The Hendrickson House in Ridley Twp. stood at the Delaware River and Crum Creek. In 1958 the house was moved to Delaware State to Fort Christiania State Park when Boeing Vertol bought the ground.
Note: The Penna Archives were first published in the 1850's the first set was the Colonial Records and consisted of 9 sets, eventually. Many of the original records in the archives from the 17th century have vanished and the archives are the only record, Including the trials mentioned below
Witch Trials
The two
accused persons, old women, were Swedes, Margaret Mattson, wife of Noel
Mattson, and Yeshro Hendrickson, wife of Hendrick Jacobson. While both persons were called before the
Council, the first only seems to have stood a regular trial. Margaret Mattson lived on a plantation owned
by her husband on the Delaware River, on the west side of Crum Creek, in Ridley
Township, now Delaware County. She was
long known in local legends as “The Witch of Ridley Creek.”
She was first brought before the
Council on December 7, 1683, no provincial court having yet been organized in
the colony, when her trial was set for December 27. On that day the accused appeared in the city
of Philadelphia before William Penn, his Attorney General, a grand jury of
twenty-one persons, all English apparently, and a petit jury of twelve persons,
one of whom Albertus Hendrickson, was a Swede.
One of the Council Lassse Cock was a Swede. The grand jury brought in a true bill, reporting
in the afternoon. The indictment was
then read to the accused. She pleaded
not guilty, the petit jury was empaneled, the trial held, the Governor charged
the jury, which retired, brought in a verdict, the prisoner was discharged, and
THE WHILE BUSINESS WAS CONCLUDED THAT SAME AFTERNOON SO FAR AS PENNSYLVANIA WAS
CONCERNED, THE VERDICT was as follows:
“GUILTY OF HAVING THE COMMON FAME OF A WITCH, BUT NOT GUILTY IN MANNER
AND FORM AS SHE STANDS ENDICTED.”
Nine years later, 1692,
Massachusetts was for a whole year shaken with most horrible trains for this
imaginary offense, until no person in that colony was safe from accusation,
NINETEEN PERSONS WERE HUNG and one pressed to death under heavy weights, while
a great number suffered intolerable imprisonment. The whole population became infected with a
craze concerning “witchcraft,” the shame of which endures there to this
day. In this matter the sober Quaker
reached a righteous conclusion much quicker than the hasty Puritan.
SOME OF THE TESTIMONY – Henry
Drystreet, attested, said he was told 20 years ago that the prisoner at the bar
was a Witch and that several cows were bewitched by her; also, that James
Sanderling's mother told him that she bewitched her cow, but afterwards said
it was a mistake, and that her cow should do well again, fir it was not her cow
but another person’s that should die.
Charles Ashcom attested, said that Anthony’s wife being asked why she sold her cattle, was because her mother had bewitched them having taken the witchcraft of Hendrick’s cattle, and put on their oxen; she might keep but no other cattle, and also that one night the daughter of the prisoner called him up hastily, and when he came she said there was a great light but just before, and an old woman with a knife in her hand at the bad’s feet, and therefore she cried out and desired Jno Simcock to take away his calves or else she would send them to hell.
The accused flatly denied all the
allegations.
ASTROLOGERS AND NECROMANCERS – In
1695 John Roman and his two sons, residing in Chichester, were reported to be
students of astrology and other forbidden mysteries. The public tongue had so discussed the matter
that on the tenth of the tenth month, 1695, Concord Monthly Meeting of Friends
gravely announced that “the study of these sciences bring a veil over the
understanding and that upon the life.”
John Kingsman and William Hughes were ordered to speak to the parties,
and have them to attend at the next monthly meeting. The offenders were seen and stated that if it
could be shown wherein it was wrong, they would desist from further
investigation in these arts. For several
months the matter was before the Concord Monthly Meeting without resulting in
suppressing the evil.
Extracts from the records of Concord
Monthly Meeting commencing September 11, 1695, are interesting: “Some friends having a concern upon them
concerning some young men who came amongst friends to their meetings and
following some arts which friends thought not fit for such as profess truth to
follow, viz., astrology and other sciences, as Geomancy and Cliorvmancy and
Necromancy, etc. It was debated and the
sense of this meeting is that the study of these sciences brings a vail over
the understanding and a death upon the life.
“And in the sense of the same,
friends order Philip Roman be spoken too to know whether he have dealt orderly
with his two sons concerning the same art; and that his two sons bespoke to
come to the next monthly meeting; “friends orders John Kingsman and William
Hughes to speak to Philip Roman and his two sons to appear at the next
monthly.”
CONVICTED IN COURT – The ease
finally reached a stage through the report of the committee that Robert Roman
was arrested, tried at Chester for practicing the black art, was fined five
pounds and the following books were seized and burned; Hidon’s Temple of
Wisdom, which teaches Geomancy, and Scott’s Discovery of Witchcraft and
Cornelios Agrippos teach Necromancy.”
I'm a board member of the Colonial Plantation in Ridley Creek State Park. Part of our fundraiser is a on line auction. Please take a look and bid!! Thanks Keith
On Line Bidding - Our online
bidding is open at Bidding for Good.
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