Initial accusations were aimed at Proctor's third wife,
Elizabeth (Bassett). When he began to defend her and vocally express his disbelief in the accusers, fingers were then pointed at him as well. Although
Abigail Williams was John Proctor's chief accuser, he was also named by
Mary Walcott, who stated he tried to choke her, and by his former servant
Mary Warren on 21 April. Warren told magistrates that Proctor had beaten her for putting up a prayer bill before forcing her to touch the Devil's Book. Further allegations of an increasingly salacious nature followed. Proctor continued to challenge the veracity of
spectral evidence and the validity of the Court of
Oyer and Terminer, which led to a petition signed by 32 neighbors in his favor. The signatories stated that Proctor had lived a "Christian life in his family and was ever ready to help such as they stood in need". The Proctors were tried on 5 August 1692, found guilty, and sentenced to
death by hanging. While Proctor and his wife were still in jail, the sheriff seized all of their household belongings. The cattle were sold cheaply, slaughtered, or shipped to the West Indies. The beer barrels at the tavern were emptied. Their children were left with no means of support. Proctor was hanged on 19 August 1692. Elizabeth, who was then pregnant, was given a reprieve until she gave birth, which came after the trials ended.
Accusations against other Proctor family members In 1692, one hundred and forty-one complaints were filed. Of those, twelve were against relatives or extended members of the Proctor family. John Proctor,
Elizabeth Proctor, and
Rebecca Nurse were convicted, and John and Rebecca were executed. • John Proctor, husband of Elizabeth Bassett aka
Elizabeth Proctor and the father of Benjamin, William, and Sarah Proctor. •
Elizabeth Bassett Proctor, third wife of John Proctor and mother of William Proctor. • Benjamin Proctor, son of John Proctor and his first wife Martha. • William Proctor, son of John Proctor and his third wife, Elizabeth. • Mary Bassett DeRich, the sister of Elizabeth Proctor.
Extended family: • Thomas Farrar Sr., father-in-law of Elizabeth (Hood) Farrar, sister of Sarah Hood aka Sarah Bassett • Elizabeth Hutchinson, wife of Isaac Hart whose daughter, Deborah Hart, was married to Benjamin Proctor, brother of John Proctor. • Elizabeth Proctor, daughter of John Proctor and Elizabeth Thorndike Proctor, married Thomas Very in 1681. His sister, Elizabeth Very was the second wife of John Nurse, the eldest son of
Francis and Rebecca (née Towne) Nurse. •
Rebecca Nurse, sister of
Mary Eastey and
Sarah Cloyce. •
Mary Eastey, sister of
Rebecca Nurse and
Sarah Cloyce. •
Sarah Cloyce, sister of
Rebecca Nurse and
Mary Eastey. • Esther Elwell (née Dutch), aka Hester Elwell, was wed to Samuel Elwell, brother of Thomas Elwell; sister-in-law to Sarah Bassett Elwell, another of
Elizabeth Bassett Proctor's sisters.
Family Tree:
Related accuser One other family member was drawn into the Trials, joining the accusers: 16-year-old John DeRich, the son of the imprisoned Mary Bassett DeRich and her husband, Michel DeRich, who had recently died. John testified against George and Sarah Jacobs, Giles Corey, and Sarah Pease. == Aftermath ==