Mercy Lewis
Age: 19
Mercy Lewis accuses Martha
Corey of witchcraft;
Martha Corey is arrested.
Background
 Born
in Falmouth, Maine in 1675.
 Family murdered by Indian.
 Witnessed Wabanaki Indians murdering
her parents.
During the Time of the Trials
 Slave
in the Putnam household.
 Single, no dowry.
 Was a very “consistent and vocal”
accuser.
 Accused about eight people.
 Showed herself as a leader among the
other girls.
 Status: Lowest-Highest
“The Deposistion of Mircy Lewes aged about 19 years who testifieth and
sath that in the latter end of April 1692….hir name was Goody
Martin…torment me [by] by biting and pinching me urging me
vehemently to writ in hir book…Susannah Martin did torment and afflect
me…pinching and almost choaking me to death urging me to writ in hir
book…I saw the Apperishtion of susannah Martin goe and hurt the
bodyes of Mary Walcott Elizabeth Hubburd Abigail williams and Ann
putnam junr.”
The Aftermath
Why? What was to
be gained?



Need for social
empowerment and
sense of belonging.
Financial losses.
No socio-economic
status improvement.
After the Trials
 Did
not marry until
much later in life.
 Had a child.
Works used



http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/saxonsalem/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=salem/texts/bi
os.xml&style=salem/xsl/dynaxml.xsl&chunk.id=b19
&clear-stylesheet-cache=yes
http://salemwitchtrials.com/transcripts.html
http://www.etext.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft