Recognizance for Sarah Wilson, Sr. and Sarah Wilson, Jr.

Memorandum:

That on the Thirteenth day of January 1693 In the fourth year of the Reigne of our
Sovereigne Lord & Lady Willam & Mary by the Grace of God of England &c: King & Queen
defenders of the faith &c: Personally appeared before W'm Stoughton Esq'r cheife Justice
of their Maj'ies Province of the Massachusets bay in New England John Osgood of the
Town of Andiver in the County of Essex husbandman & Joseph Wilson of the Same Towne and
acknowledged themselves to be Joyntly and Severally Indebted unto our s'd Sovereigne
Lord & Lady and the Surviver of them their Heires & Successors in the sum of One Hundred
Pounds to be levied on their or either of their Lands and Tennements, goods and chattles
for the use of our said Sovereigne Lord & Lady the King and Queen or Survivor of them On
Condition that Sarah Wilson the wife of Joseph and Sarah her daughter haveing stood
committed for suspition of Witchcraft shall make their Personall appearance before the
Justices of our s'd Lord & Lady the King & Queen at the next Court of Assizes & Generall
Goale Delivery to be holden for the County of Essex then and there to answer to all such
matters & things as shall in their Maj'ies behalfe be alledged against them and to doe &
receive that which by the s'd Court shall be then & there injoyned them & thence
not to depart w'th out license.
Attest
*Jona Elatson Cler --
(Reverse) Recognizance of Jno Osgood
Joseph Willson
Sarah Willson the wife of
Joseph Willson and Sarah her daughter
May the 10'th Appeared

In late December, Dudley Bradstreet, the Rev. Dane, the Rev. Barnard, thirty-eight
other men, and twelve women drew up a petition that was presented to the Superior
Court of Judicature at Salem at its opening session on January 3, 1693. The petition
was on behalf of Mary (Clement) Osgood, Eunice (Potter) Frye, Deliverance (Haseltine)
Dane, Sarah (Lord) Wilson and Abigail (Wheeler) Barker. These women, all church
members and part of the Andover elite, had been arrested together at the Andover
touch test. The petition affirmed the innocence of all, a bold step, indicative
of the courage of the Rev. Dane.

Petition for Mary Osgood, Eunice Fry, Deliverance Dane, Sarah Wilson, Sr., and
Abigail Barker
To the honoured court of Assize held at Salem,
The humble address of several of the inhabitants of Andover.

May it please this honoured court,

We being very sensible of the great sufferings our neighbours have been long
under in prison, and charitably judging that many of them are clear of that great
transgression which hath been laid to their charge, have thought it our duty
to endeavor their vindication so far as our testimony for them will avail. The
persons in whose behalf we are desired and concerned to speak something at present
are Mrs. Mary Osgood, Eunice Frye, Deliverance Dane, Sarah Wilson and Abigail
Barker, who are women of whom we can truly give this character and commendation,
that they have not only lived among us so inoffensively as not to give the least
occasion to any that know them to suspect them of witchcraft, but by their sober
godly and exemplary conversation have obtained a good report in the place, where
they have been well esteemed and approved in the church of which they are members.
We were surprized to hear that persons of known integrity and piety were accused
of so horrid a crime, not considering, then, that the most innocent were liable
to be so misinterpreted and abused. When these women were accused by some afflicted
persons of the neighbourhood, their relations and others, tho' they had so good
grounds of charity that they should not have thought any evil of them, yet, through
a misrepresentation of the truth of that evidence that was so much credited and
improved against people, took great pains to persuade them to own what they were,
by the afflicted, charged with, and, indeed, did unreasonably urge them to confess
themselves guilty, as some of us who were then present can testify. But these
good women did very much assert their innocency, yet some of them said they were
not without fear least Satan had some way ensnared them, because there was that
evidence against them which then was by many thought to be a certain indication
and discovery of withccraft, yet they seriously professed they knew nothing by
themselves of that nature: Nevertheless, by the unwearied sollicitations of those
that privately discoursed them both at home and at Salem, they were at length
persuaded publickly to own what they were charged with , and so submit to that
guilt which we still hope and believe they are clear of. And, it is probable,
the fear of what the event might be, and the encouragement that it is said was
suggested to them, that confessing was the only way to obtain favour, might be
too powerful a temptation for timorous women to withstand, in the hurry and distraction
that we have heard they were then in. Had what they said against themselves proceeded
from conviction of the fact, we should have had nothing to have said for them,
but we are induced to think that it did not, because they did soon privately
retract what they had said, as we are informed, and, while they were in prison,
they declared to such as they had confidence to speak freely and plainly to,
that they were not guilty of what they had owned, and that what they had said
against themselves was the greatest grief and burden they laboured under; Now, though
we cannot but judge it a thing very sinful for innocent persons to own a crime they
are not guilty of, yet, considering the well ordered conversation of those women
while they lived among us, and what they now seriously and constantly affirm in a
more composed frame, we cannot but in charity judge them innocent of the great
transgression that hath been imputed to them. As for the rest of our neighbours, who
are under the like circumstances with these that have been named, we can truly say
of them that while they lived among us, we have had no cause to judge them such
persons as, of late, they have been represented and reported to be, nor do we know
that any of their neighbours had any just grounds to suspect them of that evil that
they are now charged with.

Dudley Bradstreet Samuel Ingolls
John Abbot, sen. Francis Dane, jun.
Elizabeth Rite Eliza. Barnard
Francis Dane, sen. Ephraim Stevens
Samuel Blanchard George Abbot
Wm. Peters Phebe Robinson
Thomas Barnard Daniel Poore
Wm. Ballard Wm. Chandler, jun.
Sam. Peters Hannah Chandler
Tho. Chandler, sen. John Ingolls
Thomas Hooper John Chandler
Walter Wright Hannah Dane
John Barker Henry Ingolls, jun.
John Hooper Joseph Robinson
Hooker Osgood Bridget Chandler
Henry Ingolls, sen. John Frie, sen.
Wm. Abbot Thomas Johnson
Benj. Stevens Mary Johnson
Wm. Chandler, sen. James Frie
James Russell Tho. Johnson, jun.
Ann Bradstreet Robert Russel
Samuel Martin John Aslebee
Oliver Holt Andrew Peters
Joanna Dane Mary Russel
Stephen Parker Samuel Holt
John Presson Mary Peters
Eliza. Stevens

Neither Sarah (Lord) Wilson nor her daughter, Sarah, Jr. were tried in January, 1693.
On January 13, Joseph Wilson and John Osgood posted a recognizance bond of £100
for the continued freedom of Sarah (Lord) Wilson and Sarah Wilson, Jr. on bail.
On 10 May 1693, mother and daughter appeared at the Superior Court of Judicature
at Ipswich and were cleared.
The family remained in Andover after the witchcraft scare subsided. Joseph
died April 2, 1718. Sarah died in Andover on May 21, 1727. Their daughter, Sarah,
Jr. married Jacob Preston, a grandson of emigrant, Roger Preston, in Andover
on June 17, 1702 and removed to Ashford, Connecticut.