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A Letter from the Author
Dear Readers,
Martha Carrier, my grandmother back nine generations, was
hanged as a witch in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Called the
“Queen of Hell” by Cotton Mather, Martha was unyielding in
her refusal to confess and went to her death rather than join the
accused men and women who did so and were spared.
I’ve read countless historical sources about the trials, including
the transcripts that captured verbatim Martha’s defiance to the
court. But it was the stories of my mother and my maternal grand
parents that defined more clearly the courage—and obstinacy—
that set the Carriers apart.
All the Carrier tales I heard as a child were enthralling. The
children made bows and arrows and practiced shooting objects
off each other’s heads. Their cow was fed pumpkins so she would
give golden milk. Martha’s husband Thomas was, according to
local gossip, a soldier for Cromwell and the executioner of King
Charles I of England. Thomas was over seven feet tall and, when
he died at 109, two coffins had to be fitted together to bury him.
Sarah is the central character of The Heretic's Daughter,
and Martha did have a daughter with that name. She was arrested on suspicion of witchcraft along with her three brothers and spent
months in captivity in a crowded cellar prison. It’s my hope that
weaving my family legends into the fictional narrative will bring an
authenticity to the story of their tremendous bravery and fortitude.
Regards,
Kathleen Kent
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