Isaac Estey came from England to America with his father Jeffery in 1636. Isaac married Mary Towne in 1656. He settled in Topsfield previous to 1660 which is near Salem Village and he was a farmer. In 1661 he was one of the Commoners appointed to share in the Topsfield common land on the south side of the Ipswich River. In 1672 he was granted all the swamp meadow lying upon the Ipswich River. Isaac was one to the Selectmen of the town in 1680, 1682, 1686, and 1688. Some references place Isaac’s birthday as 11-27-1627.
Isaac’s wife, Mary (Towne), was arrested, tried and condemned as a witch in the famous ‘Salem Witch Trials’. A group of young girls, after hearing stories of voodoo from the local minister’s West Indian slave, began acting strange, having fits, and seeing ‘ghosts’. The ‘afflicted girls’, as they were called, were diagnosed as being ‘bewitched’. These girls then began pointing out those who were bewitching them. Mary and her two sisters, Rebecca Nurse (older) and Sarah Cloyse (younger), were accused of afflicting the young girls by way of witchcraft. Mary and Rebecca were condemned and hung as witches. Rebecca, an old woman, was hung on July 19, 1692 and Mary, aged 58, was hung on September 22, 1692. Mary was in the last group of people executed. Sarah was imprisoned for a time. In all, twenty people were executed all by hanging except the only man, who was crushed to death, during the famous trials. Mary maintained her innocence and wrote a moving petition to the court asking that the madness of the trials be stopped, although she did not ask clemency for herself. She went to the gallows with dignity and her parting words to her family caused many of the bystanders to weep. The court later declared her and all the other ‘witches’ innocent. Isaac received twenty pounds compensation. Years later, one of the ‘afflicted girls’ admitted her guilt about the activities during the trials. This girl was one of Mary’s chief accusers. |