The Eveleth Family in Colonial America and Joseph Eveleth, Salem Witch Trials Juror

 I've written previously about my husband's 8th great-grandmother, Rebecca Addington Chamberlain, who was imprisoned and died during the witchcraft trials of the late 1600s in Massachusetts.

Recently, while researching a branch of my Smith line, I came across a whole group of family members who settled near Salem, Massachusetts in the 1600s, after immigrating from Exeter, Devonshire, England. My 11th great-grandparents were Sylvester Eveleth and Susan Nubery of Exeter. The surname Eveleth is also known as Everleigh in Devon, and Sylvester and Susan's surname is sometimes spelled Evely on historical documents. Sylvester was born in 1603. He married Susan on 21 September 1630 at Exeter St. David. It is believed that they emigrated to Boston in 1642, when they are mentioned in the records of the First Church in Boston. Sylvester's occupation was recorded as baker.

St. David's Church in Exeter. This building dates to 1900, but there has been a church on this site since the Middle Ages.

Perhaps the best source of information about the Eveleth family is the research published by Jonathan B. Butcher in the New England Historical Genealogical Register, 134 in 1980-1981. The section entitled Eveleth Family of Colonial New England indicates that Sylvester and Susan lived in Boston only briefly before moving north to Gloucester, on Cape Ann. Sylvester quickly established himself in Gloucester. He was made a selectman in 1647 and granted a parcel of land. He was made a freeman and a chosen constable on 29 June 1652, then served again as constable in 1656 and 1669, and on grand juries in 1652, 1662, 1663, and 1666. Eveleth Family of Colonial New England contains the following details.

In 1666, Sylvester was licensed to establish an inn, or ordinary, in Gloucester. The license was renewed through 1670, and the inventory of his estate shows ample evidence of this activity. He also must have ben involved in brewing, for he gave oath that "he would abide by the order of the Generall Court of Oct., 1667, concerning four bushels of barley malt to be put in one hogshead of beer." This fairly sedentary occupation was perhaps occasioned by attacks of gout or arthritis, for he was excused from common military training in 1666, "being detrebed in his limes."

Sylvester and Susan had six children together, four daughters and two sons.

1. Margaret Eveleth (b. abt. 1631 in Exeter, England; m. in 1652 Nathaniel Gallop)
2. Susannah Eveleth (b. abt. 1632 in Exeter, England; m. in 1656 James Stevens; d. 1688)
3. Mary Eveleth (b. abt. 1633 in Exeter, England; m. Thomas Millett; d. 1687)
4. Joseph Eveleth (b. abt. 1641 in Exeter, England; m. in 1668 Mary Bragg; d. 1745)
5. Hannah Eveleth (b. 1643 in Boston; m. in 1669 Nathaniel Kettell; d. 1670)
6. Isaac Eveleth (b. 1645 in Massachusetts; m. in 1677 Abigail Coit; d. 1685)

We descend from Susannah, whose daughter, Mary Stevens, married Francis Norwood, Jr. in Gloucester in 1692. This line continues through the Thompson, Martin, Partridge and Hall families until Mary Hall (b. 1803) marries Samuel Belding Smith in 1827, connecting Eveleth descendants with our Smith line.

In 1668, Sylvester's eldest son, Joseph Eveleth, married Mary Bragg, the daughter of Edward Bragg of Ipswich. They settled in the Chebacco community just outside Ipswich, northwest of Gloucester. There, they had 11 children, 9 of whom survived to adulthood. Joseph retained the farm in Gloucester that he had owned prior to his marriage, and he also inherited his father's lands, meaning he had substantial landholdings. Later, he was granted additional property by his father-in-law. According to Eveleth Family of Colonial New England, "by the summer of 1695, Joseph possessed over 200 acres of land." Over the next decade, Joseph would leverage that land to boost the fortunes of his sons, and distributed all his property and assets to them by the time of his death in 1745, at the age of 104. Joseph and his sons were men of wealth and influence in their community.

Eveleth Family of Colonial New England describes Joseph's early days in Ipswich and how he ended up involved in the notorious Salem Witch Trials of 1692.

Despite settling in Ipswich, Joseph did not become involved in town government. This is partially attributable to his status as a newcomer in the town: indeed, his interests probably continued to focus on Gloucester and his lands there, particularly after his father's death. Another factor was the peculiar position of Chebacco which, geographically removed from Ipswich proper, early identified itself as a community with separatist feeling. Joseph was a prime mover in the establishment of Chebacco's own church in 1683 and, "his is the first name on the list of those who joined the... church after its organization...". Such a position could have placed Joseph in opposition to the established hierarchy of Ipswich proper, although we know nothing of his actual political views. In the town histories he is noted chiefly for his piety and longevity, and seems not to have sought any political offices to which his social standing might have entitled him. 

