Afterthoughts & Modifications

As with any publishing, there needs to be a way to make changes to Gardner's Beacon issues after the release. Several are pending, but we're starting with the recent release and its counterpart from 2011. Entries will be separate, with a header. But, they will be in reverse order.

See, Afterthoughts & Modifications at the Beacon site.

• Vol. II, No. 6 -- Following changes incorporated into a 2nd Edition on Dec. 30, 2012: Page 1, change 1592 to 1492. (Before 1623/24), Son, Richard, was born in 1621. Page 2 (1623/24), Thomas, George, and Richard came with their parents. Page 3 (1630), Winthrop went southwest rather than west. (1635), remove that Richard was born in 1632. Page 5 (1935), change to John Lowell Gardner II. (1999 New entry), On March 20, David Goss talked to the ESOG about the old planters who received land in Beverly. Thomas Gardner was not in that group see (Discussion).
  ... This Annals view is sketchy, at this point, and not complete. It will be filled in (and edited) so as to provide a sound point of reference.
• Vol. II, No.5 -- In regard to the 1992 exoneration, it should read that, in that year, the Massachusetts House of Representatives issued "a resolution honoring those who died" during the time of the trials. In 2001, Governor Jane Smith signed an exoneration for the remaining five: Bridget Bishop, Susannah Martin, Alice Parker, Wilmot Redd and Margaret Scott. Others had been exonerated,earlier.
• ...
• Vol. I, No. 4 -- Where there is reference to Giles Corey's sons (2nd page, 1st column, last paragraph), it ought to have been his sons-in-laws (and his daughters). 
• ...

Remarks:

02/12/2019 -- Gardner's Beacon is now in its ninth volume (last issue, Vol. VIII, No. 2). As well, we have a new site at which we'll work at new ideas for presentation: TGSoc.org. On the Publications page, we will provide an additional facility for handling submissions of Comment & Criticism. This was a section in Dr. Frank's The Massachusetts Magazine. The Gardner Annals is now in its fifth volume. We have had two print releases, so far: Vols I & II and Vols III & IV which included issues of Gardner's Beacon, Vols I thru III and Vols IV thru VII, respectively.

08/15/2014 -- See Source Change, Vol. IV, No 1. Issue of references: Genseric (the Vandal) or John Fiske (we know the latter is the author - the question arises: why lift this whole book to a particular site when archive.org has a perfectly good digital copy that is free to read? is it not obvious that duplicates, such as this, can cause some problems to come to fore?).

03/27/2014 -- While reviewing the site, I found a couple of misspeaks in Vol. I, No. 3.

12/30/2012 -- More corrections added. Set up for, and publish, the 2nd edition. 

Modified: 02/12/2019

Imagine a meeting

In the context of the last Beacon (Vol. II, No. 5) which considered the roles involved with the unfolding of the events of 1692 in Salem, the point was that many, who are alive now, have a mixture of ancestors who would have been, collectively, in all of the roles. So, then, one might think of calling a family meeting to discuss what was going on, in their heads, at that time.

This type of gathering could not have happened at that time. The 'family' is a larger collection, having been built up through time. And, it's the insulation of the years, and generations, that allows our viewpoint and creates the fan-in of influence from several converging family lines.

---

Victim 
(poor little dear)
& Bullies

At the meeting, we would not invite the accused or executed to sit at the table. They are those who bore the consequences. We'll let them observe, quietly. Not that those who were accused are a small group.

For a modern individual's tree, the accused group could contain tens of people, with more than a handful having paid the ultimate price. Some of the families might be like the following list: Aslet, Ayer, Barker, Bradbury, Bradstreet, Clements, Dane, Dutch, Hawkes, Hooper, Howe, Jackson, Johnson, Lord, Marston, Osgood, Parker, Perkins, Pratt, Solart, Wardwell, Wilson, Wright.

