Susannah Sheldon (born circa 1674) was one of the core accusers during the Salem Witch Trials. She was eighteen years of age during the time of

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 ...

. As one of the core group of allegedly afflicted girls, Sheldon made claims of afflictions for the first time during the last week of April 1692.

Biography

Sheldon was the daughter of Rebecca Scadlock and William Sheldon. When Sheldon was a baby, her family was driven out of their home in

Saco, Maine Saco is a city in York County, Maine, York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General ...

by Native Americans during

King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...

in 1676. The family lived in Salem, Massachusetts during King Philip's War but returned to Saco when peace was established. The family fled Saco once again during

King William's War King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand All ...

and returned to Salem. Sheldon's elder brother Godfrey died in Maine in July 1690 and her father William died in Salem in December 1691. Having lost their Maine farm, the Sheldon family lived in poverty in Salem after 1691. In April 1692, Sheldon was eighteen years old when she became one of the main accusers in the Salem Witch Trials. Records show that Sheldon testified against eleven witches and filed at least 24 depositions. Sheldon was personally responsible for bringing witchcraft accusations against Salem's wealthiest and most prominent couples, Mary and Philip English. This was Sheldon's first accusation. According to historian

Mary Beth Norton Mary Beth Norton (born 1943) is an American historian, specializing in American colonial history and well known for her work on women's history and the Salem witch trials. She is the Mary Donlon Alger Professor Emeritus of American History at th ...

, Sheldon likely died unmarried and childless.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheldon, Susannah 1670s births Place of birth missing Place of death missing Year of death missing Accusers in witch trials People of the Salem witch trials People from Saco, Maine