Ebenezer Brackett was born about 1589 in England. 

The name it is claimed by some genealogists, was originally spelled Brockett. The family came from Wales to England and Scotland. English history tells of a "William Brockett, an enlightened instructor at Cambridge College who received the honors of Knighthood." With Governor John Winthrop there sailed from Yarmouth, England, about nine hundred persons, most of whom came from the old city of Boston, England. Many of them were high-born, graduates of Oxford and Cambridge colleges. Among them were four brothers by the name of Brackett, Richard Brackett, who settled in Braintree, Massachusetts, now Quincy; Peter Brackett, who settled in Connecticut; William and Anthony Brackett, who went to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with Captain John Mason, in 1631. Ebenezer Brackett, whose remains lie buried in the old Quincy burying ground near Boston, Massachusetts, came to this country prior to 1630, and from him are descended all the New England branches of this ancient family bearing the name of Brackett. On his tombstone appears the following inscription:--

"Ebenezer|Brackett.
Nathaniel|
He held many offices of church and State." (Taken from "Brackett" Genealogy at Lenox Library.)

Children were:

i. Deacon Richard Brackett.
ii. Anthony Brackett was born about 1613 in Co. Norfolk, England. He made a deposition on 27 Jun 1660. He signed a will on 11 Sep 1691. He died on 28 Sep 1691 in Portsmouth, Rockingham Co., New Hampshire. "Descendants of Anthony Brackett" says 1696. His estate was probated on 11 Jul 1692. He was buried in Portsmouth, Rockingham Co., New Hampshire. He was a selectman.

Nearly all persons by the name of Brackett who reside in the States of Maine and New Hampshire, and persons residing elsewhere whose forefathers of that name lived in either of those States, descend from the immigrant, Anthony Brackett of Portsmouth. In 1640, he, with several others who lived in the present limits of Portsmouth, or in the vicinity, signed a deed for a glebe; he settled in New Hampshire several years prior to 1640. There is also mention of a William Brackett as a settler near Portsmouth at as early, if not at an earlier, time than is known that Anthony Brackett came to America. Whether William and Anthony Brackett are identical in person, or whether Anthony was son of William, or was any kin to him, are matters of speculation and conjecture. The uncertainty, or lack of certainty, upon these subjects, as well as pertaining to the time and in what capacity, Anthony Brackett came to America, make of interest in these connections, the early history of the first settlement in New Hampshire, as it sheds all the light we have on these questions; also said history. is of interest to us, as at the place where the settlement was made. Anthony Brackett there dwelt all his life from the time of his coming to America, a period of over fifty-five years.

One David Thomson, a Scotchman, in the spring of 1623, made the first permanent settlement in New Hampshire, at a place called Little Harbor, near the mouth of the Piscataqua river, on its south side. In the year 1622, he entered into an agreement with some merchants of Plymouth, England, who had obtained a lease for a term of five years, of a tract at the mouth of the Piscataqua river as a site for fisheries, to superintend their enterprise, and during the following year, in the bark "Jonathan," came to America with the men in the employ of the merchants. At Little Harbor he erected fish-stages and built a house; remained there during the term of the lease; then removed to the island in Boston harbor, which bears his name, and died there in the year 1628. When is considered that there is proof, by tradition, that the early immigrant Bracketts were Scotchmen, the fact is of moment that the leader of the first colonists to New Hampshire who settled where Anthony Brackett lived, was himself a Scotchman, and gives rise to the conjecture that the first Brackett in America came as early as 1623, with Thomson. Soon after, or about the time of the departure of Thomson from Little Harbor, the enterprise passed into the hands of the Laconia Company, an unincorporated association, of which Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Capt. John Mason were members, Its patent from the council of the New England company bears date November 17, 1629. The company sent to America in the bark "Warwick," which sailed from London the last of March, 1630, and arrived at the Piscataqua river the first of June following, colonists with Captain Walter Neal as governor. They took possession of the works and house at Little Harbor. At Strawberry bank, within the limits of the city of Portsmouth, was erected in 1632 a large frame house sometimes referred to as the manor house. The enterprise was not a financial success for the proprietors; there were charges of bad faith as to the conduct of the stewards or superintendents; at the end of the third year the Laconia company decided to suspend further operations until Captain Neal returned to England and reported the condition of its affairs in America. Neal left for England in August, 1633. His report to the company was followed by proceedings