Salem Witch Trials: The Fight To Clear North Andover Woman's Name

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — A Massachusetts lawmaker is on a mission to clear the name of a North Andover woman convicted of witchcraft during the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692. Although 22-year-old Elizabeth Johnson Jr. has been dead for more than 300 years, her name has not been forgotten.

"It's very important that we correct history and give the families of victims like Elizabeth closure," Sen. Diana DiZoglio recently told a state judiciary committee.

Who Was Elizabeth Johnson Jr.?

Elizabeth lived in what is now present day North Andover and was one more than 150 people accused of witchcraft throughout the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1692. Around 20 innocent people — both men and women — were ultimately hanged after they were falsely convicted of witchcraft.

The chaos associated with the Salem witch trials began after a group of young girls in the community said they were possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. They claimed these women were responsible for "afflicting them" and making them ill. As a wave of hysteria spread throughout colonial Massachusetts, a special court convened in Salem to hear the bogus allegations.

Johnson, along with her mother, brother, sister and aunt were all accused of witchcraft, archive records show. She was the first, however, to be imprisoned for witchcraft on Aug. 10, 1692 due to accusations by the Carrier family children.

Johnson is said to have been quick to confess to those witchcraft accusations, even admitting to "consorting with the devil, meeting him at a gathering of 'about six score.'"

She also testified against the Carriers and many other people in the community, including a pastor and a captain who fought in King Philip's War, alleging that they, too, practiced "the devil's magic."

Despite revealing the identities of other "witches," Johnson was still found guilty of witchcraft herself and sentenced to death in Jan. 1693, according to ForeJustice.org. She petitioned Massachusetts Gov. William Phips for clemency, which he granted and she was released.

However, she was never fully exonerated.

Clearing The Name Of The Innocent

On Oct. 17, 1711, Massachusetts Gov. Joseph Dudley signed a document into law that restored the rights and good names of those who had been accused of witchcraft, Legends of America reported. The bill also made monetary reparations to those who had accused. However, the list of accused included only the names of those who had been specified in petitions.

The following year, Johnson wrote to the committee members reminding them that she had been condemned, yet her name was missing from the reversal. However, by this time, the government had opted to move on.

In Aug. 1957, state lawmakers adopted a resolution formally apologizing for the horrific allegations, emotional distress and executions directly a result of the witch trials, deeming the events "shocking, and the result of a wave of popular hysterical fear of the Devil in the community." The resolution also exonerated additional people accused of witchcraft at that time — Johnson was not among them.

In Oct. 2001, Gov. Jane Swift signed a law adding to the resolution the names of five women who were falsely accused of witchcraft and hanged on Gallows Hill during the Salem witch trials of 1692. Those women were Bridget Bishop, Susannah Martin, Alice Parker, Margaret Scott and Wilmot Redd to the resolution.

Exonerating Elizabeth Johnson Jr.

A bill supported by Sen. DiZoglio is currently before the state judiciary committee and proposes adding Elizabeth Johnson Jr.'s name as among those exonerated of witchcraft.

She recently told State House News Service she was inspired to file the bill (S 1016) by North Andover Middle School teacher Carrie LaPierre, whose students researched the issue.

If passed, Johnson would be the last person to have all charges of witchcraft repealed, according to Witches of Massachusetts Bay.

To check the status of the bill, follow this link.