---

01/26/2013 -- Reading Frances Hill caused me to re-look at this page. It's obvious that we need to mention Sarah Solart Poole Good who was an aunt and who needs special mention due to the ordeal of her young daughter, Dorothy, who was less than five years old and who was seriously abused by the elders that she had the misfortune to live under. (see Wikipedia: Sarah, Dorothy)

---

We want to talk to those who felt that they had to mete out the consequences.

What about the accusers? That's a whole different issue.

---

What we want to do is gather together those who were responsible  for damaging lives plus those who were very much vocal in opposition to what ensued. Perhaps, some understanding might come forth. Plenty has been written about the subject, including several well-known literary pieces.

---

By the way, a modern collective viewpoint would not have been possible at the time that Nathaniel was considering the role of his ancestor and possible invitees.

Invitees? Suppose that we took a cut across a tree at a certain generation (plus or minus) of that time. Tree? Yes, starting with a modern person, such as yourself, you have your parents, then their parents, and so forth (a power of two). We can pick any generation and collect the people who were alive then. We would select a number of young adults (which would be large group given how far back we are talking). For each of these young adults, we could consider a relationship with the person who [would] be invited to the meeting. Remember, these young adults, being on the tree, are great-grandparents of the current person who is anchoring the tree and that they were alive during those times.

Hence, that young adult would have parents and grand-parents. As well, there would be aunts and uncles and cousins (usual affair, with siblings of parent and niece/nephew of the parent). The prior generation for this young adult (or these young adults) would have 'great' attached to it with the usual meaning (great-grandparent or great-aunt or great-uncle). Now, great-cousin, of course, would be the cousin of the parent.

The Invitee list, shown below, is an example of what could come off of a modern tree.

---

02/01/2013 -- Aside: As far back as are these times of turmoil, everyone has over a thousand ancestors in the mix. So, having a large fan-in from all of these players is not unusual. Being able to document the fact is where the issues arise.

---

The table is not meant to be complete or considered as such. Rather it is to illustrate a point and to facilitate the look backs that will be coming. Too, it shows the mixtures that are possible and that are of interest.

Invitee	Relationship	Role
John Hathorne	Great-uncle	Judge
Jonathan Corwin	Uncle	Judge
George Corwin	Cousin	Sheriff
Cotton Mather	Cousin	Supporting minister
Deodat Lawson	In-law	Supporting minister
John Dane	Grandfather	Juror
Joseph Eveleth	Grandfather	Juror
Henry Herrick	Great-grandfather	Juror
Nicholas Noyes	Uncle	Officiating minister
Thomas Perkins	Cousin	Juror
	The following were critical of (opposed to) the proceedings
Francis Dane	Great-uncle	Critical minister
Elizabeth Hathorne	Grandmother	Critical laity
Israel Porter	Grandfather	Critical laity
John Wise	Grandfather	Critical minister

What  a mix! We see plenty who sat in judgment. Too, there are those who provided the rationale, usually with the devil as a central theme. Then, we have four who were anti-trial, God bless their souls.

There are many other mixtures that it would be interesting to hear about.

In this case, it is nice to see the opposition set, that was quite vocal, yet ineffective sometimes (not in all cases, as there were successful attempts to save the accused). There are many ways to look at these types of mixtures; but, each time that there is a re-look, it's not hard to find parallels with today's problems.

Perhaps, that is part of the eternal fascination with Salem of 1692. Looking at this event speaks some type of truth.

Remarks:

10/10/2018 -- Pulling together the posts related to the witch trials for future discussion.

05/16/2015 -- anceSTORY's article on Mary Perkins Bradbury.

10/31/2014 -- Gardner Research: "The Trials of the Wilson Family" (also, TEG (2014) 34:155).