to wind-up its affairs, and its factor, Ambrose Gibbons, was directed to discharge the hands and pay them off in beaver. John Mason appears to have secured the interests of the Laconia company and the control of the enterprise at the mouth of the Piscataqua. In 1634, he sent over more hands. The lines of business engaged in were fishing, manufacturing salt, potash, lumber and pipe staves. There is mention of Mason having sent to the colony in 1634, a saw mill, and one was erected on the easterly side of the river in the present limits of Maine. In the house at Strawberry bank resided Thomas Wonerton, one of the members of the Laconia company and a superintendent for Mason. Edward Godfrey, who had charge of the fisheries, occupied the house at Little Harbor. It does not appear that any more men were sent to the colony by Mason, who died in 1635. His widow sent in 1638, as her agent, Francis Norton, but it is not mentioned that additional men came with him. The plantation did not pay expenses; the estate of Mason was indebted to the servants, laborers and overseers for services; at so low an ebb were affairs and so poor were the prospects, that Norton was instructed to notify the people to shift for themselves. The employees seized upon all the property, divided the cattle and other personal effects, each taking in proportion to his claim and what else he could; portions of the land were also allotted among them. When, in 1634, Mason sent a force of employees to the plantation, it came in charge of Francis Willlams, who was appointed governor of the colony; he was chosen by the colonist as their governor when the widow of Mason, about 1638, dismissed them from her employ. The other settlements in the State at the period, were in the limits of the then towns of Dover, Hampton and Exeter; each had its respective government and were in no way dependent upon or associated with one another or with other colony. Separately by its choice, each of these colonies submitted to the jurisdiction of the colony of Massachusetts Bay, became towns belonging to and a part of that colony. The last thus to lose its identity was the Mason colony at the mouth of the Piscataqua; its territory included the present towns of Rye, New Castle, part of Newington, Portsmouth and a part of Greenland. There is extant a list of names purporting to be of those persons whom Mason sent to his plantation as his "stewards and servants." There are fifty-one names in the list and one of them is William Brackett. They are as follows: Walter Neal, steward; Ambrose Gibbons, steward; Thomas Comack, William Raymond, Francis Williams, George Vaugh, Thomas Wonerton, steward; Francis Norton, steward; Sampson Lane, steward; Henry Jocelyn, steward; Reginald Furnald, surgeon; Ralph Gee, Henry Gee, William Cooper, William Chadborn, Francis Matthews, Humphrey Chadborn, William Chadborn, Jr., Francis Rand, James Johnson, Ant. Ellins, Henry Baldwin, Thomas Spencer, Thomas Fural, Thomas Herd, Thomas Chatherton, John Crowther, John Williams, Roger Knight, Henry Sherburn, John Goddard, Thomas Furnald, Thomas Withers, Thomas Canney, John Symonds, John Penley, William Seavy, William Berry, Henry Langstaff, Jeremy Walford, James Wall, William Brokin, Thomas Walford, Thomas Moor, Joseph Beal, Hugh James, Alexander Jones, John Ault, William Bracket, James Newt, eight Danes and twenty-two women. "Stewards and servants" as used by the author of the list, do not mean persons of service, but employees of Mason, his overseers and workmen. Nor were all the persons mentioned sent to America by Mason. Neal, Joyclyn, Vaughn, Gibbons, Comack, Wonerton, Godfrey, Raymond, and the Chadbourns were in the province prior to 1633, in the employ of the Laconia company as factors, superintendents and overseers. At Little Harbor, prior to 1633, were employed William Cooper, Roger Knight and wife, Ralph Gee, a boy and William Dernit (the latter not mentioned in the list). Under date of July 13, 1633, Gibbons, who resided at Newichawanock (Berwick, Me.) on the east side of the river, wrote Captain Mason that Wonerton "hath charge of the house at Pascatawa" (Little Harbor) and had with him Williams, Cooper, et al, mentioned above. It thus appears that Wonerton assumed the charge of affairs at Little Harbor on the departure of Godfrey. In this letter Gibbons gives the names of the men employed under him at Newichawanock, none of whom appear in the list. It may be not significant of any thing material, but it is noticeable that the first eighteen names of the list, with two possible exceptions (Francis Matthews and Henry Gee), are of those persons who are known to have been in the province prior to 1633, and of four persons employed in a capacity other than laborers who came later than 1633, viz., Francis Williams, Francis Norton and probably Samson Lane and Reginald Fernald. In letter under date of December 5, 1632, members of the Laconia company wrote Gibbons, which he did not receive until June 7, 1633, - "We desire to have our fisherman increased whereof we have written Mr. Godfrey." Also, under date of May 5, 1634, from Portsmouth, England, Captain Mason wrote Gibbons, "These people and provisions which I have now sent with Mr. Jocelyn are to sett upp two