Joseph Tyler (1671 - 1699)

Born 18 Sep 1671 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts

Ancestors

Died 1699 at about age 27 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts

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Biography

Joseph Tyler was accused of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials

Joseph Tyler was born on 18 September 1671 in Rowley, Massachusetts. He died in Salem, Massachusetts or the West Indies in 1699. ^[1]

He married Martha who died on 11 February 1745 at age 74.

In 1692, he had been among the "confessed" witches; led into it (with two cousins, Martha and Joanna Tyler) by Abigail Faulkner. ^[2]

The following section is an excerpt from the book, 15 Generations of American Stories: Notable Descendants of Immigrant Job Tyler, (Norman Tyler, 2019)

Joseph Tyler (Tyler-188) was the grandson of Job and son of Moses. As a young man, he decided to travel to the Caribbean Island of Barbados, looking for adventure and opportunity. His six years on the island, working and eventually managing a sugar plantation, is described by Colonel O. Z. Tyler in his 1987 book, Sweet Land of Liberty: One Family’s Saga in Colonial America. The book is a narrative based on the history of the Job Tyler family, with the author changing the last name to Williams to make it a fictionalized history. Colonel Tyler explains in the Introduction: “It is substantially the true story of a real pioneer family in early America.” Following are two excerpts from the book that are based on research on the Job Tyler family by Colonel Tyler and others, but the reader should recognize it as a fictionalized narrative. It describes a young man in the seventeenth century in search of adventure who eventually finds rewards and dangers inherent in traveling far from his home in Massachusetts.  “As you know, Joseph was the third son of Moses Williams, Job’s eldest son. He was born September 18, 1671, in Andover. He had been involved in the Witchcraft Trials in 1692 as a very young man. With two cousins, Martha and Joanna Williams, he was one of the confessed witches. They were said to have been led into the witchcraft hallucination by Abigail Faulkner, the leader of the bewitched girls who were the principal witnesses.

“But I must not get ahead of my story.

“I—Barbados, 1693 “The decision of Joseph to go to Barbados came as a surprise to everyone. Of course, all of the family were aware of Joseph’s ordeal of trial and acquittal in the infamous witchcraft trials. And they were sympathetic with his desire to get away to some place where he could make a new start. Joseph was known and liked as a smart lad who showed great promise. His involvement in the witch trials came as a shock and surprise to everyone. Of course, everyone knew about his association with Abigail Faulkner and his half-sisters, Joanna Post and Mary Bridges, who were star witnesses in the courts. It was the testimony of these girls, coupled with their convincing fits and seizures, which proved to be so damning in the witchcraft trials. But no one really considered Joseph as being seriously implicated.

“Joseph’s selection of Barbados as a destination may have had some connection with the trials. Tituba, the black servant in the kitchen of Reverend Samuel Parris where the witchcraft girls played, was from the islands. It was felt that Tituba may have had something to do with the witchcraft hallucinations. [Note: Tituba will be described later in the section on the Salem Witch Trials.] It would be pure speculation however to think that Joseph was influenced to head for Barbados by Tituba. Nevertheless, the fascinating Tituba was replete with stories and information about the islands as well as a catalogue of voodoo lore together with spells and incantations. No doubt all this may have entered into Joseph’s decision.

“Suffice it to say that Joseph decided to leave Andover and go to Barbados. He went first, of course, to Boston, where the ever-helpful John Ford, his grandfather Job’s faithful friend, assisted him in booking passage on the Lion, sailing soon out of Salem for Barbados. Joseph had never in his twenty-one-year life been farther afield than Boston. But here he was in the spring of the year, embarking for a tropical island that he had barely heard of, but which promised new experiences, opportunities, and high adventure!

“Not the least intriguing possibility was the thought of earning his fortune, possibly by running a sugar plantation. He had heard of the Barbados plantations in the stories of Tituba. He was an experienced farmer. He felt that he could grow anything. He had heard stories of the English colonization there, which began, he remembered from his books, in Barbados around 1627, soon after the colonization of new England. And he also knew of the plentiful slave labor, which worked the fields and operated the sugar mills. In the pattern of the young, not once did he give thought to tales of literally thousands of pirates that swarmed the warm Caribbean waters between him and his destination. If he did think of such things, he was comforted by the eight guns of the Lion, four on each side, that seemed adequate to meet any contingency although he had never himself heard a cannon fired.

