| Name |
FOSTER, Hannah [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8] |
| Birth |
Abt 1645 |
Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA  |
|
| Gender |
Female |
| inheritance |
18 Apr 1685 |
Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA |
| mentioned his eldest son Andrew, daughter Sarah, daughter Hannah, daughter Mary, "deare and loving wife Ann Foster," and son Abraham |
- 20260120GHLn-
The name of Andrew Foster of Andover appear in the list of first settlers who came about 1640. There are twelve "items" of grants to him. Only one is dated, a grant of two acres "on west side of Shawshen River, 10th July 1682." The first grant, a house lot, was probably among those of the first settlers on Cochickewick Brook, between the Great Pond and the Merrimac River. His grants, as a whole, appear to be widely scattered in different parts of the town. Most of them, however, were in the extreme southerly corner, hear Wilmington, and around Foster's Pond, which was named for him, no doubt.
We do not find him in official station, simply probably because he was located so far from the town center, from town offices. The probate inventory of his estate shows him a diligent man, a good citizen; his will exhibits his Christian spirit and submission. He was made freeman in 1669. His will is dated 18 April 1685. In it he speaks of himself as "very aged," and names his wife Ann his executrix. He died in Andover 7 May, 1685, and his will was proved 30 June, 1685. He is thought by one of the Andover historians, to have been, at death, more than a score of years younger. He could hardly have been so old, unless there was a great disparity in the ages of himself and wife, which, to be sure, very often occurs. His wife died 3 Dec. 1692.
His will says, "I give my soul into the hands of my blessed Lord Jesus Christ who has purchased the same with his precious blood. And my body I leave to my relatives and friends to be decently interred by them. I give my eldest son, Andrew Foster, besides the five acres of meadow I have formerly given him, four acres of meadow more or less, lying at the southeast end of my home meadow which I formerly bought of Andrew Allen lying without the meadow which was fenced and five acres of swampland lying near his house. Also I give unto him forty acres of land to be the same more or less called by the name of polehill ground and one acre of land in Cocneckek field.
I give my daughter Sarah besides what she hath of me, two sheep.
To my daughter, Hannah, I have given her portion already.
To my daughter, Mary, I give twenty acres of land lying in Shawshen Field lying near the land called Copers land."
To his "deare and loveing wife Ann Foster" he gave the end of the house they occupied, three cows, twelve sheep and his household goods for her disposal at death among his children.
He gave his son, Abraham, "my farme of about one hundred acres of upland with all the meadow adjoining or neare adjoining," also the house and home lot and orchard, and all the land adjoining, and the remainder of the home meadow bought of Andrew Allen, and the remainder of his stock." Abraham was, during the natural life of his mother, to winter her cows and sheep, to deliver her half the "corn, English and Indian, grown upon the home lot threshed and winnowed," half the fruit of the orchard made into "fydar," and sufficient firewood.
He named his "loveing wife, Anne Foster, executive" and his son Abraham executor. His will is signed with "the mark of Andrew Foster" and is witnessed by Thomas and William Chandler. It is recorded in Probate Records. It was proved June 30, 1685.
Mrs. Ann Foster was the executrix of her husband's will, she was in court, June 30, 1687, and made oath to the inventory of her husband's estate. She attended to the probate in person, and of course understood the methods and the reason of the law. She had business experience, and was certainly a woman of acknowledged integrity and of average capacity and ability. Nevertheless, seven years later, she was accused, tried, and condemned as a witch. Her case, with others, is spread upon Miss Bailey's excellent History of Andover. Miss Bailey says, "Several women who confessed, accused Marther Carrier as the cause of their being led into witchcraft. Three of them were Ann Foster, her daughter, Mary Lacey, and her granddaughter Mary Lacey Jr. Ann Foster said she rode on a stick with Martha Carrier to Salem Village (now Danvers), that the stick broke and she saved herself by clinging around Martha Carrier's neck. She said they met 300 witches at Salem Village. The story was confirmed by the daughter and granddaughter.
|
| LifeSketch |
Hannah died in 1689 when she was murdered by her husband Hugh Stone. He was executed for murder. Some records list her death date as 20 April, others list it as 28 April 1689. An article written by the Rev. Cotton Mather, DD, in 1698, stated: "One Hugh Stone upon a quarrel between himself and his wife, about selling a piece of land, having some words, as they were walking together on a certain evening, very barbarously reached a stroke at her throat, with a sharp knife; and by that one stroke fetchid away the soul of her who had made him a father of several children, and would have yet brought another to him if she had lived a few weeks longer in the world.\" |
- 20260120GHLn-
Hannah died in 1689 when she was murdered by her husband Hugh Stone. He was executed for murder. Some records list her death date as 20 April, others list it as 28 April 1689.
