The Reverend John Hale of Beverly is known for his role in the Salem witch trials.
Reverend John Hale was a minister from Beverly and best known for his role in the Salem witch trials.
As a child, Robert Hale witnessed the first execution of a convicted witch in Massachusetts, in 1648, with the hanging of Margaret Jones of Charlestown.
After graduating from Harvard in 1657, Hale earned a theology degree and worked as a teacher and tutor.
Hale became the first official pastor of the First Parish Church in Beverly in 1667.He was awarded 200 acres of pastureland by the church for his service.
Hale married Sarah Noyes a year after Rebecca Byles died.He was a member of the militia that captured the fortress of Louisburg in Canada in 1690 in the Massachusetts campaign.
A few years after returning from the war, Hale became involved in the Salem witch trials when he was asked to observe a group of girls.
Hale was one of the first ministers to suggest that someone was responsible for tormenting the girls.
Reverend Hale was one of the first ministers to seek out and eliminate the witches responsible when their behavior did not improve.Hale became more involved in the proceedings when he was called to testify against members of his congregation.Hale became less involved as the number of cases grew.By the fall, accusations were leveled at Sarah, who was so far above reproach that she was never in danger.Hale seems to have changed his opinion regarding the way in which the trials were conducted and the advisability of using the testimony of the afflicted children.
It was a turning point for Hale when his wife accused him of being involved in the witch hunts.
Sarah was never charged or arrested because Governor Phipps forbade any further arrests of suspected witches in the month before her accusation.
A few years after the witch trials ended, Hale began writing a book about the Salem Witch Trials, titled A Modest Inquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft, which challenged the legal proceedings and religious principles of witch hunts in general.
Hale suggested that the fear of witches may have caused the death of innocent people in the Salem witch trials.
We walked in the clouds and could not see our way because of the darkness of that day.Errors on that hand can't be retrieved.If any innocent blood is shed in the hour of temptation, the Lord will not lay it to our charge.He will not visit this sin on our land, but will wash it away with the blood of Jesus Christ.
Reverend John Hale Farm is located on 9 Hale Street in Beverly, Mass.
Goss, K. David.A reference guide about the Salem witch trials.John Hale was the publisher of the Greenwood Press.There is a modest inquiry into nature of witchcraft.B.The Beverly Historical Society has a description of Hale Farm.