ELIZABETH “BETTY” PARRIS

By: Anthony Tran

11/7/11

I was born on Tuesday, November 28th, 1682 to Reverend Samuel Parris and Mrs. Parris.

I died on Tuesday, March 21st 1760 in my Concord home. I lived 6 years past my husband.

MY LIFE

MY CHILDHOOD

When I was nine, Abigail, my cousin, and I did some fortune telling, since these days there’s no telling what the future may bring, with a “venus glass”. It was an egg white suspended in water, and it showed shapes.

It was mostly for determining what occupation our future husbands would have.

However, one of the girls who knew about our fortune telling saw a coffin and this started the witch hysteria because a coffin means “diabolical molestation”, according to my father.

MY FAMILY LIFE

My father is Reverend Samuel Parris. He is a preacher at our town, Salem and a firm Puritan.

My mother is Elizabeth Eldridge. She told the courts to stop using me to determine witches.

I had an older brother, Thomas, and a younger sister, Sushanna.

Our family also had two slaves, Tituba and a male.

Most of my education comes from my father’s preaching to me.

The rest came from Tituba’s tales of Barbados.

MY EDUCATION

After the hysteria, I got myself married in 1710 to Benjamin Baron, who is a yeoman, trader, cordwainer, and shoemaker.

I lived an ordinary life and had four children.

MY CAREER

During the hysteria, I was used to convict “witches” and find others.

Before the hysteria, I simply ran errands like any Puritan girl would have.

My religion was Puritan, although I did do some fortune telling, which was a demonic activity these days.

My father, mother and my brother and sister are also Puritan.

MY RELIGION

I was one of the accusers during the trials and the first to be “bewitched”.

I was also used to point out other witches.

After I identified Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba as witches, I testified that I was being tormented spectrally by visions haunting me.

MY ROLE IN THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS

VENUS GLASS

The girls would crack an egg and get the egg white from it and drop it into a

glass of water. Then, whatever pictures show up represents what future they will have. In one girl’s case, it showed a coffin. A coffin,

according to Reverend Parris, represented

diabolical molestation.

WORKS CITED

Walsh, Sarah-Nell. “Elizabeth Parris.” Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project. 2001.

Salem Witch Trials in History and Literature\An Undergraduate Course, University of Virginia.

10 Nov. 2011 <http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/salem/people/e_parris.html>.

“Samuel Parris.” Samuel Parris. 10 Nov. 2011<http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ ASA_PAR.HTM>.