Sarah Hale was the wife of John Hale and was accused but never arrested of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials that took place in Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Her husband was an influential member of the community and a well-respected clergyman who initially believed in the trials but then began to question them. When Sarah was accused, his mind quickly changed.
Sarah would be the great-grandmother of Nathan Hale.
Family of Sarah Hale
Sarah Noyce was born to founding colonists James Noyes and Sarah Brown.
She was one of nine children:
- Joseph Noyes
- James Noyes
- Sarah Noyes
- Moses Noyes
- Thomas Noyes
- John Noyes
- Rebecca Noyes
- William Noyes
After the death of John Hale's first wife, he met and fell in love with Sarah, and the two married a year later. She would go on to have two children with him:
- James Hale
- Samuel Hale
Both of which survived into adulthood.
Salem Witch Trials
Sarah's husband, John, had been a part of the Salem Witch Trials since it began, but Sarah's involvement is unknown. In 1692, Sarah was pregnant and would give birth to the couple's last child.
After the mass execution on September 22, 1692, Governor Sir William Phips began to become more involved in the situation. He replaced the court and no longer allowed spectral evidence to be used in the trial. A reform that would directly affect Sarah was that the accused could not be put into jail prior to a trial.
The accusation against Sarah came when Mary Herrick accused her and the ghost of Mary Easty of afflicting her. If this accusation had been made in June of 1692, then it may have stuck, but without the allowance of spectral evidence to be admitted and Sarah's connection to the respected John Hale, the accusation did not go far.
After she was accused of witchcraft, John Hale no longer supported the trials.
Sarah died in 1692 at the age of 41.
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