Mary (Bliss) Parsons

Mary Bliss was born to Thomas and Margaret (Hulins) Bliss in Gloucestershire, England in 1628. Her family later immigrated to Hartford, Connecticut, where Mary Bliss met her husband, Joseph Parsons, and married in 1646. The couple would move to Springfield and then later, Northampton. Mary (Bliss) Parsons would eventually have thirteen children with Joseph, before dying at the age of eighty-four in 1712. The Parsons became prominent members of the community, experiencing financial success.

The Feud

The Bridgman family consisted of Sarah Bridgman and her husband, Bridgman, as well as their children. The Bridgman family were similar to the Parsons in many ways, having lived in Springfield around the same time as the Parsons, and moved to Northampton only a few years after the Parsons did as well, where they became neighbors. The Parsons, however, experienced far more financial success than the Bridgmans, a factor which was often at play in many witchcraft accusations before the infamous Salem Witchcraft trials; the more successful members of society more often accused of witchcraft than the outcasts or emancipated. The relationship between the two families was rife with disagreements, particularly between Sarah Bridgman and Mary Parsons. The Parson family, after all, had healthy child after healthy child, as their fortunes increased, while Sarah Bridgman experienced the death of her children and financial torment as well.^[1] Sarah Bridgman began to spread rumours about Mary Parsons, claiming that her son had been threatened by her,^[2] and worse, that she was a witch.^[3] Later, when confronted by Margaret Bliss, Mary’s mother, Sarah Bridgman continued to tell tales, claiming she had heard that Mary Parsons had back in Springfield cursed a blind man’s daughter to have fits after an argument.^[4]

The Slander Trial

In 1656 Joseph Parsons charged Sarah Bridgman with Slander on behalf of his wife^[5] in the trial Parsons v. Bridgman. Sarah Bridgman had spread rumors about Mary Parsons, most particularly insinuating that she was a witch. Joseph Parsons brought her to court, where testimony from Sarah Bridgman and other members of the town made it clear that rumours had been circulating, and that many, whether bred from jealousy or resentment^[6] felt poorly towards Mary Parsons. What sealed the case in Joseph Parsons’ favor, however, was the testimony of Mary’s mother, Margaret Bliss, in relating that Sarah Bridgman had called her daughter a witch.^[7] The testimonies of the villagers and Sarah Bridgman during this trial were similar to the testimonies that Mary Parsons would face years later at her witchcraft trial.

The Witchcraft Trial

Origins of suspicion

Even before the Parsons moved to Northampton, another woman, of the name Mary (Lewis) Parsons was accused and sentenced/prosecuted of witchcraft. She was sentenced to death, though died most likely, in jail before an execution could take place. This Mary (Lewis) Parsons was of no relation to Mary (Bliss) Parsons, though it was revealed during later trials of Mary (Bliss) Parsons, that during Mary (Lewis) Parson’s trial, Mary (Bliss) Parsons would often have fits that would lead her husband to confine her within the house.

While her Witchcraft trial began in 1674, decades before the infamous Salem Witch Trials, she was one of many persecuted in the decades before, illustrative of the mindset common in accusals of witchcraft that targeted towards the richer members of society rather than the poorer outcasts. Rumours had died down, though had not completely disappeared in the years that passed between the Slander trial and the Witchcraft trial. What sparked the accusations in 1674 was the sudden death of Sarah Bridgman’s daughter, Mary Bartlett. Mary Parsons’ body was searched for "witch marks" in 1675 but the local Magistrates decided it was not within their jurisdiction and sent the case to the Court of Assistants in Boston. Mary Parsons was sent to Boston where, after a trial, it was determined that she was innocent of witchcraft. The rumours, however, did not die down, and Mary and Joseph Parsons eventually moved back to Springfield in 1679-80.^[8] Even there she continued to be reputed as a witch, and in 1702, rumours came to a head when her grandson was told that his grandmother was a witch.

Mary Parsons lived for thirty years after her husband died in 1683, continuing to amass fortune, and endured rumours of Witchcraft for the rest of her life.

Children

1. Joseph, perhaps in Conn., Ca. 1647 - 21 or 29 Nov. 1729 - we would later be a judge in New Hampshire.
2. Benjamin, ? - 22 June 1649
3. John, 14 Aug. 1650 - 19 April 1728
4. Samuel, 23 Jan. 1652/3 - 19 Nov. 1734
5. Ebenezer, 1 May 1655 - 2 Sept. 1675.
6. Jonathon, 6 June 1657 - fall of 1694
7. David, 30 April 1659, d. young
8. Mary, 27 June 1661 - 23 Aug 1711
9. Hannah, 1 Aug. 1663 - 1 April 1739
10. Abigail, 3 Sept. 1666 - 27 June I689
11. Esther (recorded as Hester), 4 Dec. 1672 - 30 May 1760 ^[9]

References