In 1692, the year that anti-witchcraft hysteria engulfed Salem, Ispwich, and surrounding New England communities, Joseph was about 51 years old. Had this historical moment not occurred, Joseph would have been known to us only as a prosperous and devoutly religious man who lived to be an incredible 104 years of age. However, this was not to be his only legacy.

John Proctor was born in Suffolk, England, and emigrated to Massachusetts as a young child. His family settled in Chebacco. John Proctor's father was a wealthy landowner, and it is certain that the Proctor and Bragg families would have known each other well. In 1666, two years before Joseph Eveleth married Mary Bragg and moved to Chebacco, John Proctor left Chebacco and moved to nearby Salem with his wife and children. There, Elizabeth Proctor ran a local tavern with some of the Proctor sons, while John tended to his extensive farmlands. There were some disagreements with neighbors and customers in Salem, and in 1692, Elizabeth Proctor was accused of witchcraft. John Proctor angrily and loudly defended her, and then he was also accused. Anyone who has read The Crucible knows the rest of this story. Elizabeth and John Proctor were imprisoned, tried, and found guilty of practicing witchcraft. John was hanged and his property taken, leaving his children destitute. Elizabeth was given a reprieve because she was pregnant, and she remained in jail until the hysteria had passed. 

The Trial Of A 'Witch' At Salem In 1692: American Engraving, 19th Century

Eveleth Family of Colonial New England describes how Joseph Eveleth was caught up in these events.

His only political notoriety came quite unwelcomed: in 1692, at the height of the witch scare, he was chosen as juror in the jury that tried John Proctor. Joseph, however, came to recognize the insanity and danger of these proceedings and was one of the thirty-two that subscribed to Reverend John Wise's petition to the court which testified on the Proctor family's behalf: "That we never had the least knowledge of such a Nefarious wickedness in our said neighbors since they have been within our acquaintance... but as to what we have seen or heard of them, upon our consciences we judge them innocent of the crime objected." This petition was an act of courage in hysterical times; it was also an act of self-defense, for the Proctor case represented a dangerous extension of the accusations to persons of respectable social standing. After the witch hysteria died down and recriminations set in, the jurors were left in an uncomfortable position, and Joseph was one of those who signed a petition of regret for his participation in the proceedings. 

The text of this petition is below. 

"We, whose names are underwritten, being in the year 1692, called to serve as jurors in court in Salem on trial of many who were by some suspected guilty of doing acts of witchcraft upon the bodies of sundry persons, we confess that we ourselves were not capable to understand nor able to understand the mysterious delusions of the power of darkness and Prince of the air, but were for want of knowledge in ourselves, and better information from others, prevailed with to take up with such evidence against the accused, as on further consideration and better information we justly fear was insufficient for the touching the lives of any whereby we fear we have been instrumental with others, though ignorantly and unwittingly to bring upon ourselves and this people of the Lord the guilt of innocent blood, which sin the Lord saith in scripture He would not pardon, that is, in regard to His temporal judgments. We do therefore hereby signify to all in general, and to the surviving sufferers in special our deep sense of, and sorrow for our errors in acting on such evidence to the condemning of any person, and do hereby declare that we justly fear that we were sadly deluded and mistaken, for which we are much disquieted and distressed in our minds and do therefore humbly beg forgiveness first of God, for Christ's sake, for this our error, and pray that God would not impute the gilt of it to ourselves nor others, and we also pray that we may be considered candidly and aright by the living sufferers as being then under the power of a strong and general delusion, utterly unacquainted with and not experienced in matters of that nature. We do heartily ask forgiveness of you all, whom we have justly offended, and do declare, according to our present minds, we would none of us do such things again, on such grounds for the whole world ; praying of you to accept of this in way of satisfaction for our offence, and that you would bless the inheritance of the Lord, that He may be entreated for the land."

Signed,
Thomas Fisk, foreman of the jury				Thomas Peasley Sr.,
Wiliam Fisk,				John Peabody,
John Bacheler,				Thomas Perkins,
Thomas Fisk Jr.,				Samuel Sawyer,
John Dane,				Andrew Elliott,
Joseph Evelith,				Henry Herrick Sr.

Joseph Eveleth lived for 52 years after his involvement in John Proctor's trial, so in many ways this was just one awful moment in an otherwise long and successful life. Given the historical importance of the Salem Witch Trials, however, it is not a moment that can be overlooked. 

When I was in college in Boston, I visited Salem on Halloween and saw a performance of The Crucible there. Little did I know that my 10th great-granduncle played a critical role in the proceedings. Learning about the Eveleths has been fascinating. Also, of note is the fact that John Proctor is my husband's 9th great-granduncle. He is descended from John's sister Mary Proctor (1633-1667). His Field ancestors and my Smith ancestors are consistently intertwined in early New England.