Mary Lovett Tyler and the Salem Witch Trials

For this week's 52 Ancestors 52 Weeks, Oct 29-Nov 4 - Spirits

I have an ancestor who was accused of being a witch in the Salem Witch Trials. Here's a repost of that blog from 2021:

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Mary Lovett Tyler and the Salem Witch Trials

I read a historical book about the Salem Witch Trials...which includes a lot of information about the events of the times, not just the trials, accusers and various accused persons. It is "In the Devil's Snare" by Mary Beth Norton, published 2002 by Vintage books. I'm having trouble concentrating, so it's slow going. But I wanted to add to my knowledge of my 8 times great grandmother, one of the accused.

Following is the post from 2018 which I shared here. 

Mary Lovett Tyler

1651–1732

Birth 7 MAR 1651/53 • Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts

Death 03 MAR 1732 • Preston City, New London, Connecticut,

Wife of Hopestill Tyler (See his blog Dec. 8, 2017)

Mary Lovett Tyler, Mrs. Hopestill Tyler, was accused of Witchcraft in Andover, Mass. in 1692, along with many other townspeople, men, women and children in other locations in New England.

There are original documents of her accusation...
and a good 4 pages of telling the story of her arrest, imprisonment, trial and acquittal.

I'll post them as well as tell a synopsis of the events.

NOT Mary Tyler, but a woman accused of being a witch, and those who tried to prosecute her.  Some women and men were hanged.

From Pequot Plantation by Radune.

How is she related to me?  She's my eight times great grandmother on my father's mother's family tree, which I call the Ada Swasey Rogers tree...she's way up there with some of the earliest immigrants to Massachusetts colony.  I've talked about her husband Here, and her husband's father, Job Tyler, HERE.

The following pages are from North America, Family Histories 1500-2000, author not cited at Ancestry.  First is a description of Hopestill Tyler (at bottom of page 25) second generation:

Top of page continuation about Hopestill's early life.
 Bottom of page 26, the story of Mary Tyler's Confession

Rev. Increase Mather states that Mary lied in her confession to being a witch to stop the verbal persecution she was enduring.

Mary is acquitted of the felony of witchcraft for which she had confessed. Her 3 daughters are also accused, but released when Hopestill pays a bond. According to Nevin's "Witchcraft in 1692" there were 11 Tylers named in list of the accused. There are no more details given of these accusations. I don't find a resource, but I believe she spent several weeks in jail.  Then the entire family moves out of state to Connecticut.

 Original transcript of 1692 witch trial of Mary Lovett Tyler

 Another page describing witch trials.

Mary and Hopestill Tyler had 11 children, the last 2 being twins born in 1687. Their children were either at home, or beginning their own lives as young adults.  Martha Tyler Farnham (their eldest and my ancestor) married right after (or during) the trials June 30, 1693, and I've written about them HERE.

Both Mary and Hopestill adjusted to their new home in Connecticut, where he continued to work as a a blacksmith.  They both joined the church there, as well as at least one of their sons. They both lived long lives, she died at age 81, and he was either 84 or 87 (due to differing dates on records.)

The Norton book has not added any specific details to Mary's story...(having looked through it to page 262 where Mary Tyler is mentioned.) I am not going to read the entire book, but will say that the frequent Indian attacks in New England seemed to have a lot to do with the various reports by children of witch attacks. I think Norton is merging these two horrific events in their lives, which sometimes resulted in legal ramifications, and sometimes didn't. And it's very interesting that so little has been said in American history classes about the frequent Indian attacks, which left many a homestead completely ruined as the people were killed. (Note, they called them Indian attacks, I still prefer Native Americans as the term to describe them. But we know who's land it had been before the colonists settled it.)

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And as more people have interest in the Salem Witch Trials, here's a 18 page article with bibliography describing them. It brings out how Mary's father was also accused earlier. It's a PDF file, so here's the link if you're interested.

The Tyler Family and the Salem Witch Trials, by Bruce M. Tyler, PhD.

I quote Mary Tyler from page 13...

“And, indeed, that confession that it is said we made was no other than what was suggested to us by some gentlemen, they telling us that we were witches, and they knew it, which made us think it was so; and, our understandings, our reason, our faculties almost gone, we were not capable of judging of our condition; as also the hard measures they used with us rendered us incapable of making our defense, but said any thing and every thing which they desired, and most of what we said was but in effect a consenting to what they said” (Upham, 2:402-4)." 

