Roger Toothaker and Family: Witches or Witch Killers?

Roger Toothaker was a farmer and folk-healer from Billerica who specialized in detecting and punishing witches. Toothaker was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials but his case never went to trial because he died in jail.

Toothaker was born in England about 1634 and sailed from London, England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony with his family in 1635. The family settled in Billerica.

In 1638, Toothaker’s father died and his mother married a man named Ralph Hill who owned a farm in the south end of Billerica.

Although Toothaker never had any formal medical training, he had a medical apprenticeship with Dr. Samuel Eldred, who often used mystical folk remedies.

When Toothaker was 31 years old, he married Mary Allen, the eldest child from a prosperous family in Andover. The couple ran a farm on a small piece of land only a few miles away from a nearby Indian camp.

Possibly due to increased competition from other practicing midwives, Toothaker later left his family for a while to set up his medical practice in Salem, according to the book Death in Salem: The Private Lives Behind the 1692 Witch Hunt:

“There were other practicing midwives by then, which might explain why Roger left his family for a time and moved to Salem. Perhaps he found it a lucrative place to set up a practice, at least until a direct competitor – Dr. William Griggs – arrived from Boston in 1690. Dr. Grigg’s wife, Rachel Hubbard Griggs, was from an influential family. One of her kin, Elizabeth Hubbard, was living with them in 1692 when the witch hunt erupted. On May 18, Hubbard and two of her friends, Ann Putnam Jr and Mary Walcott, named Roger Toothaker as a witch. He was arrested and sent to Boston jail the same day.”

"The Witch, No. 1," lithograph by Joseph E. Baker, published by George H. Walker & Co, circa 1892

“The Witch, No. 1,” lithograph by Joseph E. Baker, published by George H. Walker & Co, circa 1892

Roger Toothaker was arrested for witchcraft on May 18, 1692, by Salem constable Joseph Neall, after he was accused by Elizabeth Hubbard, Ann Putnam, Jr., and Mary Walcott. Toothaker was brought before the court that same day for his pre-trial examination but there is no surviving record of this examination.

The only surviving records of Toothaker’s case are that of his arrest warrant, a document stating he was sent to the Boston jail, one piece of testimony by Thomas Gage against Toothaker and the jury’s report on Toothaker’s death.

Thomas Gage’s testimony sheds some light on why Toothaker may have been accused of witchcraft. According to Gage’s testimony, a year before the Salem Witch Trials started, Toothaker told Gage that he and his daughter, Mary Emerson, wife of Joseph Emerson, practiced counter magic against witches and claimed his daughter had killed a witch:

“The Deposition of Thomas Gage aged about six thirty six years. This deponant saith & doth testified that sometime this last spring of the year, that Doctor Toothaker was in his house in Beverly (upon some occasion) & we discoursed about John Mastons child of Salem that was then sick & having unwonted fits: & likewise another child of Phillip Whites of Beverly who was then strangely sick. I persuaded said Toothaker to go & see said children and said Toothaker answered he had seen them both already and that his opinion was they were under an evil hand and farther said Toothaker said that his daughter had killed a witch & I asked him how she did it, & said Toothaker answered readily that his daughter had learned something from him I asked by what means she did it, & he said that there was a certain person bewitched & said person complained of being afflicted by another person that was suspected by the afflicted person: & farther said Toothaker said that his said daughter got some of the afflicted persons urine & put it into an earthen pot & stopped said pot very close & put said pot very close into a hot oven & stopped up said oven & the next morning said witch was dead other things I have forgotten & farther saith not.”

According to the book The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-By-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege, the alleged witch is believed to possibly be Mathias Button of Haverhill, Mass. It is not known if Mathias Button or anyone in his family was a suspected witch or the victim of the Toothaker counter magic. Button was never accused of being a witch in his lifetime, although he served as a witness in a witchcraft case against his neighbor John Godfrey in 1665.

Mathias Button later sued Godfrey in 1669 for allegedly setting a fire in his house that killed his wife, Ann Teagle Button. Mathias Button later remarried, to a woman named Elizabeth Wheeler, before dying of natural causes in August of 1672 at the age of 67.

No other testimony was given in Roger Toothaker’s case and no other witnesses were called because the case ended when Roger Toothaker died on June 16, 1692 in the Boston jail.

The jury was summoned to the jail at the request of the coroner of Suffolk County, Edward Willis. Upon viewing Toothaker’s body, the jury stated Toothaker died of natural causes:

“We whose names are underwritten being summoned by virtue of a warrant from Mr. Edward Willis one of their Maj’sts Coroners of the County of Suffolk to view the body of Roger Toothaker who died in the goal of Boston, in above said, to which we have viewed the same and obtained the best information we can from the persons near and present at his death and do find he came to his end by a natural death as witness our hand, this 16 of June 1692
The said Toothaker was an inhabitant of the town of Billerica in the County of Essex
Benjamin Walker foreman
Enoch [illegible]
Thomas Barnard
Daniell Powning
Roger Gubberidg
James Thornboro
William Jaine
Andrew Cunningham
William Man
John Shelby
John Roulston
Abraham Buk
John Riggs
Samuel Wentworth
Francis Threshor”

Unfortunately, around the same time Toothaker had been arrested in May, his wife, Mary, and daughter, Martha Emerson, were also arrested on charges of witchcraft after they were accused by Mary Warren and Mary Lacey, Jr.

Several sources state that the Toothaker’s nine-year-old daughter, Margaret, was also arrested but that are no records of her arrest, examination or imprisonment.

It was very common for relatives of accused witches to be accused of witchcraft too. Mary Toothaker was not only the widow of an accused witch but also the sister of another, Martha Carrier, who had been arrested on charges of witchcraft in May.

During Mary Toothaker’s examination on July 30, she was questioned by Judge Gidney, Judge John Hathorne, Judge Corwin and Judge Higginson.

After denying all charges at first, Mary eventually confessed to being a witch and confirmed that her husband had once spoken to their daughter about killing a witch named Button.

Not only did Mary confess and incriminate her daughter, she also accused several other people by claiming to see them at witch meetings.

These people included Elizabeth Howe, Goody Bridges, Goody Green, Goody Bromage, Rev. George Burroughs, Goody Foster, Mary Lacey, Jr., Mary Lacy, Sr., Richard Carrier and her sister Martha Carrier.

It is not known why she confessed but from her statements made during her examination it appears she may have actually believed she was a witch because her family practiced counter magic.

Mary Toothaker stated that she became a witch when she signed a pact with the Devil so he would protect her from Indians. She explained that she had a great fear of Indians (as many colonists did) and often had nightmares about being attacked by them, according to court records:

“She saith now the Devil appeared to her in ye shape of a tawny man & promised to keep her from ye Indians & should have happy days with her son. She was asked if she did not sign ye Devils book, answered he brought me like which she thought to be a piece of birch bark & she made a mark with her finger by rubbing of ye white scruff & he promised if she would serve him she should be safe from ye Indians (she was then a little stopped again & believed it was ye Devil yet did it) being asked if ye Devil did not say she was to serve him a yes and signed ye mark upon that condition & was to praise him with her whole heart & it was to yet appearance she prayed at all times for he said he was able to deliver her from ye Indians and it was ye fear of ye Indians yet put her upon it. She confesses she hurt Timothy Swan and thinks she was twice at Salem Village witch meeting & that Goody Bridges was one of her company…She confesses yet her sister was with her at all ye meetings & particularly at Salem Village & their went with her Goody Bridges, Foster, Green & Goody Broomage. Several of ye afflicted persons said they saw ye black man before her in ye time of her examination and she now herself confesses she saw him upon ye table before her she says further there was a minister, a little man whose name is Burroughs, yet preached at ye Village Meeting of witches, & she heard yet they used bread & wine at these meeting & yet they did talk of 305 witches in ye country…”

Mary was also accused of bewitching a local man named Timothy Swan, which she confessed to. Swan had been suffering from a mysterious illness and suspected it was the result of witchcraft.