10/30/2013 -- I am in the process of reading Katherine Howe's book, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. Dane, as in being related to Francis, of course. I wondered if there would be motivating material for a Beacon issue (we did have 1692 as a theme in 2011 and 2012). It is an interesting plot, especially the balancing of the characters, and their interactions, in two time periods is nice. The description that Katherine provides of little Dorcas Good in the underground cell surely depicts the poor, young thing's misery and shows Katherine's grasping of the horror. One wonders, from some of the modern views and comments, if people really understand the dire situation. Too, the main hypothesis might have some truth, in a slightly altered construction. You see, science has not shown as much light on human matters as some might think. But, then, for any knowledge that we have gained, we have also seen that the unknowns do not diminish. It's just that we get better able to cover (as in, remove from awareness) the holes in which lurk the demons.

09/04/2013 -- Again, the scene is built as follows. Those who came over are from the 10th to 13th generations back (for the most part) for someone alive now. By the time of 1692, lots of the earlier arrivals had passed on. So, that left the second generation (again, for the most part) as the elders. Now, taking a cohort mix (generational cut) round or about 1692 would give us someone on the current person's tree who would have about three generations living (including the level of their own cohorts). So, we would see siblings/cousins, parents/aunts/uncles, and the greats. In other words, it's a composite person that is built from that cohort mix (meaning, of course, that being on the tree implies ancestry) for which we can identify relationships blood (including 1/2 blood), in-law, and even friends. What Marjorie's chart does is to take someone who is in the mix and look at extended relationships. Now, consider what we would have if we did that for a large part of the composite mix. Would it not be an interesting view?

09/03/2013 -- Boosted up the font on the image caption after reading of Rev. Francis Dane's extended family and their ordeals.

06/10/2013 -- Having spent some time collecting text-oriented media (books, etc.), decided to see what video has to offer. After all, that technology is the core of many new formats for socializing. Well, there is a lot of organizing to do of this information (and other media, to boot). For instance, there are many educational items, going back to the early years of filming (tape based). Then, we have the more recent. After running across this little thing by Lady Gaga, had to put a link here for future reference. She does, after all, have French Canadian roots, meaning ties to these times, albeit in a locale a little distant from the mad milieu. Then, one can find a copy of Kirstie Alley's movie on youtube. So, media, examples, and good context ought to be the task.

02/10/2013 -- Fan-in from the turmoil of all types of ancestors.

02/01/2013 -- Hill's book is a great resource for the newcomer. There was some history to discuss prior to the event, and she lays things out in an almost chronological framework. Not sure that I agree with her assessments in a few areas, but that's to be discussed later. Turns out that here may be some associations (primarily, in-law) with the accusers in the above context of a meeting but haven't seen any as ancestors, as of yet. It's interesting that Gen. Israel Putnam was a son of Joseph who sided with Israel Porter who is mentioned a few times as voicing opposition.

01/26/2013 -- Special mention of Sarah Good and her daughter, Dorothy (toddler).

11/14/2012 -- Throughout history, witch hunt occurs so much that we can consider it to be a meme (we'll get back to that theme).

11/12/2012 -- Added in the names of some of the families of the accused as family members would have experienced the turmoils, too; also, friends would have felt an impact. It's hard to image this type of thing in our generally peaceful times, at least domestically. Yet, we see 'witch hunt' used quite a bit nowadays. The image shows one harmless victim being harassed along the road to trial or to jail.

Modified: 10/10/2018

Gardner's Beacon, Vol. II, No. 5

Salem's reputation is always of interest, but it is even more so at this time of the year. We stop to take a look at the events related to witch trials, from the perspective of those who were there and whose descendants, in these current times, are spread far and wide.

---

In the issue, we look at how some descendants have worked to establish Memorials in the area. For instance, the TerCentenary Memorial, put into place in 1997, was re-opened in September of this year after being closed from some refurbishment. The dedication ceremony was attended by members of The Associated Daughters of Early American Witches (ADEAW). The group was founded in 1987 for those women who directly descend from someone who was accused during that time. Those accused were both women and men.

---

John Goff writes about his preservation efforts for the Pioneer Village in Salem which was built for the 300th anniversary of the founding. See Vol. II, No 4 for a look at Dow's work. George Francis Dow included a replica of the Great House (Cape Ann) that was moved to Salem by Endicott in the village (Pioneer Village) put together for the 300th anniversary of Salem around 1930.

