He has come for me. Just as he said he would. He is only a few steps away when he lifts his hand.
I reach for him, watching the distance between our fingers close in until I have nearly touched him.
I am suddenly jerked away from his reach, just before he can touch me. My body swings cruelly away, and many in the crowd avert their eyes. But George is still there, his gaze steady.
He moves closer and closer, and when my body swings toward him again, he only smiles softly and waits.
It doesn’t take long for the breath to leave my body, coursing through my lungs one last time, then ebbing out in spurts. And as my breath fades into nothingness, my hand connects with George’s, and our fingers thread together.
I look behind me, at the hanging body that was once mine—now the body of an old and broken woman, who lived a good many years, most of them in happiness, taking care of children, my parents, and my George. But even as the good memories of a lifetime swirl around me, I know that I will spend eternity forgetting these past three months of hell.
Looking into George’s eyes, tears spill from my eyes. I didn’t know it was possible to cry when one has died, but it seems the emotions are still real and full.
“Susannah,” he says, pulling me into his arms.
I dissolve into him, and we stand there for many moments. I no longer hear the crowds, I no longer see my silent empty body, and I no longer feel the pain.
All I can see and hear now is my loving George.
And then I know. I have arrived in Paradise at last.
The Witch’s Daughter
“Let Goody Martin rest in peace,
I never knew her to harm a fly,
And witch or not – God knows – not I?
I know who swore her life away;
And as God lives, I’d not condemn
An Indian dog on word of them.”
—John Greenleaf Whittier, 1857
Direct descendant of Susannah Martin
For the purposes of the story and the interactions between the prisoners, I have placed them in close proximity to each other. This is a brief summary of their actual locations and arrest dates:
Susannah North Martin: age 71, arrested April 30, 1692. She was held in Salem Jail, then hanged in Salem at Gallows Hill on July 19, 1692.
Sarah Good: age 39, arrested March 1, 1692, held in Ipswich, then moved to Salem Jail on March 5. She was tried in Salem Town House, and hanged in Salem on July 19, 1692.
Mercy Good: infant daughter of Sarah Good. Mercy was born in jail, and later died in jail sometime before July 19, 1692. Boston Prison warden John Arnold spent ten shillings to provide two blankets for Mercy.
Dorothy (Dorcas) Good: age 4, daughter of Sarah Good. Dorothy was arrested March 24, 1692, and held in Salem Jail with her mother. She was released from jail December 10, 1692 on £50 bond. She never recovered mentally.
Elizabeth How(e): age 57, arrested May 28, 1692, held in Boston Jail, then transferred to Salem Jail. She was tried in Salem and hanged on Gallows Hill on July 19, 1692.
Rebecca Nurse: age 71, accused March 12, 1692, arrested March 23. She was held in Salem Jail and despite a petition of thirty-five people protesting her charges, she was hanged on July 19, 1692.
Sarah Wildes: age 65, arrested April 21, 1692. She was held in Salem Prison and hanged on July 19, 1692.
Roger Toothaker: age 58, arrested May 18, 1692, held in Boston prison. Later transferred to Salem Jail where he died on June 16, 1692.
Bridget Bishop: age 60, arrested April 19. Held in Salem Jail. She was the first woman hanged in Salem, June 10, 1692.
No historical records reveal what the first accusation was against Susannah Martin in 1647 or 1648. She was fined twenty shillings, and her seat placement in the Meeting House changed. Her husband, George, objected to her seat placement, which he probably felt was below her status in the community. In this story, I’ve recreated a conflict in order to satisfy the demands of this event.
As with all works of historical fiction, the research efforts are immense. With this story in particular, I knew I had to satisfy seasoned historians and family records that spanned across generations. This is why I decided not to focus so much on the accusations and the trial proceedings, because I felt those did not need to be duplicated. Instead, I focused on the life and loves of Susannah North Martin. While researching her history, I was struck by the impression that she and her husband had an incredibly strong marriage and a prodigious love for each other. Time and time again, George defended Susannah in court against various accusations. They raised nine children together. They loved and lost, rejoiced and grieved, and despite the volatile community in which they raised their family, in the end, they triumphed over what any court of law might accuse them of. Susannah went to her death on Gallows Hill with a clear conscience, ready to meet her Maker and to be reunited with her dear George.