An article written by the Rev. Cotton Mather, DD, in 1698, stated: "One Hugh Stone upon a quarrel between himself and his wife, about selling a piece of land, having some words, as they were walking together on a certain evening, very barbarously reached a stroke at her throat, with a sharp knife; and by that one stroke fetchid away the soul of her who had made him a father of several children, and would have yet brought another to him if she had lived a few weeks longer in the world."
|
| Victim |
20 Apr 1689 |
Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA |
| age 44 murdered by her husband, who slit her throat during an argument over selling land |
- Upon a quarrel between himself and his wife, about selling a piece of land, having some words, as they were walking together on a certain evening, very barbarously reachíd a stroke at her throat, with a sharp knife; and by that one stroke fetchíd away the soul of her who had made him a father of several children, and would have yet brought another to him if she had lived a few weeks longer in the world.
____________
20260119GHLn- LDS
The New England Historical Genealogical Register1847-2011 For John Russ Sr
Deaths in Andover 1650-1700
p. 379
Hannah Stone, wife of Hugh, murdered by her husband April 20, 1689
Margaret Russ, wife of John
died July 10, 1689
John Russ, Sr died Mch 4, 1691-92
|
| FSID |
L6PH-GNL [9] |
| Death |
20 Apr 1689 |
Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA [3, 4] |
- Upon a quarrel between himself and his wife, about selling a piece of land, having some words, as they were walking together on a certain evening, very barbarously reachíd a stroke at her throat, with a sharp knife; and by that one stroke fetchíd away the soul of her who had made him a father of several children, and would have yet brought another to him if she had lived a few weeks longer in the world.
____________
20260119GHLn- LDS
The New England Historical Genealogical Register1847-2011 For John Russ Sr
Deaths in Andover 1650-1700
p. 379
Hannah Stone, wife of Hugh, murdered by her husband April 20, 1689
Margaret Russ, wife of John
died July 10, 1689
John Russ, Sr died Mch 4, 1691-92
_____________
20260120GHLn-
Hannah died in 1689 when she was murdered by her husband Hugh Stone. He was executed for murder. Some records list her death date as 20 April, others list it as 28 April 1689.
An article written by the Rev. Cotton Mather, DD, in 1698, stated: "One Hugh Stone upon a quarrel between himself and his wife, about selling a piece of land, having some words, as they were walking together on a certain evening, very barbarously reached a stroke at her throat, with a sharp knife; and by that one stroke fetchid away the soul of her who had made him a father of several children, and would have yet brought another to him if she had lived a few weeks longer in the world."
- age 44 murdered by her husband, who slit her throat during an argument over selling land
|
| Person ID |
I114030 |
WETZEL-SPRING |
| Father |
FOSTER, Andrew Jr, b. 1579, Wickham, Suffolk, England d. 7 May 1685, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA (Age 106 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Mother |
ALCOCK, Anna, b. 7 May 1617, England d. 3 Dec 1692, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, USA (Age 75 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Marriage |
1640 |
Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA |
|
| residence jt |
Bef 1685 |
Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA |
| More About Ann Foster Home, Site of |
- 20260121GHLn-
More About Ann Foster Home, Site of
Widow Ann Foster was around 75 years old and very frail when she was accused of witchcraft in 1692.
The first person to be accused in Andover was Martha Carrier, who was arrested by South End constable John Ballard on May 31. Ballard’s brother Joseph was married to Elizabeth (Phelps), who had been ill all summer. Joseph Ballard invited two afflicted girls (believed to be Ann Putnam Jr. and Mary Walcott) from Salem Village to visit his wife. He thought the girls might be able to confirm if witchcraft was behind his wife’s sickness. The girls’ first targets were the elderly Ann Foster, her daughter Mary Lacey, and her granddaughter Mary Lacey Jr. Joseph Ballard was likely the one who filed the complaint against Ann.
Ann Foster was interrogated by the magistrates four times over a week, starting on July 15. Perhaps her age and fragility made her especially vulnerable. She confessed to witchcraft immediately, only the eighth person to do so. The devil came to her in the form of a bird on three occasions, she said. She could afflict people by merely looking at them. She had been made a witch six years earlier by Martha Carrier (already in jail), had ridden to a witch meeting in Salem Village on a stick with Carrier, and she had seen Reverend George Burroughs in attendance at the meeting (he was also already jailed). The most astounding claim was that there were 305 witches operating in the area. It was their mission, Ann Foster said, to create the devil’s kingdom in Essex County.
By July 21, Ann’s daughter, 40-year-old Mary Lacey, and granddaughter, 18-year-old Mary Lacey Jr., were also arrested for witchcraft. Mary Sr. had moved to the North End of Andover when she married Lawrence Lacey in 1673, but it was common for relatives of accused witches to fall under suspicion. Both Laceys confessed to witchcraft, and implicated Ann Foster and each other. Ann, for her part, did not accuse her family members.
Accusing and jailing Ann Foster and her family did not help Elizabeth Ballard, who died on July 27. Had she been killed by witchcraft?