"How could confessing to witchcraft save their lives? Because the law had been turned on its head. Those who confessed to being witches and did not recant their confessions lived. Those who were convicted but would not confess and those who recanted their confessions were hanged. This trend had been developing in Salem, and the citizens of Andover had apparently figured out what was necessary to survive. Confessions and repentance indicated tacit approval of the system. (Konig, 175)"

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Also sharing with Sepia Saturday, which has a theme of portraits. My ancestress was accused, confessed and repented at the urging of clergy, and finally let go from the Salem Witch Trials (after paying some fine). No portrait needed.

Generation's Cafe is a closed Facebook Group, but applications are accepted if you're interested in ancestry!

Mary Lovett Tyler and the Salem Witch Trials

I'm currently reading a historical book about the Salem Witch Trials...which includes a lot of information about the events of the times, not just the trials, accusers and various accused persons. It is "In the Devil's Snare" by Mary Beth Norton, published 2002 by Vintage books. I'm having trouble concentrating, so it's slow going. But I wanted to add to my knowledge of my 8 times great grandmother, one of the accused.

Following is the post from 2018 which I shared here. 

Mary Lovett Tyler

1651–1732

Birth 7 MAR 1651/53 • Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts

Death 03 MAR 1732 • Preston City, New London, Connecticut,

Wife of Hopestill Tyler (See his blog Dec. 8, 2017)

Mary Lovett Tyler, Mrs. Hopestill Tyler, was accused of Witchcraft in Andover, Mass. in 1692, along with many other townspeople, men, women and children in other locations in New England.

There are original documents of her accusation...
and a good 4 pages of telling the story of her arrest, imprisonment, trial and acquital.

I'll post them as well as tell a synopsis of the events.

NOT Mary Tyler, but a woman accused of being a witch, and those who tried to prosecute her.  Some women and men were hanged.

From Pequot Plantation by Radune.

How is she related to me?  She's my eight times great grandmother on my father's mother's family tree, which I call the Ada Swasey Rogers tree...she's way up there with some of the earliest immigrants to Massachusetts colony.  I've talked about her husband Here, and her husband's father, Job Tyler, HERE.

The following pages are from North America, Family Histories 1500-2000, author not cited at Ancestry.  First is a description of Hopestill Tyler (at bottom of page 25).

Top of page is talking about Mary Post's trial for witchcraft, (we are not related to her.)  Hopestill Tyler info is at bottom of page

Top of page continuation about Hopestill's early life. Bottom of page 26, the story of Mary Tyler's Confession

Rev. Increase Mather states that Mary lied in her confession to being a witch to stop the verbal persecution she was enduring.

Mary is aquitted of the felony of witchcraft for which she had confessed. Her 3 daughters are also accused, but released when Hopestill pays a bond. According to Nevin's "Witchcraft in 1692" there were 11 Tylers named in list of the accused. There are no more details given of these accusations. I don't find a resource, but I believe she spent several weeks in jail.  Then the entire family moves out of state to Connecticut.

 Original transcript of 1692 witch trial of Mary Lovett Tyler

 Another page describing witch trials.

Mary and Hopestill Tyler had 11 children, the last 2 being twins born in 1687. Their children were either at home, or begining their own lives as young adults.  Martha Tyler Farnham (their eldest and my ancestor) married right after (or during) the trials June 30, 1693, and I've written about them HERE.

Both Mary and Hopestill adjusted to their new home in Connecticut, where he continued to work as a a blacksmith.  They both joined the church there, as well as at least one of their sons.  They both lived long lives, she died at age 81, and he was either 84 or 87 (due to differing dates on records.)

The Norton book has not added any specific details to Mary's story...(having looked through it to page 262 where Mary Tyler is mentioned.) I am not going to read the entire book, but will say that the frequent Indian attacks in New England seemed to have a lot to do with the various reports by children of witch attacks. I think Norton is merging these two horrific events in their lives, which sometimes resulted in legal ramifications, and sometimes didn't. And it's very interesting that so little has been said in American history classes about the frequent Indian attacks, which left many a homestead completely ruined as the people were killed.