John also did preservation work in the area of the Corwin House (2009, google.com, amazon.com) which is of interest to the theme of this issue. This house is one of the few remaining artifacts that can be associated with the period. In his book, John describes nicely the area of Naumkeag (later Salem), before the advent of the English planters in order to establish the fact of long time occupation. In fact, the area was frequently used by the American Indians for catching and handling seafood. John's book looks at the families who were involved with the house or who lived in the immediate area.

We will look further at what we can learn from John's book. He makes a brief mention of Rev. John White. As well, John wants us to better understand the American Indian frameworks (see King Philip, for example) in order to improve our appreciation.

---

The current issue also takes a look at the fact that current descendants may have a mixture of lines, basically being an offspring from those who were in most of the roles that were played out during the unfolding of the mania. That, of course, includes those who were critical from the beginning and who were of sufficient authority to speak out (unfortunately, the Court did not listen), as well as those who were accused and, even, those with official duties. So, we ought to consider the types of roles played and what they might mean. Many of those who were jurors later apologized, deeply. And, there was official cleansing of those accused, albeit for some not until the 20th century. Finally, we always must remember those executed and the meaning of their lives.

---

See Vol. II, No. 5 of Gardner's Beacon for these considerations of the events of 1692, at Salem and its surrounds.

References: See References, Vol. I., No. 4, Goff ... Salem's Witch House: A Touchstone to Antiquity ... , Linder ... Salem Witchcraft Trials, 1692 ...,   

Remarks:

09/19/2018 -- Pulling together the posts related to the witch trials for future discussion. 

10/30/2013 -- I am in the process of reading Katherine Howe's book, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. Dane, as in being related to Francis, of course. I wondered if there would be motivating material for a Beacon issue (we did have 1692 as a theme in 2011 and 2012 - we'll do a post on this subject sometime other that the Halloween period). It is an interesting plot, especially the balancing of the characters, and their interactions, in two time periods is nice. The description that Katherine provides of little Dorcas Good in the underground cell surely depicts the poor, young thing's misery and shows Katherine's grasping of the horror. One wonders, from some of the modern views and comments, if people really understand the dire situation. Too, the main hypothesis might have some truth, in a slightly altered construction. You see, science has not shown as much light on human matters as some might think. But, then, for any knowledge that we have gained, we have also seen that the unknowns do not diminish. It's just that we get better able to cover (as in, remove from awareness) the holes in which lurk the demons.

09/03/2013 -- Boosted up the font on the image caption after reading of Rev. Francis Dane's extended family and their ordeals.

02/10/2013 -- Fan-in from the turmoil of all types of ancestors.

01/26/2013 -- Updated this post to add reference to Sarah Solart Poole Good and her four-year old daughter, Dorothy. The tot was imprisoned and interrogated by the idiot elders. Sarah was one of those who were executed.

10/29/2012 -- See Afterthoughts & Modifications.

10/29/2012 -- Imagine a meeting.

Modified: 09/19/2018

Who am I?

--- Who am I? --

I was the eldest daughter of a ruler who wanted to establish relationships with another country. So, my father married me off at the young age of 12 to someone old enough to be my grandfather. When this guy died, his son married me despite the fact that people didn't like it and talked about us. But, the son died in a few years, too. So, I was left alone with no husband or children. By then, I was still a young teenager. My father put me into a convent for protection. However, I met this dashing young gentleman, who didn't have my pedigree but had my heart, with whom I eloped. Our marriage made my father furious, of course. He tried to track us down, but my husband was clever enough for us to avoid my father's thugs. We even made it to another country so that we could appeal to someone with higher authority. We found support which forced my father to accept our marriage. But, my father gave my husband the worse part of his realm to govern. Nevertheless, we were able to find success and happiness. That part of my father's realm became the best part. With my husband, I had three sons, but I didn't get to see them grow. I died in my 26th year. Needless to say, my sons did me proud so that I have not been forgotten.

