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George Burrough/Burroughs was born about 1650. Most references (such as Wikipedia) suggest he was born in Suffolk, England, but others suggest he may have been born in either Maryland or Virginia, when his father was visiting from England, or even in Scituate, Massachusetts. Other references such as NEHGR, are silent as to his birthplace.[1] [2] [3] [4]
George wrote his name "Burrough" in the early part of his life; by the time he graduated from Harvard, he referred to himself as "Burroughs". His name was spelled "Burrows" in the Roxbury church records, where he was admitted to full communion April 12, 1674. His daughter, Rebecca, was baptized there that same day, and his son, George was baptized there November 25, 1675.[5]
George was a graduate of Harvard University in 1670.[6]
George was married three times. His first wife's name was Hannah Fisher. They were married by 1674 in Roxbury or Falmouth Maine.[7] She died in Salem Village in September 1681. By 1683, George was married to Sarah Ruck, widow of Captain William Hathorne. She died several years before George's death. George's third wife's name was Mary (last name unknown), and by her he had one child, Mary. A prior article in the same publication conflated Mary, George's widow, and Mary, George's daughter[8] [9]
George Burroughs was the minister of Salem Village from 1680 to 1683. He was accused by members of his former congregation during the Salem Witch Trials and was convicted and executed on August 19, 1692[10] [11]
Burroughs was described in a reading by Frances Hill,[who?] "George Burroughs was confident, strong-willed, and decisive, a man of action as well as a preacher, unusually athletic and clever enough to do well in Harvard. Short of stature, muscular, dark-complexioned, he was highly attractive to women, as is shown by his winning the hand of a rich widow as his second wife when he was a mere village minister." He lived at Falmouth (now Portland, Maine) until it was destroyed by the Wabanaki in 1690. He moved to Wells, Maine, believing it would be safer as there were fewer Indian attacks there.
In May 1692, during the Salem witch trials, based on the accusation of some of his personal enemies from his former congregation who had sued him for debt, Burroughs was arrested and charged, among other offenses, with extraordinary weight lifting (lifted a musket with a finger in the barrel), and such feats of strength as could not be done without diabolical assistance. George Burroughs was executed on Witches Hill, Salem, on 19 August 1692, the only minister who suffered this extreme fate. Although the jury had found no witches' marks on his body he was nonetheless convicted of witchcraft and conspiracy with the Devil. While standing on a ladder before the crowd, waiting to be hanged, he successfully recited the Lord's Prayer, something that was generally considered by the Court of Oyer and Terminer to be impossible for a witch to do. After he was hanged, Cotton Mather, a minister from Boston, reminded the crowd from atop his horse that Burroughs had been convicted in a court of law, and spoke convincingly enough that four more were executed after Burroughs. Below is the original account as first compiled and published in 1700 by Robert Calef in More Wonders of The Invisible World, and later reprinted or relied upon by others including Charles Wentworth Upham and George Lincoln Burr,
"Mr. Burroughs was carried in a Cart with others, through the streets of Salem, to Execution. When he was upon the Ladder, he made a speech for the clearing of his Innocency, with such Solemn and Serious Expressions as were to the Admiration of all present; his Prayer (which he concluded by repeating the Lord’s Prayer) was so well worded, and uttered with such composedness as such fervency of spirit, as was very Affecting, and drew Tears from many, so that if seemed to some that the spectators would hinder the execution. The accusers said the black Man [Devil] stood and dictated to him. As soon as he was turned off [hung], Mr. Cotton Mather, being mounted upon a Horse, addressed himself to the People, partly to declare that he [Mr. Burroughs] was no ordained Minister, partly to possess the People of his guilt, saying that the devil often had been transformed into the Angel of Light. And this did somewhat appease the People, and the Executions went on; when he [Mr. Burroughs] was cut down, he was dragged by a Halter to a Hole, or Grave, between the Rocks, about two feet deep; his Shirt and Breeches being pulled off, and an old pair of Trousers of one Executed put on his lower parts: he was so put in, together with Willard and Carrier, that one of his Hands, and his Chin, and a Foot of one of them, was left uncovered."
Massachusetts Remediation
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B > Burroughs > George Burroughs
Categories: Battle of Falmouth | Wells, Maine | Executed | Death by Hanging | United States, Death by Hanging | Salem Witch Trials | Accused Witches of New England | Salem Witch Trials Memorial, Salem, Massachusetts
edited by S (Hill) Willson
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ruck-95
This is made clear by this deed in Middlesex Co., Mass. deeds book 27 pp.400-401 and the deposition that follows on p.401:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99Z7-K4XR?i=505&cc=2106411
Birth - There is no definitive proof where he was born; Suffolk, England, Maryland or Virginia, or Scituate. This is spelled out in the bio of -1.
Spouse: Torrey shows his 1st marriage to Hannah ____ and 2nd to Sarah (Ruck) Hathorne. The American Genealogist sources shown on -1, provide the name of his last wife, Mary, and shows his last child, Mary, as well.
Children: the Savage material shown on -1 (all indented) lists most of his children (Rebecca, George, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary and Jeremiah). The Salem Witchcraft book lists another son, Charles.
NEHGR 1:38 also gives the names of his children, with the exception of Mary. George and Thomas are mentioned in this as likely his children.
Merge will need to be done to Burrough-1. I found source data (and added it to the bio) that shows he went by Burrough early in life, then changed to Burroughs.
Does this help?
My sources are thin and secondary. I have two FindaGrave obits and a Wikipedia bio. I would be a lot happier with primary sources.
1) Birthplace. Wikipedia lists Suffolk England with no sources listed for that. 2) Spouse. Would love a source. I have nothing here. 3) Children. My FindaGrave obits are two generations down and those are secondary sources. What sources are you using for the children? 4) Death. Cause of death, place and time well documented right down to attendees.
Sorry to be difficult, but I have been embarrassed before and don't want to repeat the experience.
After we get this documented better, which person needs to be on which side so the merged profile is for Burroughs?
Rich Chandler
I'd love to include it, but am wondering if it's intentionally being with held, since there are several sites and books that mention this to varying degrees.