pages that referred to one my 
grandfathers, Andrew Foster, and found quite a bit written about him. 

However, it was the information on his wife Ann that caught my eye. 
According to the author she had been tried and convicted of witchcraft 
and sentenced to death by hanging.  Her crimes: bewitching a hog 
belonging to John Lovejoy, causing the death of one of Andrew Allen's 
children, making another child sick and "hurting" one Timothy Swan.  
Crimes to which she readily confessed! 

According the book her manner of "hurting" was to make images of person
with rags called "poppets."  She would then stick pins in them or "tye 
knots in the rags" or burn them in the fire.  The persons who these 
images were supposed to represent would suffer whenever she pinched or 
burned or pricked the "poppet." 

In addition to the aforementioned "crimes," she described extraordinary
apparitions, which she had seen.  "Birds with great eyes which first 
were white and became black when they flew away by which she knew they 
were devils."  She claimed to have attended "witch meetings" and seen 
over 300 witches. 

All of this took place not in Salem as one might expect, but rather in
nearby Andover, Massachusetts.  The year was 1692 during the peak of 
the witchcraft frenzy. 

Ann Foster was an aged woman, recently widowed and, by all accounts,
extremely pious.  So pious, in fact, that there was little doubt that 
she was led to charge herself with the sin of witchcraft in all 
sincerity and contrition.  She was evidently weak in mind and body, 
although several years earlier she had acted with efficiency as the 
executrix of her husband Andrew's estate.  Still she was ready at the 
trial to confess almost anything which was suggested against her. 

Imagine this poor doddering, feeble creature, dragged from her home,
thrown into jail and then "examined" at length on four different days, 
July 15, 16, 18 and 21. 

Time and time again she repeated her confession of these crimes, but on
one point she was obstinate.  She would accuse herself to any extent, 
but she would not accuse her daughter even though this same child would 
later admit that she was a witch and blamed on her mother's influence. 

"Your daughter (Mary Foster Lacey) was with you and Goody Carrier when
you did ride upon the (broom) stick?" 


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