Dorcas Hoar (née Galley; 1634 July 12, 1711) was a widow accused of

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

during the

Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...

of 1692. She was found guilty and condemned to hang, but then confessed and with the support of several ministers, was given a temporary reprieve, after which the trials had already ended. Born Dorcas Galley in Beverly, Essex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, daughter of John and Florence Galley, she marrie
William Hoar
and was the mother of one son, named for his father, and two daughters. Her sisters were Mary Ross and Elizabeth Giles. A fortune teller and accused burglar, it appeared inevitable she would be named as a witch. She was ordered arrested on April 30, 1692, by magistrates

John Hathorne John Hathorne (August 1641 – May 10, 1717) was a merchant and magistrate of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Salem, Massachusetts. He is best known for his early and vocal role as one of the leading judges in the Salem witch trials. Hatho ...

and

Jonathan Corwin Jonathan Corwin (also Curwin or Corwen, November 14, 1640 – June 9, 1718) was a New England merchant, politician, and magistrate. He is best known as one of the judges involved in the Salem witch trials of 1692, although his later work als ...

, after Jonathan Walcott and

Thomas Putnam Thomas Putnam ( – , 1699) was a member of the Putnam family and a resident of Salem Village (present-day Danvers, Massachusetts) and a significant accuser in the notorious 1692 Salem witch trials. His father, Lt. Thomas Putnam Sr. (1615–16 ...

Salem Village Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the renowned beaches of Glo ...

had made complaints that Hoar, Phillip English of Salem, and Sarah Murrell, also of Beverly, had afflicted

Mary Walcott Mary Walcott (July 5, 1675 – 1752) was one of the "afflicted" girls called as a witness at the Salem witch trials in early 1692-93. Life Born July 5, 1675, she was the daughter of Captain Jonathan Walcott (1639–1699), and his wife, Mary Sibl ...

Mercy Lewis Mercy Lewis (fl. 1692) was an accuser during the Salem Witch Trials. She was born in Falmouth, Maine. Mercy Lewis, formally known as Mercy Allen, was the child of Philip Lewis and Mary (Cass) Lewis. Early life Lewis and her family were refugees ...

Abigail Williams Abigail Williams (born c. 1681, date of death unknown) was an 11- or 12-year-old girl who, along with nine-year-old Betty Parris, was among the first of the children to falsely accuse their neighbors of witchcraft in 1692; these accusations eve ...

, Ann Putnam, Jr.,

Elizabeth Hubbard Elizabeth Hubbard is an American actress perhaps best known for her role as Dr. Althea Davis on ''The Doctors (1963 TV series), The Doctors'' (1964–69, 1970–77, 1981–82), and as powerful businesswoman Lucinda Walsh on ''As the World Turn ...

, and Susannah Sheldon. Marshal

George Herrick George Herrick (c. 1658–1695) was the "Marshal" for the Court of Oyer and Terminer during the Salem Witch Trials. Herrick described himself as "bred a gentleman, and not much used to work". He was described by those who knew him as a "very tall ...

delivered Hoar and Murrell to Ingersoll's tavern in Salem Village on May 2, but was unable to locate English, who had fled Salem. While imprisoned awaiting trial, Hoar confessed to acts of witchcraft to John Lovett, III, son of Bethiah (née Rootes) and John Jr. Lovett. John was visiting his own grandmother, Susannah Rootes, who had also been accused of witchcraft and was awaiting trial. Jonathan testified to this confession at Hoar's trial; she was found guilty. Rev.

Deodat Lawson Deodat Lawson was a minister in Salem Village from 1684 to 1688 and is famous for a 10-page pamphlet describing the witchcraft accusations in the early spring of 1692. The pamphlet was billed as "collected by Deodat Lawson" and printed within the ye ...

wrote of her, "only one Woman Condemned, after the Death Warrant was signed, freely Confessed, which occasioned her Reprieval for sometime; and it was observable, This Woman had one Lock of Hair, of a very great length, viz. Four Foot and Seven Inches long, by measure, this Lock was of a different colour from all the rest, (which was short and grey) it grew on the hinder part of her Head, and was matted together like an Elf-Lock; the Court ordered it to be cut off, to which she was very unwilling, and said, she was told if it were cut off, she should Dye, or be Sick, yet the Court ordered it so to be." Actress

Jean Smart Jean Elizabeth Smart (born September 13, 1951) is an American actress. After beginning her career in regional theater in the Pacific Northwest, she appeared on Broadway in 1981 as Marlene Dietrich in the biographical play '' Piaf''. Smart was l ...

was revealed to be a direct descendant of Dorcas Hoar on the sixth episode of the ninth season of the American genealogy documentary series '' Who Do You Think You Are?''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoar, Dorcas 1630s births 1711 deaths Year of birth uncertain Date of birth missing American people of English descent People convicted of witchcraft People from Beverly, Massachusetts People of the Salem witch trials