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Abigail Accused - A Story of the Salem Witch Hunt
Abigail Dane Faulkner was convicted of witchcraft and condemned to die in 1692. Based on actual 17th century documents, this is the dramatic account of one family whose lives became entangled in the Salem Witch Trials and the 40 year old mother of six who managed to escape the gallows. How did the people of Massachusetts Bay Colony, led by many of their ministers and magistrates, become victims of the fear and religious fanaticism that led to the imprisonment of nearly 200 citizens and the executions of twenty men and women? What happened to make ordinary people turn against neighbors and family and 'Cry Witch?' Why were more men, women and children from Abigail Faulkner's hometown of Andover carted off to prison? Why did so many Andover residents and children confess to witchcraft - more than from any other town in all of New England? Why did Abigail's sister, nieces and even her own daughters testify against her and confess to being witches themselves? Who were the 'afflicted' of Salem Village and Andover and what made them suffer fits? And what exactly was the dreaded Devil's Conspiracy?
Although countless books have been written about those tragic events of 1692, few so vividly describe the humiliation of being arrested or the torments of being incarcerated in chains. Few accounts reveal the power and danger of gossip within the colonial community or the popular belief in folk medicine and magical practices. How did Abigail Faulkner manage to save herself from the noose, when 19 other "Firebrands of Hell" were hanged? This historical novel also explains what became of those who survived the witch trials. How were they treated by the community after they were released and returned home?
Readers experience the daily lives of our ancestors at a time when preparing a meal, making soap, sowing seeds, stuffing sausage, or dipping candles required days and any complaint of a sore throat could signify the loss of a child. Life-changing events such as courtship and marriage, the sin of fornication, childbirth, and death, are described, along with devastating Wabanaki attacks upon a frontier community. Readers will learn how early New England towns dealt with the mentally ill, developmentally-disabled, and the indigent.
Above all, this is a moving love story demonstrating what passionate folks our ancestors really were since Puritans believed God smiled upon all possible physical pleasure for married couples. Abigail's enduring love offered her husband, Francis Faulkner, the strength he so desperately needed through bouts of mental illness. Native American raids upon their 'outside town' resulted in Faulkner's sporadic 'fitts,' the condition we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder.
This is also a tale of courage for it demonstrates how Abigail and her father, the Rev. Francis Dane, the town's senior minister, fought the bigotry of their time and helped end the deadly witch hunts. Petitions by this father and daughter represent landmark documents of free speech and serve to remind us all of the ongoing struggle for human rights.
Although countless books have been written about those tragic events of 1692, few so vividly describe the humiliation of being arrested or the torments of being incarcerated in chains. Few accounts reveal the power and danger of gossip within the colonial community or the popular belief in folk medicine and magical practices. How did Abigail Faulkner manage to save herself from the noose, when 19 other "Firebrands of Hell" were hanged? This historical novel also explains what became of those who survived the witch trials. How were they treated by the community after they were released and returned home?
Readers experience the daily lives of our ancestors at a time when preparing a meal, making soap, sowing seeds, stuffing sausage, or dipping candles required days and any complaint of a sore throat could signify the loss of a child. Life-changing events such as courtship and marriage, the sin of fornication, childbirth, and death, are described, along with devastating Wabanaki attacks upon a frontier community. Readers will learn how early New England towns dealt with the mentally ill, developmentally-disabled, and the indigent.
Above all, this is a moving love story demonstrating what passionate folks our ancestors really were since Puritans believed God smiled upon all possible physical pleasure for married couples. Abigail's enduring love offered her husband, Francis Faulkner, the strength he so desperately needed through bouts of mental illness. Native American raids upon their 'outside town' resulted in Faulkner's sporadic 'fitts,' the condition we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder.
This is also a tale of courage for it demonstrates how Abigail and her father, the Rev. Francis Dane, the town's senior minister, fought the bigotry of their time and helped end the deadly witch hunts. Petitions by this father and daughter represent landmark documents of free speech and serve to remind us all of the ongoing struggle for human rights.
- GenresWitches
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 29, 2013
11 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 17, 2019
A novel written with an historian's eye for detail about the spread of Salem's accusations to a neighboring town.
December 9, 2013
Great story about Abigail Falkner and her family's trials & tribulations. The story did seen to move pretty quickly in time, giving the story more of a narrative feel, lacking a little in description but other than that I really enjoyed it.
January 7, 2020
Though historical fiction, this book is a result of over 30 years of research. The story follows one family from the point of view of Abagail Faulkner. The writer takes us in the kitchens, out in the farmyard, and later, into the rat infested jail cell. In this novel, some of the common mythology around the Witch hysteria in 1692 is reexamined. The book is the “Handmaids Tale” of life in the early American theocracy called the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
July 5, 2013
This vivid and well-plotted novel really brought the witch hysteria to life for me. I found myself truly caring about the characters, who are all real people who went through the terror of the witch trials. Abigail Dane Faulkner is a brilliant choice to tell the story. See it thru her eyes is unforgettable.
