Mary Bliss Parsons, Accused of Witchcraft

In the tumultuous landscape of seventeenth-century New England, a pervasive belief in the existence of witches gripped the minds of virtually every inhabitant. The era bore witness to a grim chapter in history where hundreds of individuals found themselves ensnared in the web of accusations surrounding the practice of witchcraft. The accused were predominantly women, and occasionally men, who were alleged to have “signed the Devil’s Book” and were purportedly carrying out nefarious deeds in the service of the dark forces.

This widespread hysteria attributed myriad calamities, from ailing livestock to the tragic demise of infant children, to the perceived malevolence of these accused witches. Despite the fact that many faced charges, the majority never stood trial, and some, like Mary Parsons, managed to secure an acquittal. However, fortune did not smile on everyone during this dark period. Six women in Massachusetts met a grim fate at the hands of the justice system, being hanged as witches in the years preceding the infamous Salem witch trials, a harrowing event that ultimately claimed the lives of twenty-four innocent individuals. The echoes of this troubled era resonate through history, serving as a stark reminder of the profound impact of superstition and fear on the course of human lives.   

In the year 1646, the union of Mary Bliss and Joseph Parsons marked the commencement of a life journey intertwined with the evolving landscape of colonial America. Their nuptials, solemnized in Hartford, set the stage for a familial odyssey that would traverse the burgeoning settlements of Springfield and, eventually, the nascent community of Northampton, situated some twenty miles up the meandering Connecticut River.   

Mary Bliss Parsons was the great-aunt of Abel Bliss, a noteworthy figure among the early settlers of the Outward Commons, now recognized as Wilbraham. In the year 1736, Abel, alongside his wife, Jemima Chapin, forged a new beginning in this scenic locale, establishing roots and nurturing a family of five children.   

As the Parsons family expanded to include three children, they embarked on a new chapter in Northampton, where Joseph Parsons swiftly ascended the ranks to become a prominent figure in the community. Beyond the confines of familial responsibilities, he emerged as a triumphant merchant, leveraging his success to contribute actively to the development of Northampton. Joseph’s civic engagement manifested through roles as a selectman and a vital participant in the committee entrusted with the construction of the town’s inaugural meeting house. The Parsons homestead became a pivotal hub in the vibrant settlement of Northampton, not only due to Joseph’s civic involvement but also owing to the family’s ownership of the town’s inaugural tavern.

In a parallel trajectory to the Parsons, the lives of Sarah and James Bridgman unfolded along a similar path, commencing with their union in Hartford. The couple embarked on a journey that mirrored the northward expansion of colonial settlements, first finding themselves in Springfield before venturing farther to Northampton. However, unlike the harmonious course of the Parsons’ familial narrative, the Bridgmans encountered a starkly different and tumultuous experience.   

As the Bridgmans set down roots in Northampton, an unforeseen turn of events unfolded when a feud materialized between their family and the Parsons. Mary Parsons and Sarah Bridgman found themselves entwined in a fateful tale against the backdrop of suspicion and whispers. Shortly after Mary gave birth to a son, an event celebrated as the arrival of the first English child in the burgeoning town, a shadow was cast over the joyous occasion.   

Tragedy struck when Sarah Bridgman also welcomed a newborn into the world. However, the infant’s untimely demise within a mere two weeks cast a pall over the community. In the wake of this sorrow, Sarah, grappling with grief, made a startling claim that Mary Parsons’s alleged witchcraft was the sinister force behind her child’s premature passing.   

The winds of rumor began to swirl through the tight-knit town of Northampton, carrying whispers of supernatural involvement and dark accusations. Unwilling to let these insinuations go unchallenged, Joseph Parsons, Mary’s husband, took a bold stance. In a move fraught with risk, he decided to go on the offensive, charging James Bridgman with slander for perpetuating rumors about Mary’s purported witchcraft.   

In an era when juries typically sided with the plaintiff in such cases, Joseph Parsons ventured into treacherous territory by bringing the incendiary rumors to the attention of the authorities. The gamble lay in the possibility that officials might give credence to the accusations, potentially turning the plaintiff into an unexpected defendant. The tense atmosphere in Northampton underscored the delicate balance between superstition and justice.   The gripping saga of Mary Parsons’s alleged witchcraft and the ensuing legal battle reached its climax at the Magistrates’ Court in Cambridge in October 1656. The courtroom buzzed with anticipation as thirtythree depositions were presented, offering a mosaic of perspectives on the mysterious and haunting events that had unfolded in the town of Northampton.   

A remarkable turnout from the community marked the proceedings, with almost half of Northampton’s thirty-two households dispatching witnesses to testify. Some came even from neighboring Springfield, reflecting the gravity and widespread impact of the accusations. The court became a stage where personal grievances, suspicions, and the supernatural collided, weaving a complex narrative that would be scrutinized by the magistrates.   

Central to the case was Sarah Bridgman, who recounted a chilling tale that unfolded in May 1654. She spoke of a resounding “great blow on the door” that reverberated through the air of her home, a prelude to an ominous shift in the well-being of her newborn child. A disturbing vision unfolded as she claimed to witness “two women pass by the door with white clothes on their heads,” only for them to vanish into the ether. Sarah, gripped by a sense of foreboding, concluded that her son’s fate was sealed, convinced that the presence of malevolent forces and “wickedness in the place” would bring about his demise.   

