M. before 1646 in Massachusetts
Wife: Hannah (last name unknown)
D. after 1694 in (probably) Salem, Massachusetts
Sometimes an individual is challenging to identify, and such is the case for Edward Bishop of Salem, Massachusetts, who was the father of Mary Colburn. There were three Edward Bishops living in Salem during the 1690s, and it’s important to sort them out because one was accused of being a witch.
The Edward of this biography was born in England in about 1620 (some have given a date as early as 1611). Nothing is known of him until he turned up in Salem, Massachusetts in 1639. He was married to a woman named Hannah (possibly her last name was Moore) and they had at least three children who were baptized in Salem between 1646 and 1651. One of these children was also named Edward.
There is evidence that the elder Edward was living in Salem at the time of the witch trials; he appears along with wife Hannah having signed a petition in defense of one of the accused, Rebecca Nurse. Another of the accused women who was tried before this date was Bridget Bishop, the wife of another Edward Bishop, who seems to be unrelated to the other two Edwards.
Bridget Bishop became famous as the first person found guilty at the witch trials who was then executed. Several town members, including a group of teenaged girls, claimed she had caused them harm with just a glance, and several people testified that she appeared as a specter in their homes. She denied the accusations, but was found guilty, and was hung from the town gallows.
There is evidence that the elder Edward was living in Salem at the time of the witch trials; he appears along with wife Hannah having signed a petition in defense of one of the accused, Rebecca Nurse. Another of the accused women who was tried before this date was Bridget Bishop, the wife of another Edward Bishop, who seems to be unrelated to the other two Edwards.
Bridget Bishop became famous as the first person found guilty at the witch trials who was then executed. Several town members, including a group of teenaged girls, claimed she had caused them harm with just a glance, and several people testified that she appeared as a specter in their homes. She denied the accusations, but was found guilty, and was hung from the town gallows.
The execution of Bridget Bishop, who was unrelated to the Edward Bishop of this biography.
Some time after this, Edward's son Edward and his wife Sarah were arrested in a separate case. They ran an inn out of their home in Salem and it was known for serving "drinks to underaged patrons and allowed 'shovel'-board to be played at all hours of the night." A neighbor who complained about their behavior was found a short time later dead from an apparent suicide — a slashed throat from a pair of sewing scissors — and this was thought to be witchcraft caused by Edward and Sarah. They managed to escape jail, though, and were said to have hid until the witch trial craze was over.
It is not known when the elder Edward died; some have said 1694 and others have given dates as late as 1711. The relationship between all of the Edward Bishops of Salem can never be proven completely, but the scenario described here seems likely from all of the circumstantial evidence.
Children:
1. Hannah Bishop — B. before 12 Apr 1646, Salem, Massachusetts; M. William Raymond (1637-1709), about 1661
2. Edward Bishop — B. before 24 Apr 1648, Salem, Massachusetts; D. 12 May 1711, Rehoboth, Massachusetts; M. Sarah Wilde (1651-?), 1670
3. Mary Bishop — B. about Aug 1651, Salem Massachusetts; D. after 1742, Concord, Massachusetts; M. (1) Robert Colburn (~1647-1701), 16 Mar 1669, Beverly, Massachusetts; (2) Eliphalet Fox (1644-1711), 15 Apr 1702, Concord, Massachusetts; (3) Joseph Lee (1643-1716), 28 Jan 1713, Concord, Massachusetts; (4) Daniel Hoar (~1650-1742), October 1717, Concord, Massachusetts
Sources:
Wikipedia article on Edward Bishop
Salem Witchcraft with an account of Salem Village and a history of opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Subjects, Charles Wentworth Upham, 1867
A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, James Savage, 1860
