Chebacco Parish was the southeastern-most part of the town of Ipswich, Massachusetts that later became the separate municipality of Essex. The name comes from Chebacco Lake, part of which is in the town of Essex.
Jeremiah Shepard was a minister at the church in Chebacco Parish from 1678 to 1680. He was succeeded by John Wise, who was pastor of Chebacco Parish from 1680 to his death in 1725.
Salem Witch Trials[]
1876 illustration of the courtroom; the central figure is usually identified as being Mary Walcott
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused, nineteen of whom were found guilty and executed by hanging (fourteen women and five men). One other man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death for refusing to plead, and at least five people died in jail. It was the deadliest witch hunt in the history of the United States.
Petition of Chebacco Oldtimers[]
During that horrible period of the Salem Witchcraft the townsfolk of Chebacco come into creditable public notice. John Proctor (1631-1692), who was born in Chebacco, but moved to Salem; heand his wife, Elizabeth, had the awful misfortune to be charged of being witches. His servant girl was one of the first accused of witchcraft and John was one of the first to step forward and call it a terrible lie. But then he and his wife were arrested, cast into prison, tried, convicted and executed.
Most persistent efforts in their behalf for clemency were made. While in prison Proctor addressed Rev. Cotton Mather and others imploring their assistance that if possible, their innocent blood might be spared. Their neighbors joined in a petition to the court to save them. Rev. John Wise drew up a petition which was signed by the men of old Chebacco, whose names were: John Wise, William Cogswell, William Story, Sr., Jonathan Cogswell, Reginalds Foster, John Cogswell, Jun., Thomas Choate, John Cogswell, John Burnham, Sr. Thomas Andrews, William Thompson, Joseph Andrews, Thomas Low, Sr. Benjamin Marshall, Issac foster, John Andrews, Jr., John Burnham, Jr., William Buslin, William Goodhue, William Andrews, Isaac Perkins, John Andrews, Nathaniel Perkins, John Choate, Sr., Thomas Wilkins, Joseph Proctor, William Cogswell, Samuel Giddings, Thomas Varney, Joseph Eveleth, John Fellows, James White.
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