The Court of Oyer and Terminer condemned Ann Foster to death by hanging on September 17. Five days later, on September 22, eight people were hanged. Ann Foster was not among them. September 22 turned out to be the last execution day of the witchcraft trials. Governor William Phips dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer in October, and a new court would not address the accused and condemned until early in 1693. It was too late for Ann Foster. On December 3, still condemned, she died in Salem jail after five months of imprisonment.
What brought a charge of witchcraft to Ann, and why did she confess? Family tragedies from the past may have been part of it, surmises author Richard Hite in his book In the Shadow of Salem: The Andover Witch Hunt of 1692. Ann and her husband Andrew Foster’s daughter Hannah married a man named Hugh Stone in 1667. The Stones had seven children by 1686. Also by that year, Hugh Stone had been fined in court on three separate occasions for drunkenness. In 1689, Stone murdered Hannah by slashing her throat. When he was hanged for the crime in January of 1690, Stone’s last words implied some blame was due his wife’s family for his terrible act, even if alcohol also played a role. Later in 1690, Hannah and Hugh Stone’s 19-year-old son Simon was wounded by natives in New Hampshire, something that apparently affected Simon’s health for years. Ann’s granddaughter Mary ran away from home for a time after the murder, which she claimed was at the suggestion of the Devil. Hite suggests Ann may have thought her family troubles could have been caused by witchcraft. All three generations – Ann Foster, her daughter Mary Lacey, and her granddaughter Mary Lacey, Jr. were accused. “The witch hunters of 1692 showed a propensity to attack those already suffering adversity,” says Hite.
It remains a mystery where Ann Foster lived in 1692, or where her remains are buried. There is a lot of conflicting information. Ann’s husband, a Scot named Andrew, was one of the “original proprietors of Andover.” He died seven years before the witchcraft hysteria took hold, in 1685, at the reported age of 106 years. In his will, he said he was “leaving to my deare and loving wife Ann Foster, the use and the sole liberty of living in that end of my house I now live in.” Where was that house? According to Charlotte Helen Abbott’s Early Records of the Foster Families of Andover, “Under the grandstand at the track at the Richardson training stables on Elm Street, is the site of what was known as the “witch’s cellar,” a part of Ann’s home.” However, according to the Plan of Andover in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, Essex County, 1692, a map created by the Andover and North Andover Historical Societies in 1992, the accused Sarah Wilson is more likely the “witch” whose cellar stood near the stables grandstand. It is Joseph Wilson’s house that is located on the map at the spot where Merrimack College meets Route 114 today.
Also according to the Plan of Andover, one of the Foster sons lived north of Foster’s Pond in 1692. While the Plan of Andover identifies the son as Andrew, the Foster’s Pond Corporation says it was son Abraham who lived there. It was Abraham who “had to pay £2 10s to get his mother’s body from the prison” when she died in December, according to Charlotte Helen Abbott. Perhaps Ann Foster lived with her son north of Foster’s Pond, and perhaps she is buried there. The pond was named after her husband Andrew, according to the Foster’s Pond Corporation. In 1692, it was much smaller in size, covering approximately 50 acres. After a dam was built in the early 1850s, the pond started to increase in size. Today, its area has more than doubled, covering 120 acres.
Another theory about the location of Ann Foster’s final resting place is suggested by Char Lyons, historian of the South Church in Andover. She points out Foster Circle, off of Elm Street, as an area once owned by the Foster family and a possible location for Ann Foster’s burial place.
North of Foster’s Pond, near the intersection of Rattlesnake Road and Pinetree Lane, is a possible location of former Foster property. Another possibility is Foster Circle, off of Elm Street.
https://salemwitchmuseum.com/locations/ann-foster-home-site-of/
|
| Family ID |
F64128 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family |
STONE, Hugh Sr., b. Abt 1647, Somerset, England d. 2 Jan 1690, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA (Age 43 years) |
| Marriage |
15 Oct 1667 |
Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA |
| Children |
| | 1. STONE, Daniel, b. 28 Apr 1677, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA d. 16 Nov 1720, Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, USA (Age 43 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 2. Stone, Katharine, b. 25 May 1674, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA d. Yes, date unknown [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 3. Stone, Hugh Jr, b. 3 Aug 1682, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA d. Dec 1746, Gloucester, Essex, Massachusetts, USA (Age 64 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 4. Stone, John sr, b. 24 Nov 1668, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA d. Yes, date unknown [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 5. Stone, Hannah, b. 23 Mar 1680, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA d. 5 Feb 1745, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA (Age 64 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 6. Stone, Simon, b. 8 Oct 1671, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA d. 22 Oct 1746, Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA (Age 75 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 7. Stone, Kezia, b. 22 Apr 1686, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts, USA d. Abt 1690 (Age 3 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
|
| Family ID |
F64127 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
Abt 1645 - 1689 (44 years)