The reason Mary was a suspect was because he had raped her relative, Elizabeth Emerson, years ago and was found not guilty. Ever since then, Mary had harbored ill will towards Swan and even she herself worried she may have actually harmed him with her negative thoughts towards him, according to the book A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Witch Trials and the American Experience:

“The troubled story of Elizabeth Emerson and Timothy Swan was a factor, too, for ‘she confessed she hurt Timothy Swan…and is afraid that she the said Toothaker squeezed his throat,’ harming Timothy just as he had done to Elizabeth while he raped her. Clearly Mary Toothaker harbored ill will towards Swan. When he actually did suffer illness, Mary believed that her hard feelings could have been the cause – that she may indeed have invoked Satan’s powers just by these feelings, as well as her concern for safety from the war for herself and her family.”

During Martha Emerson’s examination on July 23, upon hearing of her father’s claims that she had killed a witch, she confessed that she had practiced counter magic and kept a woman’s urine in a glass jar but did not identify the woman.

Emerson then stated that the spirits of her Aunt Martha Carrier and Goody Green were in front of her, grabbing her throat and stopping her from confessing to witchcraft.

According to the court records, at some point Martha recanted her confession and stated she was just trying to save herself:

“but after ward she denied all and said what she had said was in hopes to have favor and now she could not deny God: that had kept her from that sin and after said though he slay me I will trust in him.”

Martha Emerson’s case was eventually thrown out of court due to a lack of evidence and she was released from jail.

Mary Toothaker was also cleared of all charges and released from jail sometime in 1693.

Sources:
Levack, Brian P. New Perspectives on Witchcraft, Magic, and Demonology. Taylor & Francis, 2001
Roach, Marilynne K. The Salem Witch Trials: a Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege. Taylor Trade Publishing, 2002
Hall, David D. Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth-Century New England. Northeastern University Press, 1991
Foulds, Diane. Death in Salem: The Private Lives Behind the 1693 Witch Hunts. Globe Pequot Press, 2010
Baker, Emerson W. A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Witch Trials and the American Experience. Oxford University Press, 2014

Roger Toothaker and Family: Witches or Witch Killers?

About Rebecca Beatrice Brooks

Rebecca Beatrice Brooks is the author and publisher of the History of Massachusetts Blog. Rebecca is a freelance journalist and history lover who got her start in journalism working for small-town newspapers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire after she graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. in journalism. Visit this site's About page to find out more about Rebecca.

23 thoughts on “Roger Toothaker and Family: Witches or Witch Killers?

  1. Jeanne

    Roger Toothaker was my gggg….?grandfather(sorry I can’t tell you how many ‘greats’ without looking at my files)Is there a club or society for ancestors of witch hunts? Thank you, Jeanne Corsby Hale

    1. Rebecca Beatrice Brooks Post author

      Hi Jeanne, that’s very cool that you’re related to Roger Toothaker. The Toothakers were a fascinating family. There are a few family associations for specific witch trial victims, like the Nurse Family Association and the Towne Family Association, but none for the Toothakers or the victims in general as far as I know. The Salem Award Foundation says there are 25 million descendants of the witch trial victims and participants around the world so there are a lot of you out there.

    2. Janine Hoffmann

      I am also a descendant of Roger and Mary Toothaker through their son Andrew. A family association is a brilliant idea!

  2. elder toothaker

    It is something to be related to a witch. Talk about paranoia will destroy ya!! They were all wired for sound back then and they didn’t even have electricity! Terrible times for them.

  3. Flot Sam

    I suggest you contact Professor Emerson W. (“Tad”) Baker at Salem State College about a potential Toothaker family association, as he is also a descendant,

  4. Cassie Wicks

    Such a tragedy! Roger Toothaker was my 10x great grandfather and I am descended through his daughter Martha Toothaker Emerson.

  5. Patricia Fisher

    Roger Toothaker is my 9X great-grandfather. I am descended through his son Andrew, who was married to Abigail White, and their daughter, Mehitable, who was married to Benjamin Grover.

    1. Tana

      Another Toothaker descendent – curious of anyone has traced the history, or potential history, before The Hopewell?

  6. jon doeringer

    So many relatives! And by association, we are ALL Toothakers, just waiting for the next bout of paranoia, and that knock on the door. Witches, Atheist, Communist, Hippie, Gay, Arab, Liberal… There will always be groups that are targeted, within reason, or to control. Puritan blood still run the country!

  7. Constance Harnden Parlin

    Roger Toothaker was my 7th great grandfather. My direct line comes from my paternal grandmother Dolly Faye Toothaker from Maine. So far I have researched my line to Richard Toothaker (1586) which was Roger’s g-grandfather. My line also comes from both sides of the tree. I have a 2nd home in Phillips, Maine on Toothaker Pond Road.

    1. Margot Nakagawa

      My direct line comes from my paternal great-grandmother, Susan Pease Toothaker (McCord).

    2. Jill Davis Michaud

      Hello cousins! Roger Toothaker was my 9th great grandfather through his son Roger and his daughter Mary. My line ended up in Canada and then to Maine where I have lived all my life.

      1. Lisa Dunn

        I myself am a descendant of Roger Toothaker with the cross over to the Holt Family…. I also live in Maine. Would love to meet with you. I have working on my genealogy for about 13 yrs now and have loved meeting and talking with distant and not so distant relatives. I am Lisa Call Dunn on Facebook and my email is lisalc77@gmail.com if you would like to make contact.

  8. Jack E. Toothaker

    Jack Everett Toothaker
    January 9 2017 at 6:16pm cdt

    Roger Toothaker [1612-1638] was my 10th great grandfather. Constance, if you have the Toothaker line from Roger back to Richard in England, please expand on this. Much obliged !

  9. Daniel Pegues

    Roger Toothaker is my decendent as well, and my mom’s maiden name is Toothaker, daughter of Wayne Toothaker who passed away when my mom was only a couple years old.

  10. Daryl Greeley

    Roger Toothaker II (1634-1692) was my 7th great grandfather through his son, Roger III, then Roger IV, Roger V, Allen, Franklin, then Myrtle Toothaker Greeley, Allen Franklin Greeley, and Melvin Greeley is my dad. We have a lot of the history of our line in America, but very little from before they came here. If anyone has earlier information, we’d love to hear about it, and if there’s a family association, we’d be interested, too.

    1. Allison B.

      Daryl Greeley, my 2nd Great Grandmother is a sister to Myrtle; I would love to hear from you and exchange pictures? stories?

  11. Leigh Sirvent

    Hi my great grandmother was a Toothaker through Roger, Andrew, Ebenezer, Nathaniel, John, Issac, Thomas and his daughter, Maude was my great grandmother.

  12. Cassie Anderson

    I am also a decendant of Rodget Toothaker through Mehitable Grover (Toothaker). Its interesting to see how many of us cared enough to research our family history. I wish I knew more!

  13. Donna Merrill

    I am also descended from Roger Toothakers son Andrew then his son Ebenezer Toothaker md. Mary Mercy Hall, Their Son Nathaniel Toothaker md. Ruth Coombs, they married 24 Oct1782 in Harpswell, Cumberland, ME, Their daughter was Mary/Mercy Toothaker who married Willard Howard md. Isleboro, Waldo, Maine. His parents are unknown.They Migrated to Ohio then her husband died in Fort Madison, Lee Co., Iowa and his wife Mercy applied for a widows pension on his service for The War of1812. Their daughter Ruth Howard married James Levi Burnett. They lived for awhile I. Iowa then Moved to Nodaway Co., MO where James Levi Burnett passed I. 29 November 1875 in Nodaway Co., MO. James Levi Burnett had been previously married to an unknown Wife and he had a son named Hurley Burnett b. 2 July 1827 in Dutchess Co., NY. His son Lived in Nodaway Co., MO then moved to Kansas and died there in Welda, Anderson Co., KS.

  14. Brandi Welch

    I’m also a descendent of Roger Toothaker. My line goes through all the Rogers and then a daughter, but I cant remember her name at the moment. Our family ended up in Ohio.

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