The Youngest Victim of the Salem Witch Trials

Disclaimer

This article discusses topics related to death and grief, which may be sensitive or distressing for some readers, particularly younger audiences. Reader discretion is advised.

For centuries, women have been victims of merciless persecution due to simply not fitting society’s norms. The Salem Witch Trials is an infamous example of this. 

The Salem Witch Trials were a series of trials that occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 to 1693. More than two hundred people were accused of performing witchcraft - or the devil’s magic - and nineteen were hanged. They began in January 1692, due to the eerie symptoms exhibited by nine year old Elizabeth Parris and eleven year old Abigail Williams: screaming, contortions, seizures and convulsions. Eventually, other girls in the community began to display these symptoms as well. On February 1962 the first three women were accused of witchcraft and ‘bewitching’ the girls: Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborn.

Let’s look into one of these women in particular, Sarah Good. When Sarah Good married her second husband William Good creditors took their home and left them homeless, forcing them to beg for food, shelter and work from their neighbours. Good could easily be accused as a witch as she fit the stereotypes: she was angry when refused charity and on the outskirts of society. Once Good was arrested, next came her daughter - Dorothy. Dorothy was arrested at only four years old. She was interrogated by local authorities and admitted that her mother had given her a snake that bit her, which was taken as a confession. 

Initially jailed in Boston with her mother and her baby sister, Dorothy was ultimately taken away from them due to Sarah Good’s execution in June and her sister's death because of the horrible prison conditions. Dorothy was left alone in jail in Boston and it is suggested by prison records that Dorothy was in jail for a total of thirty-four weeks and four days, and was released when the Salem Witch Trials were almost over. Although she was released, Dorothy Good suffered psychological damage for the rest of her life. 

Despite the trials ending and the pardon of those imprisoned, it wasn’t enough to undo the fear and paranoia fueled hunts that led to the deaths of nineteen people  Let alone the trauma inflicted on poor Dorothy Good. Let the witch trials serve as a reminder of what fear can lead to.

Sources:

https://historicipswich.net/2023/09/24/four-year-old-dorothy-good-is-jailed-for-witchcraft-march-24-1692/

https://www.history.com/articles/salem-witch-trials

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/

https://historicipswich.net/2023/09/24/four-year-old-dorothy-good-is-jailed-for-witchcraft-march-24-1692/

https://salemwitchmuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/The-Untold-Story-of-Dorothy-Good.pdf