mills upon my own division of lands lately agreed upon betwixt our adventurers." Other men were sent to the plantation in 1634 with Francis Williams who was appointed by Mason as governor of his colony. Query. Are the remaining names (after the first eighteen) of the list, of those persons sent over by Mason in 1634? If so, then it was in 1634 that William Brackett came to America. There is evidence, however, that Thomas Walford, one of the number, was not sent to America by Captain Mason; a person by that name was in Charlestown, Mass., as early as 1628, and was expelled from that town in 1631 "for contempt of authority and confronting an officer." Also, some of the persons mentioned in the list left the colony prior to the year 1640, in which the deed for a glebe was made. Neal left for England in 1633; Jocelyn was in Saco in 1637 and Comack and Godfrey were located in Maine at as early a date. The evidence is certain that the list of names is nothing more, even if it purports to be, than of those persons who were in the colony at some period as early as 1630 and as late or later than 1638, some of whom departed before others came to the colony. The thought occurs in. this connection, how happens it that though Anthony was a signer to the deed for a glebe in 1640, his name does not appear in the list. A comparison of the names of the persons who signed the deed, with those contained in the list, shows that twelve of the twenty of the former are not found among the latter. The inference, in the absence of evidence that there were accessions to the colony from sources other than from Mason, is, that the list is incomplete as to names of persons who were sent by him to the colony. Anthony was married about 1635; he was the head of a family in 1640. It will be observed from such comparison, that instances occur of the same surnames of persons in the list and as signers to the deed, but with different Christian names, as Thomas Chatterton in the list, Michael Chatterton, signer to the deed; Alexander Jones in the list, John and William Jones, signers to the deed; William Brackett in the list, Anthony Brackett, signer to the deed. Are we to infer that in these instances, particularly as to the uncommon names of Chatterton and Brackett, that the bearers, respectively, of these names, were no kin to each other? or that errors were made by the author of the list, in that he wrote William Brackett when he should have written Anthony Brackett - as Anthony was a married man prior to 1638? Again, if said Bracketts were relatives, and also the Joneses and the Chattertons, respectively, were related, are we to conclude that those of such names appearing in the list were respectively fathers whose sons signed the deed, the fathers having died and the sons, in 1640 or prior, having become heads of families? It is for the reader to decide for himself relative to these matters; he has before him all the evidence obtainable bearing on the questions as to about when Anthony Brackett came to America and as to his relation to, or his identity with, William Brackett, if there were such a person in the colony. Respecting the latter all that is known is, that the name, William Brackett, is given in the list; no further mention is made of him. If he were the father, or a relative, of Anthony, the latter did not name any of his children for him. The name does not occur in the family until later than 1750. The colony of Mason, known as Strawberry Bank colony (not called Portsmouth until 1653), came under the jurisdiction of the colony of Massachusetts Bay in 1641. The negotiations to this end lasted about a year. Most of the settlers were Episcopalians, and were chary of submitting to the rule of the straight-jacket gentry of the Bay colony, However, as they were guaranteed the rights of freemen and full liberty in matters pertaining to religion, upon these terms the union was effected. Francis Williams was governor of the colony until the union and thenceforth for several years was one of the selectmen of the town. Mention has been made of the deed for a glebe; by it were conveyed to the wardens of the Episcopal church for its benefit and the benefit of the local clergyman, fifty acres of land in Strawberry Bank on which then stood the church building; the land now is part of the city of Portsmouth. The signers to the deed were Francis Williams, governor, Ambrose Gibbons, assistant, William Jones, Reginald Fernald, John Crowther, Anthony Bracket, Michael Chatterton, John Wall, Robert pudington, Henry Sherburne, John Langden, Henry Taler, John Jones, William Berry, John Pickering, John Billings, John Wotten, Nicholas Row, Matthew Coe and John Palmer. Of the early history of the church little is known; at intervals, a clergyman for a few years served the people as their pastor. Anthony was a member of the church until his death; none of its records of interest to us are extant, and nothing is contained in the meager scraps which have been preserved, relative to the history of the colony antecedent to its union with the Bay colony, that afford us any light as to Anthony or his family. Also, the town records of Strawberry Bank (Portsmouth) from 1641 to 1649 are not extant; it is not known with certainty in what part of the town he resided prior to 1649. However, the evidence we have, warrants the belief that he lived in the vicinity of Little Harbor and the "Pascatawa" house; its site was on a peninsula now called Odiorne's point, formed by Little Harbor on the northeast and a creek on the south side; to the west was a large tract of salt marsh. It is mentioned that John Berry was the first settler within the limits of the present town of Rye, near Little Harbor, "followed by Seavey, Rand and Brackett," In 1635, it is probable that the persons named were the first to whom as colonists, land was allotted. It is ventured that the persons who, prior to 1640, located near Little Harbor, by their choice settled there, they having been in some capacity connected with the fisheries carried on at the place, and had their habitation there from the time of their coming to America; that upon the discontinuing of the fisheries, they turned their attention to farming and stock raising. From 1649 until his death it is known that Anthony lived but a mile or so south of the harbor, west of Sandy beach, on or near the stream, Saltwater brook, and on Brackett lane, now Brackett road. It is traditional that he lived near the ocean. In the year 1649 at a meeting of the selectmen, held August 13, was voted "by common consent" a grant of a lot to "Anthony Brakit", lying between the lands belonging to Robert Pudington and William Berry "at the head of the Sandy Beach Fresh Reiver at the western branch thereof." At a meeting of the inhabitants of the town held January 13, 1652, a grant of thirty acres was voted to "Anthony Brackite." March 4th following, at a town meeting the selectmen were directed "at the next fit time" to lay out the land "unto the people of Sandy Beach, vid. unto William Berry, Anthony Brackit, Thomas Sevy, Francis Rand and James Johnson." Under date of March 17, 1653, the town records read that a grant was made of land near Sandy beach, by the people, "unto James Johnson, of medow 20 ackers; unto Olliver Trimmings, 4 ackers; unto Thomas Sevy, of medow 8 ackers, and upland a ackers; unto William Berry, of medow unto his ould hous that is by William Sevy's 6 ackers; unto Anthony Brakit, upland 30 ackers adjoyninge unto his hous and of medow 20 ackers more; unto William Berry, from the littell creek next unto Goodman Brakits as much as shall amount unto ten ackers of medow between the sayd creke and the creeks mouth upon the south sid thearof, and 4 ackers of ... wheare lie hath alredy ploued upon the north sid of the creek; mor upland to ajoyn his house upon the necke, 26 ackers; unto James Rand, medow 8 ackers, upland 20 akers for a lotte." The foregoing discloses who were the near neighbors of Anthony Brackett. He was granted by the town at meeting held March 20, 1656, "50 acres more land than his former grant to join with his hous and to lye in such form as it may enclose his hous, so that it be not in any man's former grant." Also was granted to him February 3, 1660, one hundred acres under provision approved by the people at town meeting granting such amount of land to each head of a family "who had come to dwell in the town." A further provision, approved at the same town meeting, was that thirteen acres of land should be allowed to each son in a family over the age of twenty-one, to each son under that age, if married, and to each daughter over the age of eighteen years. Under this provision Anthony Brackett, Jr. was granted thirteen acres and Elinor Brackett thirteen acres. They were children of Anthony, the immigrant. In all, our ancestor was granted over two hundred acres of land. The town was so sparsely settled at the time the grants were made, that the several grants to each person could adjoin one another and the whole lay in quite compact form. March 31, 1650, Anthony deeded land and buildings at Strawberry Bank (Portsmouth) to William Cotton. This Would warrant a surmise that he had lived in Portsmouth prior to 1650, and when granted land in 1649 he sold his property in Portsmouth and removed to Sandy beach in the same town. September 19, 1678, he purchased land at "Sandie Beach from Henry Sherburne." He has usually been designated as "Anthony, the selectman." In the year 1655, at a town meeting held March 8, Anthony, Thomas Walford, William Seavy, James Johnson and John Webster were chosen selectmen for one year. On July 10 following, three of said selectmen signed a warrant for collection of a tax to pay the salary of the local minister, the Rev. Mr. Brown. Thomas Walford signed by mark thus, "V;" Anthony "Brakit" signed by mark thus, "A." In February, 1656, a meeting of the selectmen was held. Three of their number signed records by mark, James Johnson signing thus, "I." All the selectmen except Thomas Webster lived near Sandy beach. The following year one only of their number was chosen selectman, viz., James Johnson. Several years subsequently Anthony was again chosen selectman; mention of the fact will be made in its proper connection. The extant town and parish records relative to constable rates for collection of taxes to pay the minister's salary, show his name in the lists for the years 1677 and 1688; the tax, eighteen shillings, which he was assessed for the year 1688, is considerably in excess of the average amount of tax paid by other townsmen for the purpose. In 1666 he subscribed £1, 10s, for support of the minister. An industrious man with the prospect of acquiring a home through moderate efforts, of becoming the owner of a productive farm situated in a favorable locality near a civilized community, would have hopes of enjoying the blessings of life, of rising to some considerable degree of affluence and social standing. It is safe to venture that the life of Anthony after he settled in America, was happy, far happier and easier than the lot of any of his ancestors of whom he had knowledge. Right fortunate he could consider himself in being the possessor and owner of fertile land, part in natural meadow, near to the sea and in the midst of a growing settlement. Great were the advantages of reaping the full product of his labor, not only to himself but to his children whose prospects in life would be far better than his own, to whom he had hopes of leaving a fair competence. Yet he had his troubles; they began when the colony of Strawberry Bank in 1641, became a part of the colony of Massachusetts Bay. He considered that the authority of the Bay colony over the town, was usurped power; that its laws were contrary to the laws of England. From the year 1641 the new settlers in the town were chiefly Congregationalists, immigrants from the Bay colony. The control of town affairs beginning about 1657, was exercised by a few of the wealthier class; it was charged by many of the old Episcopalian settlers that these few "5 or 6 of the richest men of the parish had ruled, swayed and ordered all offices, civil and military, at their pleasure;" that some of the opponents of the few "though a loyal subject, and some well acquainted with the laws of England, durst make any opposition for fear of great fines and imprisonment;" that they had been under "hard servitude" from the few, had been denied ''our public meetings,. the common prayer, sacrements and decent burial for the dead ;" also had been denied the 'benefit of freeman;'' that said few had always kept themselves in office "for the managing of gifts of land and settling them" whereby the opponents of the few "were not only disabled but also discouraged for continuing in the plantation;" that said few had "taken the greatest part of their lands in the plantation into their own hands'' and other ''men that had been in the town for many years have no lands at all given them, and some that had lands given them," the few who controlled the town "had disowned the grants and laid it out to others," In 1665 when the King's commissioners for the settlement of affairs in the colonies, arrived in New Hampshire, to them was presented a petition signed by sixty-one of the settlers, setting forth their hardships and grievances, and praying to be relieved from Puritan rule. One of the signers was Anthony Brackett; his signature is his name -- not his mark. Perhaps he had been taught to write by his children. Consequent upon the presenting of the petition, or as a result of the unity of effort upon the part of its signers, the affairs of the town were no longer wholly controlled by the Puritan faction; it appears that the old settlers dared to assert themselves. In the spring of 1667 Anthony was again chosen selectman. It is probable that he was a courageous, even-tempered, equitable-minded person, the proper one for the position in time of strife and turmoil, with public pelf and spoil at stake. We are privileged to presume from the fact of his election to the office at this eventful period, that he was a man of note and standing among his townsmen, forged himself well to the front in time of emergency and ever stood ready with others to bear the misfortunes that fell to them, or with them share the weal of the town. No more protests or petitions do we find to i680. In that year the government of the Bay colony over the province of New Hampshire ceased, and a government was organized for it having no connection with the government of any other province. The new government was composed of a president and council; also an assembly of representatives chosen by the people of the several towns. Mr. John Cutts, one of the wealthy few, whose acts were the subject of the grievances of the petitioners of 1665, was appointed president. The records of the council for the year 1680 show that Anthony Brackett, though one of the racalcitrants of 1665, was named by President Cutts as one of the persons of the town of Portsmouth qualified to vote for members of the general assembly. The union of all faction among the people became necessary, in order to preserve in themselves title to the lands which had been allotted to them respectively, as against the heirs of Captain Mason who set up title to quite all the land in the province. The creation of the new government was a step in the scheme of the Mason heirs to acquire the lands which they claimed. However, President Cutts himself was a large landowner under town grants, and an honorable man; as the executive of the new government he was not an instrument to subserve the ends of the claimants. Upon his death in 1682, New Hampshire was made a royal province and Edward Cranfield was appointed its governor. All power vested in him in such capacity, he willingly exercised for the purposes of the Mason claimants. Easily can it be imagined how great a tempest a royal governor could raise in a province consisting of four sparsely settled towns, whose purpose was to deprive the far greater portion of the people, of their lands. Anthony with quite all the settlers, signed a petition to the king, in which was set forth their grievances, for the removal of Cranfield as governor. The bearer of this petition was Nathaniel Weare of Hampton, who carried it to England in 1688. In Portsmouth, at Sandy beach, in 1658, happened an affair of interest for the reason that several of Anthony's near neighbors were the actors; its interest to us, however, is that our ancestor, so far as is known, had no connection with it - which fact evidences that he was a fair-minded, level-headed man, having far more sense than some of the deluded wretches who were over him in a civil way. One of his neighbors was accused and tried for witchcraft - the only case of the kind in the annals of New Hampshire. The name of the accused was Jane Walford, at the time the widow of Thomas Walford, the courageous smith of Charlestown; she was a woman of considerable means and a great deal of spirit. Her accuser was Susannah Trimmings, wife of Oliver Trimmings. The evidence was directed to show that Susannah was bewitched; that Jane was a witch and that she bewitched Susannah. All material evidence in the case was, of course, pure lies; those invented by Susannah were, perhaps, prompted by her hatred for her neighbor. One is justified in the conclusion from what she related, that she was drunk, not bewitched, and from what others related as to her having been bewitched, that she continued drunk for some time, and deceived her husband into the belief that she was bewitched.

Susannah Trimmings testified - "As I was going home on Sunday night I heard a rustling in the woods which I supposed to be occasioned by swine, and presently there appeared a woman whom I apprehended to be old Goodwife Walford. She asked me to lend her a pound of cotton. I told her that I had but two pounds in the house and I would not spare any to my mother. She said I better have done it for I was going a great journey, but she should never come there. She left me and I was struck with a clap of fire on the back, and she vanished toward the - - - - - in my apprehension, in the shape of a cat ..." Her husband's testimony related to her pretensions as to the cause of her condition, her complaints and appearance on her arrival at home after her bout, whatever it was; that he said to her, the cause of her condition was her weakness. He probably knew the truth of what he said. The witness, Eliza Barton, appears to have told the truth so far as she knew it, and fairly well described a case of a prolonged drunk. Her testimony was: - "I saw Susannah Trimmings at the time she was ill; her face was colored and spotted." She told deponent her story who said it "was nothing but fantasy;" that her eyes looked as "if they had been scalded." John Pudington perhaps testified to the truth; what he related may have been true. He testified that: "Three years since Goodwife Walford came to my mother's. She said that her own husband called her an old witch, and when she came to her own cattle, her own husband would bid her begone, for she did overlook the cattle, which is as much to say in our country `bewitching.'" Nicholas Row and Agnes Pudington were the brilliant Ananiases of the affair. Nicholas testified, in substance, that: - "Jane Walford, shortly after she was accused, came to him in bed, in the evening, and put her hand upon his breast so that he could not speak, and was in great pain until the next day. By the light of the fire in the next room it appeared to be Goody Walford, but she did not speak. She repented her visit about a week after and did as before, but said nothing." Agnes Pudington deposed in substance as follows: - "On the 11th of April the wife of W. Evans came to my house and lay there all night; a little after sunset the deponent saw a yellow cat and Mrs. Evans said she was followed by a cat wherever she went. John came and saw a cat in the garden, took down his gun to shoot her; the cat got up a tree and the gun would not take fire; afterward the cock would not stand. She afterwards saw three cats; the yellow one vanished away on plain ground; she could not tell the way it went." The magistrates before whom the hearing was held in Portsmouth, were two legal luminaries of the Bay colony. The accused was required to give bond for her appearance at the next term of court. She gave bond but never was tried. In after years she recovered judgment against one of her neighbors for calling her a witch. It is to be wondered that any thing in human shape should at all seriously consider the evidence or the charge. Perhaps it was that credence was accorded to however unnatural a proposition if it accorded with one's pretences or served one's purposes; thus such a one willingly aided in compassing the death of his neighbor, if he were thereby exalted or revenged.

iii. Peter Brackett.
iv. William Brackett.