Do you know who I am?

---

While researching for an issue of Gardner's Beacon and looking backward at historical events (after all, genealogy and history are intimately tied -- yes, those seduced by abstraction may complain, yet they have had their say for eons and might need to broaden their mindset), I ran across several tales about remarkable women that seemed to have a common theme that carried down through time. Some might say that things are still the same. But, looking at the 1692 time frame, I wondered what reception these women, from history, would have found in Salem Village, or any of the colonial sites.

---

So, the above might be thought of as the first of a series. We'll allow one character to talk about herself and to ask us: Who am I? (nod to the show, Who do you think that you are?).

---
For the Beacon, one instrumental book was written by John Goff, the Salem Preservationist: Salem's Witch House: A Touchstone to Antiquity (Google's digitization). John writes about the area, in particular, that around the Corwin House. Also, I like his description of the families involved with, and event related to, the house. Naturally, those facts touched upon are broadly of interest.

Remarks:

02/10/2013 -- Brought in the image from Wikipedia.

02/10/2013 -- There are many stories like this one. The answer? Judith of Flanders. She married two Wessex Kings, father and son, without issue. Then, she married Baldwin. One of their descendants was consort of William I.

10/27/2012 -- Still looking at options on how to present this type of query and to obtain/manage responses.

Modified: 02/10/2013

1692 theme, again

Working on the next issue of Gardner's Beacon (Vol.II, No. 5) with a seasonal theme. We had a similar issue last year (Vol. I, No.4).

The topic never seems to dry up and continues to be of interest. Of course, why just look at the thing around the spooky day? We ought to address the role of women in England's history, and in its colonies, at any time.

So, we can try to fill in missing information about Margaret, even is it's a sketchy addition. A start would be to gather together all of the views that have come forth in the past 200 years, or so, into one place.

While we will consider Thomas' female descendants, looking at women in collateral families will offer a lot of pertinent topics to discuss.

Remarks:

04/ 29/2014 -- Aftermaths.

10/30/2013 -- I am in the process of reading Katherine Howe's book, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. Dane, as in being related to Francis, of course. I wondered if there would be motivating material for a Beacon issue (we did have 1692 as a theme in 2011 and 2012). It is an interesting plot, especially the balancing of the characters, and their interactions, in two time periods is nice. The description that Katherine provides of little Dorcas Good in the underground cell surely depicts the poor, young thing's misery and shows Katherine's grasping of the horror. One wonders, from some of the modern views and comments, if people really understand the dire situation. Too, the main hypothesis might have some truth, in a slightly altered construction. You see, science has not shown as much light on human matters as some might think. But, then, for any knowledge that we have gained, we have also seen that the unknowns do not diminish. It's just that we get better able to cover (as in, remove from awareness) the holes in which lurk the demons.

09/04/2013 -- Again, the scene is built as follows. Those who came over are from the 10th to 13th generations back (for the most part) for someone alive now. By the time of 1692, lots of the earlier arrivals had passed on. So, that left the second generation (again, for the most part) as the elders. Now, taking a cohort mix (generational cut) round or about 1692 would give us someone on the current person's tree who would have about three generations living (including the level of their own cohorts). So, we would see siblings/cousins, parents/aunts/uncles, and the greats. In other words, it's a composite person that is built from that cohort mix (meaning, of course, that being on the tree implies ancestry) for which we can identify relationships blood (including 1/2 blood), in-law, and even friends. What Marjorie's chart does is to take someone who is in the mix and look at extended relationships. Now, consider what we would have if we did that for a large part of the composite mix. Would it not be an interesting view?

02/10/2013 -- Fan-in from the turmoil of all types of ancestors.

10/27/2012 -- We will have a comment by John Goff, the Salem Preservationist, about his book: Salem's Witch House: A Touchstone to Antiquity (Google's digitization).

10/24/2012 -- First of a series, Who am I?

Modified: 04/29/2014