Family Stories

SALEM WITCHCRAFT TRIALS

SARAH (LORD) WILSON

10th Maternal Great Grandmother

Sarah was born on 31 December 1678 in Andover, Essex, Massachusettes, the eldest daughter of Joseph Wilson and Sarah Lord. Sarah is sometimes refered to as "Sarah Jr".

Accused of witchcraft, Sarah remained imprisoned until September 16, 1692, when according to the records of the day, she confessed to the charge and was bonded out of prison. Her free admission of her "guilt" saved her life. Almost 200 people were accused of witchcraft during this period.

Her cousins, Mary English and Phillip English were accused of witchcraft in April of 1692. The brother and sister were able to escape from prison and fled, never standing trial.

Sarah would Marry Jacob Preston on June 17, 1702 in Andover, Massachusettes and die in 1720 in Ashford Connecticutt at the age of 42 having survived one of the darkest periods in American legal and religious history.

Revolutionary War Era Appointment of Daniel Litchfield, Gent. as Captain of the Tenth Company, Second Regiment of Militia, Plimoth (sic), under Col. William Turner, dated April 2, 1783 and boldly signed by both John Hancock as Governor and John Avery as Sec'y, with embossed paper seal upper left, in rigid archival sleeve, SS: 11x10.5 inch, 3 vertical & horizontal folds, small holes at the crossfolds, tones, minor foxing. Docked on reverse with witness to oath of office. Daniel Litchfield was from Scituate, had already served as a Private in Capt. Hayward Pierce's Company, Col. Cushing's Regiment, marched to Bristol, RI on the alarm of Dec 1776, later Capt Bonney's Company, Col Sparhawk's Regt, at Castle Island Oct-Dec 1778. Rare !

Preis: 4500 Euro ID:21418"

A Signed Commission

Captain Daniel Webster Litchfield

4th Paternal Great Grandfather

Daniel Webster Litchfield was born on March 24 1742 in Scituate, Massachusettes. His father Josiah was 35 and his mother Susannah was 28. Like many men of the time he became part of the new militia who would take on the British in a bid for freedom from the crown during the revolution. Originally serving as a private, he proved himself a capable man and was given a commission to the rank of Captain. His commission was signed and attested to by John Hancock.

The signed commission was offered at an auction of Hancock Signature memorabilia in Germany on 20 April, 2010, with a price tag of $5,574. I have been unable to identify and locate the buyer.

The Berlin Wall Goes Up

Arthur L. Litchfield & Family

Father, Mother, Self and Siblings

On Saturday, August 12, 1961, at a garden party at a government guesthouse in Bolinsee just north of East Berlin, Walter Ulbricht, then German Democratic Republic (GDR) State Council Chairman issued the order to close the border between East and West Berlin and construct a wall. A massive logistical undertaking, the wall would have to be erected in the dead of night and so quickly that Berliners on both sides would not have time to react. Construction began at midnight, August 12, 1961, and by 5 pm on August 13, 1961 the 124 mile long wall was completed separating East from West Berlin. Staff Sergeant Arthur Litchfield and his family were stationed in Bad Kreuznach about 600 km from Berlin. Fearing potential military action by Russian and East German militaries, the U.S. military command issued orders that all American dependents were to be evacuated immediately. Staff Sergeant Litchfield sent his family to England to live with his wife's family in Reading where he joined them about two months later and were ultimately evacuated to the United States. The wall would remain a stark reminder of Soviet oppression until it was finally demolished without violence or incident in 1992 following major upheavals in the Soviet Bloc of nations.

A Brush With Royalty

His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (b. July 23, 1892 d. August 27, 1975)

Leland and Robert Litchfield

(A story relayed to me by my parents years later following the announcement of his death)

One doesn't usually think of roayalty when you mention Little League baseball, however, in 1961, the plane of King Haile Selassie touched down at the Rhein Maine air base in Germany where two Little League teams were about to play a game at a neirby ballfield. The two teams were, if memory serves me, the Lions and the Romans. My older brother Leland and I played for the Romans, Leland in centerfield and me as catcher. The King, dressed in a fine uniform and not wanting to remain on board, took the opportunity to stretch his legs and those of his travelling companion, a pet lion. His curiosity was peeked by the groups of young men and the game they were playing. He and his entourage approached the field and stood by the fence to watch. One of his advisors was explaining the game to him and told him the name of one of the teams was the Lions. The King smiled. After a brief discussion with the advisor, it was decided that the King's lion would serve as the team mascot for so long as it took for the plane to be refueled and resupplied. The King watched about two innings before boarding his plane and departing. The lion did little however to instill a winning spirit and the Romans won the game 6 to 1.