Mary Lovett Tyler (1653 - 1732)

Mary Lovett Tyler

1651–1732

Birth 7 MAR 1651/53 • Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts

Death 03 MAR 1732 • Preston City, New London, Connecticut,

Wife of Hopestill Tyler (See his blog Dec. 8, 2017)

Mary Lovett Tyler, Mrs. Hopestill Tyler, was accused of Witchcraft in Salem, Mass. in 1692, along with many other townspeople, men, women and children.

There are original documents of her accusation...
and a good 4 pages of telling the story of her arrest, imprisonment, trial and acquital.

I'll post them as well as tell a synopsis of the events.

NOT Mary Tyler, but a woman accused of being a witch, and those who tried to prosecute her.  Some women and men were hanged.

From Pequot Plantation by Radune.

How is she related to me?  She's my eight times great grandmother on my father's mother's family tree, which I call the Ada Swasey Rogers tree...she's way up there with some of the earliest immigrants to Massachusetts colony.  I've talked about her husband Here, and her husband's father, Job Tyler, HERE.

The following pages are from North America, Family Histories 1500-2000, author not cited at Ancestry.  First is a description of Hopestill Tyler (at bottom of page 25).

Top of page is talking about Mary Post's trial for witchcraft, (we are not related to her.)  Hopestill Tyler info is at bottom of page

Top of page continuation about Hopestill's early life. Bottom of page 26, the story of Mary Tyler's Confession

Rev. Increase Mather states that Mary lied in her confession to being a witch to stop the verbal persecution she was enduring.

Mary is aquitted of the felony of witchcraft for which she had confessed. Her 3 daughters are also accused, but released when Hopestill pays a bond. According to Nevin's "Witchcraft in 1692" there were 11 Tylers named in list of the accused. There are no more details given of these accusations. I don't find a resource, but I believe she spent several weeks in jail.  Then the entire family moves out of state to Connecticut.

 Original transcript of 1692 witch trial of Mary Lovett Tyler

 Another page describing witch trials.

Mary and Hopestill Tyler had 11 children, the last 2 being twins born in 1687. Their children were either at home, or begining their own lives as young adults.  Martha Tyler Farnham (their eldest and my ancestor) married right after (or during) the trials June 30, 1693, and I've written about them HERE.

Both Mary and Hopestill adjusted to their new home in Connecticut, where he continued to work as a a blacksmith.  They both joined the church there, as well as at least one of their sons.  They both lived long lives, she died at age 81, and he was either 84 or 87 (due to differing dates on records.)

Hopestill Tyler 1646–1734

Hopestill Tyler

1646–1734

Birth 28 JAN 1646 • Andover, Essex, Massachusetts Colony

Death 20 JAN 1734 • Preston City, New London, Conn

Hopestill was one of twins born to Job Tyler (his life in this blog HERE) and Mary Horton Tyler, (She's in this blog here) but his twin, John, didn't live through his birth.  Hopestill was thus the second son born in the family in which 6 of the 9 born lived to adulthood )

His father, Job Tyler (1617-1700) apprenticed him to Thomas Chandler and father Job decided for some reason to back out of the agreement.  He even stole the document of the apprenticeship from the home of Nathan Parker where it was being kept.  And this dispute was in various courts over a 10 year period, with the conclusion that, due to Job Tyler being poor, he would need to pay "not more than six pounds", and write an apology to be posted in both Andover and Roxbury, to be legible, and to remain up for 14 days, starting Jan 25, 1665.  The confession is transcribed in the source document North America, Family Histories 1500-2000, p 7. It is amusing in that he continues to slander Thomas Chandler by repeating his derogatory comments about him, while asking his forgiveness.

Hopestill married by 1667 when he was 20 or 21 years old.  Since the court case was finally adjudicated in 1665, he could have completed an apprenticeship easily in that time, and started his own business. (NOTE: SEE BELOW!)

He married Mary Lovett, who's father Daniel Lovett performed the ceremony.  The Hopestill Tylers had 10 children, of which at least the last birth was twins.  They lived either in Mendon, Roxbury or Andover, MA at different times.

However, this family was caught up in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, with his wife, Mary and three of their daughters being accused of witchcraft. 

I will dedicate a separate post to Mary Lovett Tyler.  But Hopestill and his whole family moved away from Andover MA to Preston, CT as a result of the hysteria and defamation of his family. He sold his Andover property in 1697.  (Source: Pequot Plantation: The Story of an Early Colonial Settlement, Richard A. Radune)

In 1698 Hopestill joined the church in Preston, CT, and a year later his wife did. 

