“Flew the Coop” is the topic for Week 31 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge.
There are a few Salem witch ancestors on my dad’s side of the family, with varying degrees of notoriety. Some were jailed and executed. Some were jailed and released. Others left town when they discovered that warrants were being put out for their arrest, returning once the hysteria was over. George Jacobs, Jr. was one such ancestor who flew the coop and later returned. Once he heard the law was coming for him, he hightailed it out of town with his brother-in-law and neighbor, Daniel Andrews.
George Jacobs, Jr.’s 17-year-old daughter, Margaret, was living at Northfields, the farm of her grandfather, George Jacobs, Sr., when the two were accused of witchcraft by a household servant. Four days later, on May 14, 1692, a complaint of witchcraft was filed against George Jr., his wife Rebecca (Andrews), and her brother, Daniel Andrews by Thomas Putnam and Nathaniel Ingersoll. A warrant was sworn out for both of the men on May 17th, but for whatever reason, no warrant was issued for Rebecca. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop Constable John Putnam from arresting her when he discovered her husband had fled. The woman, who by many accounts had suffered from mental illness for about twelve years, was led away while her five children ranging from the ages of 2 to 15 ran after her crying.
Rebecca and her daughter Margaret remained in jail for months after they were declared innocent. Margaret was freed in February of 1693 when a fisherman paid her jail fees, and Rebecca was released a month later in March when family members scraped up enough money to pay her debt. It seems insane that after the women were found innocent in January, they were required to pay jail fees before being released!
George Jacobs, Sr. wasn’t so lucky. He was found guilty and hanged on August 19, 1692. He was one of the oldest people to be executed during the Salem Witch Trials, and gave an impassioned speech. He was angry with George Jr. for running away and abandoning him, and also angry with his daughter and son-in-law for not supporting and defending him during the trial. Both children were written out of his will and he left the bulk of his estate to his grandson, George Jacobs, III.
Because little is written about George Jacobs, Jr., it’s difficult to draw solid conclusions about his character. On one hand, you can hardly blame him for running away and hiding during a literal witch hunt. As an accused person, he couldn’t do anything tangible to help his imprisoned father and daughter. If staying behind meant prison and quite possibly execution, leaving was the smartest choice.
On the other hand, he abandoned his mentally ill wife and five minor children instead of bringing them with him. Even though there wasn’t an active warrant for Rebecca’s arrest when he left, it’s logical that one could have been issued at any time. Paranoia was high and she had already been accused. Is it possible he left in an effort to protect Rebecca? Perhaps he feared that under pressure he’d inadvertently confirm his wife’s odd behaviors, which naturally would be misconstrued as witchcraft.
While I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt, this theory doesn’t explain why it took him so long to return home. Rebecca was declared innocent in January of 1693. It took her family an additional two months to raise the necessary funds to cover her jail fees and secure her release. George Jr. returned home in June - three months after Rebecca’s release. Why? Did it take weeks or months to receive word that she was innocent and eligible for release, or did he fear the witch hunt wasn’t over and prudently kept his distance until he was sure the hysteria had petered out?
Was he lured home by greed? George Sr. owned quite a bit of land, but George Jr. didn’t – he rented. The possibility of going from renter to landowner would have been strong motivation to return home. Though his father wrote him out of his will, George Jr. successfully contested it in court, and took over the family farm. Keep in mind that in George Sr.’s amended will, he left his estate to George Jr.’s son – George Jacobs III. Not only did he disregard his father’s final wishes, but he snatched the inheritance away from his own child. While we can’t possibly construct a full picture of George Jr.’s personality, these actions paint him in a less than favorable light.
Sources:
https://salemwitchmuseum.com/locations/rebecca-and-george-jacobs-jr-home-site-of/
Comments