Mehitable (Babrooke) Downing (1651 - 1721)

Born 1651 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay

Wife of John Downing — married 2 Nov 1669 in Ipswich, MA

Descendants

Died 25 Apr 1721 at about age 70 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Alva Crom [send private message], Kate Montressor [send private message], and John Putnam [send private message]

Biography

Mehitable (Babrooke) Downing was accused of witchcraft in Salem

Mehitabel was the daughter of Richard Braybrook and his indentured servant, Alice Eliss. ^[1] On 30 March 1652 her father was sentenced to be severly whipped for fornication, and her mother to be whipped after giving birth. ^[2] The courts also ruled that her father and his wife, Joan, were to raise the child in their home since he was a prosperous landowner. ^[3] Her mother, Alice, was released from her indenture. ^[4] In 1692, both Joan Braybrook and her stepdaughter, Mehitabel were accused of witchcraft and jailed. ^[5] They were released without being tried because the Witch Trials had come to an end before their trials. ^[6]

Mehitabel was arrested on suspicion of incendiarism prior to the Salem Witch Hysteria when she was working as a servant in the home of Jacob Perkins, who lived on Apple Street in Chebacco parish, now Essex. ^[7] In her testimony, she stated that she had stood upon the oven on the back side of the house to see if there were hogs in the corn, and knocked some ashes out of her smoking pipe which fell upon the thatch causing a fire. ^[8] She was found guilty of "extreme carelessness if not willfully setting the fire" and sentenced to be severely whipped and to pay damages to Jacob Perkins. ^{[9] [10]}

Examination of Mehitabel (her mark) Braybrook, aged about sixteen years, taken Aug. 15, 1668, before Daniel Denison: "On Thursday last was seauennight, her master Jacob Perkins and his wife being gone to the Towne, shee was left at home alone about 2 or 3 aclocke in the afternoone she was taking tobacco in a pipe and went out of the hosue with her pipe and gott upon the ouen on the outside & backside of the house (to looke if there were any hogs in the corne) and she layd her right hand upon the thatch of the house (to stay herselfe) and with her left hand knocked outher pipe oer her right arme upon the thatch on the eaues of the house (not thinking there had been any fire in the pipe) and imediately went downe into the corn feild to driue out the hogs she saw in it, and as she was going toward the railes of the feild towards Anbraham Perkins house shee looked back, saw a smoke upon her M(rs) house in the place where she had knocked out her pipe [record torn] which shee was much frightend, and went into the s(d) Abraham Perkins [redord torn] to intreat her to help her about a kettle of cloathes, and [record torn] kins sent her to their barne to call her mayd to come and looke to [record torn] w(th) the mayd the s(d) Goodwife Perkins & I this examinate went [record torn] towards my m(r) Jacob Perkins house in the way wee saw the smoke [record torn] the house & then ran and coming to the house found the fire [record torn] in the place aboue the ouen where I knocked out my pipe [record torn] I rand for a paile of water but before I could gett out [record torn] well the thatch flamed & for want of Ladders & helpe being rem [record torn] the house was burned down, being demanded, why upon her first seing of the smoake she did not acquaint Goodwife Perkins she s(d) she was loath to fright her, and being asked why when she first saw it, shee did not goe backe to quench it she answered shee was so frighted shee durst not, she further s(th) as shee was coming w9th) Goodwife Perkins toward the house she s(d) to the s(d) Goodwife Perkins swjy doe the woods looke blew beyond our house & s(d) their was a great smoake behind their house." She further testified that about an hour before the fire kindled on the house, the chimney was on fire a little above the wing at which she was frightened, but she quenched it with lye she had upon the fire in a kettle of clothes. She was committed to prison, Aug. 15, 1666, not having bail ready.

--Braybrook bound for his daughter Mehitabel's appearance at the next Ipswich court.

Abraham Perkins, aged about twenty-nine years, and John Willyston, aged abut twenty years, deposed that they heard Mehitable Brabrooke acknowledge that she put her tobacco pike into the fire and dipped up a coal in it to light it, etc. Sworn in court.

Hannah, wife of Abraham Perkins, deposed that she went with Mehitabel Braybrook to the house and looked up into the chamber through the boards that lay very open on the side where the smoke was. When Mehitabel brought the water from the well, deponent got upon the oven and threw water there but it was so long before the water was brought that the fire spread. She looked into both chimneys and saw no appearance of fire, only a few brands ends nearly dead under a great kettle hanging in the chimney, etc. Sworn, Sept. 29, 1668, before Daniel Denison.

Timothy Bragg, aged about seventeen years, deposed. Sworn in court.

John Williston, aged about twenty years, deposed that he and Mehitabel were going to th meadow to make hay before the fire, when she told deponent that her mistress was angry with her, but she had "fitted her now", for she had put a great toad into her kettle of milk, etc. Sworn in court.

Goodwife Brag testified that at her house she heard Goodwife Brabrock say that Mehitabell was a filthy, unchaste creature. ^[11]

It is thought that Joan despised her step-daughter Mehitabel her entire life. This seems apparent by the fact that when Richard Braybrooke died, he provided well for Mehitabel in his will. Joan and Mehitabel were involved in a court battle over the will. ^[12]

Marriage

Mehitabell was married to John Downing on 2 September 1669 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts.

Marriage 2 Sep 1669 Ipswich, Essex, MA Mehitabell Brabrooke to John Downing(1640–1694)^[13]

Children

• Charles Downing
• John Downing
• Daniel Downing
• Richard Downing
• Nathaniel Downing

Sources

1. ↑ Harris
2. ↑ Harris
3. ↑ Harris
4. ↑ Harris
5. ↑ Harris
6. ↑ Harris
7. ↑ Harris
8. ↑ Harris
9. ↑ Harris
10. ↑ Court record
11. ↑ Court record
12. ↑ Harris
13. ↑ Marriage record

• Harris, Gordon. "Mehitabel Braybrooke, in the Shadow of Salem," Historic Ipswich, <https://historicipswich.org/in-the-shadow-of-salem/>
• Massachusetts Marriages, 1633-1850, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, Film # 0777636.
• Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts, Salem, Massachusetts: Published by the Essex Institute, 1914, Volume IV, 1667-1671, pg. 56-57 Ipswich Quarterly Court – Sept 29, 1668.
• Gawell, Donna B. In the Shadow of Salem: Heritage Beacon Fiction, 2018.

Description: “She began life as the bastard child of a prosperous landowner and his indentured servant. Now her stepmother despises the girl and views her as cursed by God. For Mehitabel Braybrooke, life in Puritan New England becomes unbearable when her orphan cousin arrives to live with her family. Jealousy and lies result in Mehitabel being “sent out” as a servant to a neighbor’s home. There, foolishness and bad judgment lead her to commit the unspeakable: Mehitabel commits crimes that warrant a death sentence: not once, but twice — the first time for arson, the second for witchcraft. Rich in historical detail, In the Shadow of Salem is a fascinating portrayal of a real historical Puritan woman. The history records have not been kind to Mehitabel, but what was the real story behind her scurrilous reputation? Would she ever be redeemed from her lifelong curse? Or was Mehitabel as wicked as the Essex Court Records suggest?”

Acknowledgements

• Babrooke-1 was created by Alva Crom through the import of CROM FAMILY.ged on Jul 17, 2014.