His headstone once said something, but the Preston City Cemetery record only says:

Hopestill Tyler, died Oct. 7, 1762, age 78 (SEE BELOW FOR ANOTHER LISTING)

Preston Cemetery, CT

I just found a great description of Hopestill's life at the Find a Grave site...and I'll include it here to answer some of my questions.  More of it is also saved for other family member's histories.

Third of eight children, third son and twin of fourth son of Job Tyler (1619-1700) and Mary Horton (1619-1700). Husband of Mary Lovett married 28 Jan 1668 in Menden, Worcester, MA.  Father of: * Mary Tyler 1669-1733 * Daniel Tyler Sr. 1673-1734 * Martha Tyler 1676-1741 * John Tyler 1677-1754 * Hannah b abt 1679 * Johannah/Joanna Tyler 1681-1717 * James Tyler b 1683 * Hopestill Tyler Jr. 1685-1762 * Abigail Tyler 1687-1771 * Mehitable Tyler 1687-1771 Hopestill would move from Andover to Roxbury when driven away from their forest home by Indians, yet returned within a few years with their eight children and returned to the business of black smithing. In 1692, Mary and her daughter, Joanna were among the women accused of witchcraft and confessed after torture, were arrested in August, January 13, 1693 were released for one hundred pounds guarantee, found guilty and finally released in February. Several Tyler men of Andover did their fair share of accusations as well. After all was said and done, Hopestill sold all their belongings and moved to Preston, CT where they lived until he died. Found and shared by Findagrave volunteer Richard Chichester: Hopestill Tyler was the village blacksmith and resided in the forest a mile east of the church. A part of the dwelling-house erected by him, including the stone chimney, still remains, the rest of the building having been burned and rebuilt. He was the son of Job and Mary Tyler of Andover, Mass., where he was born in 1645. The father, according to tradition, was from Shropshire, England, and first appears in Andover about 1640. Hopestill Tyler was made a freeman in Mendon, Mass., in 1673, was driven by the Indians to Roxbury, and at length returned to Andover. An old record says that he was apprenticed a blacksmith, and in 1687 his native town "granted him liberty to set up a shop in ye street near his house." Soon after this the witchcraft persecution began, and Mrs. Tyler and two daughters were imprisoned at Salem. They were acquitted, however, in 1693. Perhaps, in part, because of this persecution, in 1697 he sold his land and removed to Preston. The value of the smith's craft to the community in the early days is illustrated by the vote of Preston [Andover more likely] in 1693, offering fifty acres of land to a smith who should settle there, upon certain conditions, one of which was that "he doe ingage to supply the town with smith work five yere." That Mr. Tyler availed himself of this offer, when he removed to Preston four years later, does not clearly appear. He survived his wife, who died March 3, 1732, and died at Preston Jan. 20, 1733. Both were interred in the public cemetery at Preston City. ~The Bi-centennial Celebration: First Congregational Church of Preston, Connecticut, 1698-1898. Together with Statistics of the Church Taken from the Church Records; Conn Preston First Congregational Church; Richard H. Gidman; The Society, 1900. Family links:  Parents:   Job Tyler (1619 - 1700)   Mary Horton Tyler (1619 - 1700)  Spouse:   Mary Lovett Tyler (1653 - 1732)*  Children:   Mary Tyler Farnum (1669 - ____)*   Martha Tyler Geer (1676 - 1741)*   James Tyler (1683 - 1754)*   Hopestill Tyler (1685 - 1762)*   Abigail Tyler Fitch (1687 - 1771)*  Siblings:   Moses Tyler (1641 - 1727)*   Hopestill Tyler (1646 - 1734)   Samuel Tyler (1655 - 1695)*   John Tyler (1659 - 1742)* *Calculated relationship Inscription: 'In memory of Mr. Hopstill Tyler who dyed January ye 20th 1734 in the 89th year of his age.'
Burial: Preston City Cemetery Preston New London County Connecticut, USA Plot:
Maintained by: Anne Shurtleff Stevens Originally Created by: LindaCh5 Record added: Mar 10, 2007 Find A Grave Memorial# 18323382

Hopestill Tyler is my 8th great grandfather on the Swasey Family tree.

Today's Quote:

The older I get, the greater power I seem to have to help the world; I am like a snowball -- the further I am rolled the more I gain. Susan B. Anthony