This novel has been a work in progress since early 2012. Many thanks to my readers and support network over the past five years: Mindy Holt, Taffy Lovell, Jeff Savage, Robison Wells, Annette Lyon, Michele Paige Holmes, Sarah Eden, Lu Ann Staheli, Jaime Theler, Theresa Sneed, Julianne Clegg, and Gayle Brown, who all contributed to the production of this manuscript in various ways. I’m grateful for my agent, Jane Dystel, and her faith in me. And I’m grateful to editor Jennie Stevens who helped fine-tune the story and made some amazing “saves”. Thanks as well to proofreader Corey Pulver, photographer Brekke Felt, model Dana Moore, cover designer Rachael Anderson, and formatter Heather Justesen. My stories would be black ink on plain white paper without the talents of so many. And finally, thanks to my husband and children and my extended family, and especially my father, Scott Kent Brown, whose lineage descends from Susannah Martin.
Heather B. Moore writes historical thrillers under the pen name H.B. Moore; her latest thrillers include Slave Queen and The Killing Curse. Under the name Heather B. Moore, she writes romance and women’s fiction; her newest releases are the USA Today bestseller Heart of the Ocean and the historical romance Love is Come. She’s also one of the coauthors of the USA Today bestselling series: A Timeless Romance Anthology.
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Family Search “Susannah North Martin: Witch Trial Story” https://familysearch.org/photos/stories/1240545 Web access: January 2015
Find a Grave “George Martin” http://www.findagrave.com/cgibin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=43226990 Web access: January 2015
Find a Grave “Susannah North Martin”
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8292 Web access: January 2015
Geni “Susannah Martin (North)” http://www.geni.com/people/SusannahMartin/6000000003615754555 Web access: January 2015
History of American Women “Elizabeth Howe” http://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2008/05/elizabeth-jackson-howe.html Web access: January 2015
History of American Women “Sarah Wildes”
http://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2008/05/sarah-averill-wildes.html Web access: January 2015
History of Massachusetts “Susannah Martin: Accused Witch of Salisbury” http://historyofmassachusetts.org/susannah-martin-accused-witch-from-salisbury/ Web access: January 2015
History of Massachusetts “The Trial of Rebecca Nurse”
http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-trial-of-rebecca-nurse/ web access: January 2015
History.com “This Da
y in History”
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-salem-witch-hanging Web access: January 2015
Legends of America “Elizabeth Howe”
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ma-witches-h.html Web access: January 2015
Legends of America “Rebecca Nurse”
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ma-witches-k-n.html Web access: January 2015
Miner Descent “Richard North”
http://minerdescent.com/2010/10/27/richard-north/ Web access: January 2015
Legends of America “Roger Toothaker”
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ma-witches-t.html Web access: January 2015
Legends of America “Sarah Good”
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ma-witches-f-g.html Web access: January 2015
Legends of America “Sarah Wildes”
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ma-witches-u-z.html Web access: January 2015
Legends of America “Susannah North Martin”
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ma-witches-k-n.html Web access: January 2015
New England Families “Susannah Martin” http://nefamilies.com/fam/groupsheetI100002806.aspx Web access: January 2015
Roots Web “Depositions”
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nwa/atk.html Web access: January 2015
Roots Web “Susannah North Martin”
http://www.rootsweb.com/~nwa/sm.html Web access: January 2015
Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription “Bridget Bishop” http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people?mbio.num=mb1 Web access: January 2015
Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription “Project Search the Salem Witch Trial Papers” http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/texts/salemSearch.htm?rows=10&start=0&field_limit=tei&q=Susannah+Martin&query=marsus Web access: January 2015
Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription “Rebecca Nurse” http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people?group.num=all&mbio.num=mb21 Web access: January 2015
Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription “Salem Village Witchcraft Victims’ Memorial at Danvers” Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription. Web access: January 2015
Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription “Sarah Good” http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people/good.html Web access: January 2015
Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription “Sarah Osborne” http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people/osborne.html Web access: January 2015
Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription “Susannah Martin” http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people?group.num=all&mbio.num=mb17 Web access: January 2015
The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-to-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege, by Marilynne K. Roach. Taylor Trade Publishing. October 25, 2004.
Wikipedia “Susannah Martin”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susannah_Martin Web access: January 2015
Wiki Tree “Mary (North) Jones”
http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/North-171 Web access: January 2015
My Family Lineage
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
About Heather B. Moore
Research References
Condemn Me Not: Accused of Witchcraft Page 19