August 1, 2023
One of my FAVORITE books about the Salem Witch Trials. I read this book ever October to start off the spooky season. Sadly, what really happened is far more spookier than any witch trial. However, it is a good reminder of how cruel people can be with faced with unknown circumstances they can't explain.
February 7, 2014
This was a great read. The Salem Witch trials have always interested me, so one night I went on the prowl for some good books on the subject. I wanted real stories, and fictional stories based on the true events, which is the category Abigail Accused falls into.
The story was a little slow in the beginning, but it needed to be, to get a feel for the times, and the characters. Sometimes it was a little confusing to follow all the names, with them being the same or almost identical, but that's not the author's fault, that's how it was back then. The wording and sentence structure held true to the time it took place. Juliet Mofford did a great job researching and describing the history, and how it all took place. From describing the main character, Abigail, and her family life, her husband's PTSD, losing a child, and then, of course, the beginnings of what was going to become one of the most historical events in American history. It told how living in Massachusetts Bay Colony, near Salem, was caught up in the witch hunt. There were stories, coming from Salem, about young women who would fall upon the ground, writhing in pain, saying someone's spectors were torturing them. Only the hand of that person's spector could calm these fits. It told how women in Salem were being tried and executed for these crimes, all on accounts of these few young women, and that alone. Abigail, wasn't worried about the insanity coming to Massachusetts Bay... though she should have. When a man brings these women to Massachusetts Bay to help find a reason for his wife's suffering, Abigail learns first hand just what she should have been worried about. Ms. Mofford did an amazing job telling this story, she brought Abigail Dane Faulkner to life in vivid detail. After Abigail's arrest, the stench and filth of the prison she was kept in was described so you felt you were sitting on the floor, chained up next to her, hearing the muffled cries of those around you. I wish it had gone into a bit more detail in the end of how the trials finally ended, but the story was well wrapped up in the end.
There were a few editing mistakes, wrong words or misspellings in the book but nothing that detracted from the story, all & all, a great read!
The story was a little slow in the beginning, but it needed to be, to get a feel for the times, and the characters. Sometimes it was a little confusing to follow all the names, with them being the same or almost identical, but that's not the author's fault, that's how it was back then. The wording and sentence structure held true to the time it took place. Juliet Mofford did a great job researching and describing the history, and how it all took place. From describing the main character, Abigail, and her family life, her husband's PTSD, losing a child, and then, of course, the beginnings of what was going to become one of the most historical events in American history. It told how living in Massachusetts Bay Colony, near Salem, was caught up in the witch hunt. There were stories, coming from Salem, about young women who would fall upon the ground, writhing in pain, saying someone's spectors were torturing them. Only the hand of that person's spector could calm these fits. It told how women in Salem were being tried and executed for these crimes, all on accounts of these few young women, and that alone. Abigail, wasn't worried about the insanity coming to Massachusetts Bay... though she should have. When a man brings these women to Massachusetts Bay to help find a reason for his wife's suffering, Abigail learns first hand just what she should have been worried about. Ms. Mofford did an amazing job telling this story, she brought Abigail Dane Faulkner to life in vivid detail. After Abigail's arrest, the stench and filth of the prison she was kept in was described so you felt you were sitting on the floor, chained up next to her, hearing the muffled cries of those around you. I wish it had gone into a bit more detail in the end of how the trials finally ended, but the story was well wrapped up in the end.
There were a few editing mistakes, wrong words or misspellings in the book but nothing that detracted from the story, all & all, a great read!
July 1, 2019
The story of Abigail Faulkner and the Salem Witch Trials is a fascinating one, and Juliet Mofford does a great job in re-imagining those days of uncertainty and terror. Told from the point of view of Abigail Faulker, a young woman from Andover whose family fought hard to end the witch hunt, Mofford's extensive research into the time period shines through from beginning to end. Her attention to detail and descriptions of life in 1692 are impeccable. From Abigail's early years as a young and impressionable woman on the brink of love to the dark and dank days she spent in the Salem town prison, Juliet reveals a woman who survived the accusations with an inner strength of character and fortitude that allowed her to overcome despair and hold her family together with fierce love and understanding. As a relative of Abigail Faulkner, I was pleased to read this book that celebrates this amazing woman's story! (For mature audiences only)
January 12, 2015
formatting issues drown story
This is a case of a well researched story being gobbled up by a web of formatting problems that entirely distract from the telling. This is a diamond in the rough.
This is a case of a well researched story being gobbled up by a web of formatting problems that entirely distract from the telling. This is a diamond in the rough.
March 16, 2019
Was really interested in reading this book as I recently discovered that Abigail is my 10th great-aunt. It did not disappoint! A word of caution, this is definitely for mature readers.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews