Accused Witches in New England and Interviews with Their Descendants Mary Towne Estey, Daughter of a Witch
Interview with Jennifer Marie Russo
Bellingham, Massachusetts

First, can you say a bit about who you are?

I live in the little town of Bellingham, Massachusetts and I am a senior marketing program manager. I am nearly done with my master’s in integrated marketing communications and I have a bachelor’s in English literature. In addition to my full-time job, I have a photography business and write entertainment and lifestyle articles for a magazine in Worcester, Massachusetts. I practice yoga regularly and I have a beautiful 5-year-old son.

Which accused New England witch are you descended from?

I am directly descended from Mary Estey, who is my ninth great grandmother on my mother’s side. Mary’s sisters, Rebecca Nurse and Sara Cloyce, my ninth great grand aunts, were also accused as was their mother Joanna (Johanna) Blessing Towne (my tenth great grandmother).

Did your family carry the stories of your ancestors or did you find out about it all recently?

I remember very vaguely going to Salem with my grandmother when I was perhaps eight or nine years old. I remember her saying something about me being related to an accused witch as we passed the old cemetery on the way to a shop. I never thought about it again.

Then, when I was researching my family lines, which I have been doing for around twenty years, I uncovered Mary and my first thought was “Oh, well there she is,” recalling my grandmother’s comment from years before.

Coming from a Catholic family, I am not surprised this was never mentioned by anyone who perhaps knew about it. My grandmother was different, practicing with crystals and Tarot as I recall, and more open to other ideas.

What do you make of the fact that those you are related to, who were accused, were mostly women?

It is not really that surprising. At the time women were considered inferior and more susceptible to spiritual evil, as women traditionally are more emotional creatures. They also were encouraged to follow their husbands and stay silent in political and religious matters, not really able to voice their own opinions on things. Additionally, women who did have a measure of power were often considered to be outside of the circle of piety.

Women who owned land, who had a reputation for being able to heal with natural tinctures, or who simply stood up for things they believed in were generally frowned upon. The women in my family were strong-minded, with Joanna voicing her opinion over land disputes that her husband William was having with the Putnam family as well as in religious matters. Joanna was accused of being a witch shortly after this. Her daughters were likely accused not because of anything they did personally, but because the belief was that witchcraft ran in families.

How do you personally define Witchcraft?

This is an interesting question. I think there are many different interpretations of what Witchcraft is. If I were alive in the 1600s, I am well aware that I would have been considered a witch. I do not personally consider myself a Witch, but an empath. I am able to feel (and sometimes absorb) the energies, emotions and moods that are around me very intensely, whether it be from other people, nature, animals, places or things unseen. There are times when I will feel the need to sit next to someone, and that person will pour their heart out to me and what I tell them is a guidance that I know doesn’t come from me alone, often bringing up details that only that person could understand. Is it “Witchcraft”? I don’t think so, but these things would have surely gotten me hanged in 1692.

What I do believe, and many may disagree, is that some people are simply born with abilities. These cannot be learned or acquired because someone wants to have them. People who “become” a witch because they want power are completely missing the point. Power is fleeting and no one really owns it--it is not a personal trait, but something lent to them by the universe or whatever God you choose to believe in. A true Witch, in my mind, is humble, realizing that we are all one with everyone else, all the nature and elements around us and that there is a responsibility to honor all of that and care for it, not be above it or use it for personal gain.

Do you have strong impressions regarding the accused witch you are descended from?

I do. I feel pride. Not to have a person in my line who has a notable name, because honestly I couldn’t care less about that, more because I am proud to be descended from a woman who had such courage and strength in the face of enormous terror. Her petition to the court is one of the most inspiring things I have ever read. To be sitting in a horrible prison as an older woman who was ripped from her family . . . twice, refusing to admit to something that she did not do when it would have been so easy to concede, and instead writing a letter telling those in power that they were wrong. That she knew she was going to die because of their blindness and refusal to do what was right. That even though she was going to die that they should consider what they were doing so that others would not have to as a result of their stupidity.

What is most fascinating to me is that she wrote all of this in a respectful way and told them that the day would come when they would see their error. She remained true to herself until the very end, which is simply beautiful to me. Though the petition was ignored by the courts, it lives on to encourage and inspire people today.