John Bradstreet (22 July 1652 – 11 January 1718) was an accused "witch" during the Salem Witch Trials.[1]

John Bradstreet
BornJuly 22, 1652
Andover, Massachusetts Bay Colony
DiedJanuary 11, 1718(1718-01-11) (aged 65)
Topsfield, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Salem Witch Trials

Bradstreet encountered some of the "afflicted girls" in the street, after which a dog barked at him and ran away. The girls accused him of witchcraft, and Bradstreet immediately fled to New York. He returned to Massachusetts after the hysteria died down. The dog was hanged as a witch.[1]

Family

John Bradstreet was the son of Governor Simon Bradstreet and his wife Anne Dudley Bradstreet. Anne's father was Thomas Dudley, another governor of Massachusetts Bay. He married Sarah Perkins of Topsfield (Province of Massachusetts) on 11 June 1677 and died in Topsfield, at the age of 65. John's brother, Dudley, was Justice of the Peace in Andover and another accused "witch".

He and Sarah Perkins had these and other children:

  1. Simon, married Elizabeth Capen.
  2. Mercy, married John Hazen.
  3. Samuel, married first Sarah Clarke, second Elizabeth Champman

References

  1. ^ a b Weiser-Alexander, Kathy. "The "Witches" of Massachusetts". Legends of America. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
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