Elizabeth Proctor, née Bassett, was charged with witchcraft during the 1692 “Salem Witch Trials” and was the wealthy farmer John Proctor’s wife from Salem Village. Another name for her was Goody Proctor. She was born and reared in Lynn, Massachusetts, and moved to Salem in 1674 following her union with Proctor. A servant of the Proctors named Mary Warren and another afflicted girl accused Elizabeth of practicing witchcraft and torturing them during the hysteria surrounding the “Salem Witch Trial.” She was accused by John Indian and a few females of attempting to force them to write in her book of the devil. John Proctor, her spouse, was also taken into custody on the same allegations. Despite the fact that a number of individuals signed petitions attesting to the Proctors’ goodness as Christians, the couple was found guilty and given an execution sentence based on ghostly evidence. Elizabeth’s execution was postponed because she was expecting, but John was hanged. Elizabeth was freed along with 150 other prisoners after a year, and the trials were later ruled to have been illegal. In 1699, Elizabeth got married again, and the Massachusetts Legislature gave the trial accused a reversal of attainder in 1703.
Early Life & Childhood
Born Elizabeth Bassett in 1650 in Lynn, Massachusetts, Elizabeth Proctor was the daughter of Capt. William Bassett Sr. and Sarah (Burt) Bassett. Ann Holland Bassett Burt, her grandmother, was a midwife and a folk healer/quaker. Despite not being a medical professional, she was able to effectively care for the sick, leading many people to believe that only witches could accomplish this. That is the reason she was charged in 1669 for witchcraft. Her prosecution at the “Salem Witch Trials” resulted from these claims.
Salem life and the Salem Witch Trials
On April 1, 1674, Elizabeth wed John Proctor, a well-known farmer in Salem; the pair had been together for eighteen years at the time of the “Trials.” She was the third wife of John. She took care of John and Benjamin, his eldest son from a previous marriage, who ran the bar. At the time of the trials, Elizabeth was expecting her sixth child. She and John had already had five children: three daughters and two sons.
The first time Elizabeth Proctor was brought up during the trial was on March 6, when Ann Putnam, one of the upset girls, accused her of having a disease. Following Rebecca Nurse’s accusation, John Proctor proclaimed in public that all the affected girls would be branded as witches and devils if they had their way. The family came to notice because of this, and at the same time, their servant Mary Ann Warren started reporting that she was experiencing fits and that she had seen the ghost of Giles Corey.
Marcy Lewis reported that Elizabeth’s spirit was bothering her on March 26. A few days later, she and Abigail Williams charged Elizabeth of practicing witchcraft once more. Abigail mentioned witnessing John’s spirit as well. Capt. Jonathan Walcott and Lt. Nathaniel Ingersoll signed a charge against Elizabeth Proctor on April 4 alleging a “high suspicion of several acts of witchcraft on a number of girls.” On April 11, 1692, she and a woman named Sarah Cloyce were taken into jail and examined.
Tituba’s husband, John Indian, revealed that Elizabeth had attempted to persuade him to write in the devil’s book. When questioned about it, a few of the females said they couldn’t talk. Elizabeth refuted every accusation. The girls started suffering seizures in the courtroom and said Elizabeth was to cause. They also claimed Elizabeth had attempted to get them to sign the devil’s book. Additionally, they said that Goodman (John) Proctor engaged in sorcery. He insisted on his innocence and rejected it. After attempting to hit Elizabeth, one of the females claimed that her fingers were burning.
Elizabeth and her husband were officially accused of practicing sorcery on April 11 along with a few other people, and they were given an order to be locked up in Boston jail. The first person to draw notice to the family was Proctors’ servant Mary Warren, who stood out for being absent from the examination and official accusations. Later on, she acknowledged lying about the charges. On April 18, a formal accusation of witchcraft was brought against her. She later changed her mind about lying, started accusing the Proctors of witchcraft once more, and testified against them in June.
A petition was filed in April and May of 1692 by a number of people—including prominent individuals and a group of neighbors—protesting the Proctors’ good Christian character and willingness to assist. A Daniel Elliot claimed to have overheard a girl accuse Elizabeth “for sport.” Elizabeth’s sister and sister-in-law, along with three of the Proctor children, were among the other family members that were brought into the trial.
She and a few other people were subjected to a physical examination in June 1692 to look for any indications of witchcraft. On June 30, 1692, a case hearing and the testimonies against Elizabeth and her husband were held. Many young women reported that they had experienced frequent visits with Elizabethan apparitions around March and April. Because the affected girls were minors, Rev. Samuel Parris, Thomas Putnam, and Nathaniel Ingersoll swore to their depositions, indicating that they had seen the afflictions and thought Elizabeth Proctor was the cause. Several further charges were brought against the woman, with the complainants claiming to have seen the ghosts of numerous people who said Elizabeth had murdered them.
Decisions in the Oyer and Terminer Court were made based primarily on testimonials, the majority of which included ghostly evidence. Elizabeth and John Proctor were found guilty and given the death penalty on August 5, 1692. Elizabeth was granted a temporary reprieve from execution until after giving birth since she was pregnant. John pretended to be unwell in order to evade execution, but on August 19, 1692, he was hanged.
The Sheriff stole all of the Proctors’ belongings, including furniture and cattle, and either sold or slaughtered them as soon as they were placed in custody. She has nothing left to sustain her kids. William and Sarah, Elizabeth’s two older children, were also detained on suspicion of practicing witchcraft. William was put through a painful interrogation to force a confession, but the outcome of the trial is unknown.
The Governor issued an order on October 29th to establish a Superior Court of Judicature and dissolve the Court of Oyer and Terminer. On January 27, 1693, Elizabeth gave birth to a son who was given the name John Proctor III. Her sentence was not carried out, for whatever reason. Governor Phipps’s wife was charged with witchcraft in May 1693, and he issued an order freeing the other 153 accused or found guilty inmates. But in order for Elizabeth to be released from jail, her family had to pay for her room and board according to the legislation in effect at the time.
Elizabeth Proctor found herself without money. During his incarceration, her husband revised his will, leaving Elizabeth out since he thought she would be put to death. When she asked her stepchildren for her prenuptial agreement or dowry, they disregarded her requests. She was legally dead as a convict. She moved in with her oldest stepson, Benjamin Proctor, along with her younger children.
The children shared the wealth once the Court accepted John’s will in March 1695 and reinstated his rights. Elizabeth’s dowry was returned to her by Probate Court in April 1697. On September 22, 1699, she wed Daniel Richards of Lynn, Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts General Court ruled in 1702 that the 1692 Salem trials were invalid. The public made demands for an apology from the Court, and on March 18, 1702, a formal apology was sent out. In 1703, a measure was passed by the Legislature that overturned the attainder and restored the convicts’ status as legal individuals. They also made it illegal to introduce spectral evidence in court. Later, financial awards were made as recompense to the accused and survivors. After her second marriage, Elizabeth and her younger children are no longer known to exist.
Net worth of Elizabeth Proctor
The estimated net worth of Elizabeth Proctor is about $1 million.