“At the family gathering that was held prior to Joseph’s departure, white-haired Job and Mary presided a little more soberly than usual. There was laughter and gaiety enough, and more than a plenty of wonderful things to eat and drink. But the two elders seemed to enjoy, sitting a little apart and letting Moses and Hopestill, the elder sons, do the major share of the talking. Job’s daughter, Mary, old before her time because of the scars of the witchcraft trials, just sat and watched the jollity.

“Job did take time during the festivity to talk to Joseph about his decision to leave Andover.

“‘No doubt you have given this matter much thought,’ he said. ‘I do not blame you a bit for leaving what you must feel is a small, backbiting town. But there are lots of people here who love you and would like to see you stay around.’

“‘I know, grandfather, but there is a big world out there, and I aim to find out something about it,’ his grandson replied seriously. “Before the evening was over, Job also contrived to slip his departing grandson an appreciated 50-pound note.”

The author continues the narrative with Joseph’s time on Barbados, from 1693 to 1699. Within a year Joseph had become part of the English society of Barbados. He had been selected for a job as plantation bookkeeper and, eventually, manager. He prospered on the island, and eventually took a native islander as his mistress and partner. Unfortunately, his demise came during a trip to another island to purchase a new sailing vessel when their ship was attacked by pirates. The author’s final story on Joseph concludes with this attack.

“Joseph and Samuel were both good sailors, so they enjoyed the spanking breeze and the roughed-up water. The captain of their own ship, the Barbara, provided them with the best cabin on the little vessel. He also instructed the cook to make the meals extra special and to break out the very best wines aboard.

“The Barbara was sailing smoothly on her northerly course when all at once a cry from the lookout rang out: ‘Sail-ho! Brigantine bearing down on the starboard bow,’ the sailor on watch chanted.

“Joseph and Samuel were out of the cabin and peering out northward and to the right. They wondered who this stranger might be. They did not have to speculate very long. They could see a puff of smoke from the bow of the approaching vessel, and almost at once the muffled boom of a cannon was heard. The warning shot whistled over the bow of the Barbara and splashed into the water nearby.

“‘Not a very friendly greeting,’ Joseph thought out loud.

‘Do you see anything familiar about that ship?’ Neither Samuel nor the captain answered the query.

“The captain of the Barbara hove his ship to as the warning shot had directed.

“‘It looks like they are loading a small boat to come aboard,’ said the captain, somewhat alarmed.

“‘Secure arms and stand by to repel boarder,’ he commanded his crew. “By this time the two vessels were both hove to, within fifty yards of each other. Three additional small boats were loading and shoving off from the dinghy-looking vessel.

“‘Pirates!‘ screamed several crewmen. One man had spotted the gruesome black flag at the masthead.

“‘That looks like Stede Bonnet‘s flag,’ one of the crew yelled. ‘See that single bone beneath the skull? That’s his sign!’

“. . . As small-boats began to arrive, shots rang out! The Barbara’s crew dutifully tried to deal with the swarming buccaneers. Joseph and Samuel stood near the cabin, muskets in hand. There was no stopping the cut-throat intruders. Joseph and Samuel both fired at point-blank range. Each shot took its toll, the invaders going down to redden the deck with spurting blood. They reloaded their muskets and courageously fired again. But the attackers kept coming. Cutlasses and knives came into play. Joseph was mortally struck with a knife from behind, by a ruffian he did not even see. Samuel survived to make a bargain with Stede Bonnet. The entire melee took only a few minutes.

“‘What a way to have it end,’ Joseph breathed to the small cluster who gathered in shocked silence to see this prominent man expire. Even the ruffian pirates were for the moment quiet and impressed.

“. . . Samuel did get back to Bridgetown. He was able to pay the large ransom Bonnet, the pirate, demanded. And he did write back to Job in Andover, telling of his admiration and affection for Joseph and of his sad and useless demise.

“It was a tragedy for his family, especially his grandmother, who set such a great store by Joseph. But who can say that this New England lad who carved a niche for himself in far-off Barbados did not live spectacularly!”

Sources

1. ↑ Salem Probate Case No. 28,443
2. ↑ Willard I. Tyler Brigham. The Tyler genealogy; the descendants of Job Tyler, of Andover, Massachusetts, 1619-1700 Published by Cornelius B. Tyler of Plainsfield, N.J. and Rollin U. Tyler of Tylerville, Connecticut. 1912. p143. archive.org