Dorcas Hoar: The Fortune Teller Spared for Her Soul's Survival

Dorcas Galley Hoar of Beverly, Massachusetts was one of the more dynamic characters caught in the 1692 witch hunt. An admitted fortune teller, Dorcas was no stranger to suspicion of witchcraft. For decades, rumors swirled around the woman and her children, who operated a theft ring in conjunction with the minister’s maid. Accusations against Dorcas involved specters, familiars, the devil’s book, and murder. After a September 6 trial and a guilty verdict, Dorcas was sentenced to death on September 10. A late confession prompted ministers to submit an 11th hour petition to delay her execution, and she ultimately lived for nearly twenty years after the trials, passing at the age of about 76. 00:00 Dorcas Hoar Introduced 00:34 Accused and Arrested 01:36 Salem Village Examination 04:13 Courtroom Spectacle and Dehumanization 08:59 Jailed and Sent to Boston 10:22 Early Depositions and Husband’s Death 11:58 Grand Jury Indictment 14:17 September Trial Evidence 21:55 Guilty Verdict and Death Sentence 22:22 Confession, Reprieve, and Survival 23:08 Aftermath and Legacy 24:19 Closing and Where to Follow  Links: Salem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhunt Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhunts The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.com Salem Witch Trials Daily: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/ The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com High Quality Scans of Salem Witch Trials Records (Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection): https://pem.quartexcollections.com/collections/salem-witch-trials-collection Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781107689619 Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805 Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781589791329 Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780375706905 Deodat Lawson, A Brief and True Narrative: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A49794.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext Samuel Willard,Some Miscellany Observations: https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/texts/willard/index.html Thomas Brattle, Letter of Thomas Brattle: https://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=modern_english/uvaGenText/tei/BurNarr.xml;chunk.id=d18;toc.depth=1;toc.id=d18;brand=default Increase Mather, Cases of Conscience: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A70086.0001.001/1:9.1?rgn=div2&view=fulltext Cotton Mather, Wonders of the Invisible World: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/28513/pg28513.txt Thomas Maule, Truth Held Forth and Maintained: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N00599.0001.001?view=toc John Hale, A Modest Enquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N00872.0001.001/?view=toc Robert Calef, More Wonders of the Invisible World: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A32160.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext