Dinah Sylvester (1642 - abt. 1673)

Born 2 Apr 1642 in Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts

Died about 1673 at about age 30 in Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts [uncertain]

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Biography

Dinah, daughter of Richard and Naomi (Unknown) Sylvester, was born at Weymouth, MA on April 4, 1642. She may have died unmarried.

In 1660, Dinah accused William Holmes' wife of witchcraft. Her accusation was found to be false, and she was sentenced to either being whipped or paying William Holmes a 5-pound fine. She chose to be whipped, and she apologized. Her recorded apology said in part, "I doe freely acknolidg I have wronged my neighbor, and have sined against God in soe doeing; though I had entertained hard thoughts against the woman, for it had bine my dewty to declare my grounds, if I had any, unto some majestrate in a way of God, and not to have devoulged my thoughts to others, to the womans defamation"

Sources

• Vital Records of Weymouth Massachusetts to the year 1850, two volumes, (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1910), 1:275 (birth)
• History of Scituate Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1831. Samuel Deane; Boston, 1831; page 152