This week’s topic, “Historic Event,” is a tricky one because my family history is deeply tied to the New World—spanning the American Revolution, Civil War, westward expansion, and, if online genealogies are correct, even the Mayflower. One surprise I discovered early on during my lunch break visits to the Family History Library was my deep Puritan roots, with family names like Shattuck, Joselyn, Larkin, Fay, Morse, Day, Cleveland, and Hale.
One family that caught my attention was the Hales, among the earliest Puritan settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. My 9th-great-grandfather, Deacon Robert Hale, arrived in 1630 as a carpenter and acquired several parcels of land in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He and his wife, Joanna, had nine children, including Joanna Hale, who married John Larkin (my 8th-great-grandparents) in 1664. They settled in Charlestown, but John died young in 1678 at age 38. Joanna, then about 31 years old, later married William Dodge and moved to Beverly, Massachusetts.
It seems Joanna and William moved to Beverly shortly after their marriage, possibly to be near her older brother, John Hale, who was the first pastor of the First Parish Church in Beverly. Beverly was just a short boat ride from Salem and the two communities were closely connected. During the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, John Hale initially supported the court’s actions—until his own wife was accused of witchcraft. This shocking turn led him to reconsider his stance, and he later published his influential book, A Modest Inquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft, in which he examined the hysteria and its consequences.
We don’t know Joanna Hale Larkin Dodge’s personal views on the trials. However, given that her family was well-established in Beverly and likely attended her brother’s church (the only church in town), it’s safe to say she and her children witnessed these events firsthand. The Hales, Larkins, and Dodge were interconnected through marriage, and the aftermath of the trials surely impacted the next generation. Sadly, Joanna passed away in 1693, but she left behind a legacy woven into the fabric of 17th- and 18th-century New England.
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