As the courtroom absorbed these accounts, the intricate web of supernatural beliefs, fear, and personal vendettas played out in a legal arena where the line between superstition and evidence blurred. The depositions illuminated the challenges of adjudicating such cases, where the ethereal and the tangible collided in a quest for justice and resolution. The trial became a microcosm of the era’s complexities, shedding light on the intersection of the supernatural and the judicial system in seventeenth-century New England.   

Witness after witness presented accounts following a familiar script, an argument or disagreement would occur, and when misfortune befell them later, the blame was swiftly attributed to witchcraft. Such causal connections, often fueled by fear and suspicion, were considered valid evidence in the eyes of the court.   

One woman, for instance, detailed how the yarn she had spun for Mary Parsons inexplicably ended up full of knots. Drawing a peculiar conclusion based on this occurrence, she asserted that the knots were a direct result of Mary’s alleged witchcraft, as the yarn she spun for others remained pristine and knot-free.   

Similarly, another woman linked her daughter’s sudden illness to a refusal to let the girl work for Mary Parsons. The sequence of events, from the denial of labor to the onset of illness, became a thread in the narrative connecting Mary Parsons to the perceived malevolence that plagued the community.   

A male witness contributed his own account, stating that after an exchange of discontented words with Mary Parsons, he discovered his cow in the yard on the verge of death the following day. The cow’s demise, occurring two weeks later, was, in his eyes, a consequence of the discord between them.   

Amid the swirl of accusations and spectral testimonies, a chorus of voices rose in Mary Parsons’s defense during the trial. Three women stepped forward, offering a counter-narrative to Sarah Bridgman’s account. They attested that Sarah’s baby had been unwell from the moment of birth, challenging the notion that Mary’s alleged witchcraft was the cause of the child’s affliction.   

Further support for Parsons emerged from a neighbor who provided a different perspective on the fate of the disputed cow. Contrary to the notion of supernatural influence, the neighbor asserted that the cow had succumbed to a more mundane ailment, specifically, “water in the belly.”   

With these testimonies, a narrative of doubt and alternative explanations was woven into the fabric of the trial. The court, charged with untangling the threads of truth from the intricate web of beliefs and accusations, ultimately ruled in favor of Parsons. The Bridgmans, faced with the decision of either paying a fine or issuing a public apology, opted for the former, concluding the legal saga.   

The longstanding feud and the harrowing ordeal of Mary Parsons experienced a resurgence eighteen years later, casting a shadow over her life once again in 1674. This time, the son-in-law of the Bridgmans filed a new complaint, expressing strong suspicions that his wife had met an untimely demise through unusual and possibly nefarious means, specifically, he suspected Mary Bliss Parsons to be involved. On January 5, 1675, county magistrates summoned Mary Parsons to appear before them. The proceedings took a dark turn as women subjected her to a distressing examination, searching her body for the mythical “witch’s teats”, unexplained protrusions where, according to seventeenthcentury beliefs, supernatural entities known as “imps” were said to suck. The historical record remains silent on the findings of this examination.   

Despite the lack of surviving records from this trial, it is known that in March of the same year, the Court of Assistants in Boston decided to send Mary Parsons to prison to await trial. The trial itself is shrouded in historical mystery, with no surviving documents to recount the proceedings. However, a pivotal moment arrived on May 13, 1675, when a jury declared Mary Parsons not guilty.   

Despite the acquittal, the specter of suspicion lingered. In 1679 or 1680, the Parsons family chose to relocate from Northampton back to Springfield, perhaps seeking respite from the persistent rumors that continued to haunt them. Mary Bliss Parsons, resilient in the face of adversity, lived well into her mid-eighties and passed away in 1712. Her life, marked by accusations, trials, and relocations, stands as a testament to the enduring challenges faced by individuals entangled in the web of witchcraft accusations during this period in colonial New England.   

Mary Parsons’s experience, though distinguished by her relatively secure social position as the wife of one of the wealthiest and most respected men in Western Massachusetts, aligned with the prevailing norms of the time. Her case exemplified a recurring pattern in the accusations of witchcraft that unfolded in early New England.   

It’s noteworthy that middle-aged women, including Mary Parsons, were disproportionately targeted by accusations of witchcraft during this period. Despite her social standing, she found herself ensnared in the complex web of suspicions and superstitions that plagued many women of her demographic.   

Moreover, the issues of jealousy, personal animosity, and familial disputes that played a prominent role in Mary Parsons’s ordeal foreshadowed the dark turn that the Salem witch hysteria of 1692 would take. The same potent combination of interpersonal conflicts, societal tensions, and deep-seated fears would fuel the mass hysteria that gripped Salem, resulting in numerous accusations, trials, and tragic executions.   

Mary Parsons’s story serves as a microcosm of the broader societal dynamics at play during an era when accusations of witchcraft could disrupt the lives of even those in privileged positions. Her experience resonates as a cautionary tale, highlighting the vulnerability of individuals, particularly women, to the capricious and often unfounded suspicions that characterized a tumultuous chapter in colonial New England history.

Illustration of Mary Bliss Parsons by Blanche Cybele Derby.