Elizabeth (Austin) Dicer (abt. 1650 - 1704)

Born about 1650 in Massachusetts Bay Colony [uncertain]

Wife of William Dicer — married 20 Nov 1664 in Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony (present day Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA)

Descendants

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Disputed Origins

WARNING: Disputed Parentage: A previous version of this profile claimed, without source, that Elizabeth Austin was daughter of Matthew Austin and his first wife Sarah Canney.

1. the known children of this couple does not include a daughter Elizabeth
2. the first name of Matthew’s Austin Senior's Second wife is not known. She only appears on marriage record, and in a birth record with no first name, but has the maiden name "Canney" on one child "Matthew Austin Jr.". Further more the sources below do not make any credible proven connection, of even a plausible but unproven "uncertain connection". She is Science fiction made up in a fictional novel on the "Dicer family of Salem,MA".^[1]

Biography

Elizabeth (Austin) Dicer was accused of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials

Elizabeth wed William Dicer on 20 November 1664 in Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Thereafter they resided in the nearby fishing town of Gloucester. They had two daughters, Elizabeth and Honnor.

Halfway through what became known as The Salem Witch Trials, Elizabeth Dicer was arrested but not tried. Her accusers made complaint against her and another Gloster (sic) woman, Margaret Prince. A warrant for their arrest was sworn out 3 September 1692 and they were taken into custody on 5 September. Elizabeth was released on bond but never brought to trial. She died 9 February 1704.

Transcription (digital copy attached)

Warrant for Arrest of Elizabeth Dicer and Margaret Prince

To the Constable of Gloster.

complaint haveing ben made to us their Majesties Justices of the Peace in Salem by Ebenezer Babson of Gloster against Elizabeth Dicer wife of Wm Dicer and Margaret Prince widow of Gloster for that they have griveously hurt & Tortured. Elenor Babson widow & Mary Sargent wife of Wm Sarjant Just'e of Gloster by witchcraft & has given Bond to their Majesties to procecut Said Complaint to Effect These are therfore in their Majestes name to require you to Aprehend & seize the Bodys of Elizab't Dicer wife of william Dicer of Boston Seaman & Margret Prince widow of Gloster & them bring before their Majesties Justices of the Peace in Salem their to be Examined about the premises for w'ch this shall be your warrant

Salem 3: September 1692.

• Bartho Gedney
• John Hathorn
• Jonathan. Corwin

(Reverse) in obedience to this within warrant I have Seized the bodys of Elizabeth Dicer & Margret Prince widow & brought them to Salem before their Majestes Justices of the Peace

5 Sep'r 1692

Thom griggs jun'or

Constbl of Glostr

Massachusetts Remediation

1. 17 October 1710, Convictions Reversed, The General Court of Massachusetts Bay, An act, the several convictions, judgments, and attainders be, and hereby are, reversed, and declared to be null and void.^[2]
2. 17 Dec 1711, Compensation to Survivors, Governor Dudley, GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS BAY, approved compensation to such persons as are living, and to those that legally represent them that are dead
3. 28 Aug 1957, No Disgrace to Descendants, General Court of Massachusetts, ...such proceedings, were and are shocking, and the result of a wave of popular hysterical fear of the Devil in the community, and further declares that, as all the laws under which said proceedings...have been long since abandoned and superseded by our more civilized laws, no disgrace or cause for distress attaches to the said descendants or any of them by reason of said proceedings.^[3]
4. 31 Oct 2001, Additional Victims Included, Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives in General Court, AN ACT RELATIVE TO THE WITCHCRAFT TRIAL OF 1692, chapter 145 is hereby further amended by adding Bridget Bishop, Susannah Martin, Alice Parker, Margaret Scott and Wilmot Redd.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ New England, Salem Witches and Others Tried for Witchcraft, 1647-1697 about Elizabeth Dicer. Ancestry.com. New England, Salem Witches and Others Tried for Witchcraft, 1647-1697 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.;Original data: Original information from surviving legal records from the towns and villages in question and appearing in Godbeer, Richard, comp. The Devil's Dominion: Magic and Religion in Early New England: Appendices A & B. [Information taken from Boyer, Paul and Stephen Nissenbaum, eds. The Salem Witchcraft Papers: Verbatim Transcripts of the Legal Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Outbreak. 3 vols. New York, NY: 1977.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
2. ↑ “Salem Witchcraft : with an Account of Salem Village, and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Subjects : Upham, Charles Wentworth, 1802-1875, Author : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Wayback Machine Internet Archive, Jul 2021
3. ↑ https://www.mass.gov/doc/resolves-of-1957-chapter-145/download
4. ↑ https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2001/Chapter122

See Also:

• Warrant for Arrest of Elizabeth Dicer and Margaret Prince
  • Boston Public Library -- Dept. of Rare Books and Manuscripts
  • Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project Salem Witchcraft Papers - SWP No 104 - Warrant for the Apprehension of Elizabeth Dicer and Margaret Prince, & Officer's Return
• American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) about Elizabeth Austin, Volume: 05; Page Number: 412, Reference: Gen. Column of the "Boston Transcript". 1906-1941.( The greatest single source of material for gen. Data for the N.E. area and for the period 1600-1800. Completely indexed in the Index.): Nov 14, 1906, 8965; May 31, 1916, 5596
• Massachusetts, Marriages, 1633-1850 about Elizabeth Austin. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=MAmarriages_ga&h=24954&indiv=try&gss=pt&ssrc=gr_t74352895_p40294806737_ktidz0q3d74352895z0q26pidz0q3d40294806737z0q26pgz0q3d32782z0q26pgplz0q3dtidz0q257cpidz0q26pgpsz0q3d40294806737_h73388727921
• Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 about Elizabeth Austin. Salem marriages page 65. Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).
• Wikipedia contributors, "List of people of the Salem witch trials". Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 23 February 2015 05:05 UTC. Date retrieved: 4 March 2015 07:36 UTC. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_people_of_the_Salem_witch_trials&oldid=648431341