In Memory of Ann Dolliver

In 1692, Ann Dolliver, the daughter of Salem Town’s elder minister, lived with her three children on the land where the Salem Witch Museum stands today. Despite the fact that Ann was the daughter of a respected New England reverend and sister of a Justice of the Peace, she was accused of witchcraft and arrested in June of 1692. Abandoned by her husband, left with three children, forced to move home with her father and step-mother in her 40s, she was described by her father as “melancholy” and “crazed in her understanding.” What little information is known about Ann Dolliver paints the picture of a sad and tragic life. Additionally, over the course of this research, our Department of Education has uncovered new information about another woman involved in the witchcraft trials, which is discussed towards the end of this presentation.