Margaret Scott

‘the witch’

Full name : Margaret Stevenson Scott
Alternate spellings, aliases : Margert, margerit

Parents :
Father : ...Stevenson
Mother :
note : this is unsubstantiated

Date of Birth : circa 1620
Place of Birth : England

Spouse : 
Name : Benjamin Scott (Beniamin Stott, Scot, Skot)
Date of Marriage : late 1630’s or early in 1640
Place of Marriage : perhaps England
Died : September 1671
Notes :

Date of Death : 22 September 1692
Place of Death : Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts
Burial Information : not respectfully buried
Probate Information : no probate has been found

Military Service : none

Occupation(s) : wife, mother; Margaret Scott is supposedly the same woman executed at Salem in 1692 for ‘certain detestable arts called Witchcraft and Sorceries’. She was tried on 17 September and hanged 22 September 1692 at Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts.

Frances Wycombe vs. Margert Scott
"The deposition of frances wycom who testifyeth and saith that quickly after the first court at (Salem) about wicthcraft margerit Scott whom I very well knew: or hir Apperance came to me and did most greviously torment me by choaking and almost presing me to death: and so she did continue affleting me by times tell the 5'th August 1692 being the day of hir examination allso during the time of hir examination margerit scott did most greviously afflect me: and also severall times sence: and I belive in my heart that margerit Scott is a wicth and that she has often affleted me by acts of wicthcraft."
frances Wycom owned: to the grand Inquest: that the above written evidence: is the truth upon oath: Sept'r 15: 1692: Jurat in Curia.
[Essex County Archives, Salem - Witchcraft vol2/page45]

Phillip Nelson and Sarah Nelson vs. Margaret Scott
”[also] phillip Nellson and Sarah his wife doe testifie and say that for Two or Three years be fore #[the said] Robert Shilleto dyed we have often hard him complaining of margerit Scott for hurting of him and often said that she was a wicth and so he continewed complaining of Margarit Scott saying he should never be well so long as margaret Scott lived & so he Complayned of Margret Scott: att times until he dyed”
Phillip Nelson and Sarah his wife affirmed: upon their oath to the grand Inquest that the above written evidence: is the truth. Sept'r 15: 1692         Jurat in Curia
[Essex County Archives, Salem - Witchcraft vol2/pae45]

 
Property : Received her husband’s home after his death; also lands.

Family : 

 

Daughter : Hannah

Date of Birth :

Place of Birth : perhaps in England

Married : Christopher Webb of Braintree, 16 January 1654/5
Died : circa 1718, Braintree, Massachusetts

Notes : marriage performed by Captain Torrey of Weymouth.

 

Son : John     

Date of Birth : 25 December 1640

Place of Birth : Braintree, Massachusetts

Married :

Died : soon after birth

 

Son : Peter    

Date of Birth : 6 March 1643

Place of Birth : Braintree, Massachusetts

Married : Abigail (?)

Died : 11 August 1693 (?)

Notes : from Braintree Town Records, “Peter Stott, ye son of Beniamen Stott & Hannah his wife borne ye 6th of March, 1643.”

 

Son : Joseph  

Date of Birth : 14 July 1644

Place of Birth : Cambridge, Massachusetts

Married :

Died : buried 3 December 1664

Notes :

 

Son : Benjamin          

Date of Birth : 5 July 1646

Place of Birth : Cambridge,  Massachusetts

Married : Susannah Scales, 28 December 1676

Died : 7 February 1724/5

Notes : had eight children

 

Son : John     

Date of Birth : 2 July 1648

Place of Birth : Cambridge, Massachusetts

Married :

Died : unknown

Notes :

 

Daughter : Elizabeth   

Date of Birth : 27 May 1650

Place of Birth : Cambridge, Massachusetts

Married :

Died : one week after birth

Notes :

 

Daughter : Mary         

Date of Birth : 16 January 1651
Place of Birth : Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts

Married : John Decker

Died : 25 December 1700

Notes : had four children

 

Son : Samuel 

Date of Birth : 7 March 1655

Place of Birth : Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts

Married :

Died : buried 10 March 1655

Notes :

 

Daughter : Sarah       

Date of Birth : 1 November 1656

Place of Birth : Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts

Married :

Died : buried 21 August 1660

Notes :

 

 

Comments, sources, various additional :

 

Vinton, John Adams.  The Giles Memorial – Genealogical Memoirs of the Families Bearing the Names Giles, Gould, Holmes, Jennison, Leonard, Lindall, Curwen, Marshall, Ribinson, Sampson, and Webb; also Genealogical Sketches of the Pool, Very, Carr and other Families with a history of Pemaquid, ancient and modern; some account of early settlements in Maine; and some details of Indian warfare. Printed for the author, by Henry W. Dutton & Son, Washington Street, Boston. 1864. pp 496 – 532.

 

Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, showing three generations of those who came before May, 1692 on the basis of Farmer’s Register. Baltimore Genealogical Publishing Company, originally published Boston, 1860-1862. Reprinted with "Genealogical Notes and Errata," excerpted from The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. XXVII, No. 2, April, 1873, pp. 135-139; and a Genealogical Cross Index of the Four Volumes of the Genealogical Dictionary of James Savage, by O. P. Dexter, 1884. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, 1965,1969,1977,1981,1986, 1990. Electronic version has been adapted under the direction of Robert Kraft (assisted by Benjamin Dunning) from materials supplied by Automated Archives, 1160 South State, Suite 250, Orem UT 84058 (http://genweb.net/~books/savage/savage.htm)

 

Bates, Samuel A. (Editor; Town Clerk of Braintree). Records of the Town of Braintree Massachusetts, 1640 to 1873. Braintree, Massachusetts 17 June 1886. Facsimile Reprint by Heritage Books. Bowie, Maryland, 1991. ISBN1556133979

Early Settlers of Rowley’ : Scott. ...in Historical Collections of the Essex Institute. Volume XXIII. July, August & September 1886. Nos. 7, 8, 9, pages 237- 240

Harvey Hayes Webb family bible transcript, typed transcript, drafted in the 1950's; courtesy Hazel Skelly Webb

Webb, Loren. Diary of Captain Loren Webb, 1861 - 1863, Firelands Historical Society, 1995. Transcribed by Matthew L. Burr. 

Written communication with Vinton Phillips and David L. Hester, Huron County, Ohio, January 2001- ongoing.  Images of Webb gravestones courtesy of Elizabeth and Vinton Philips.

 

--

webb-deiss research 2001-2007 | jondeiss@yahoo.com | design by Ben Azzara