Elizabeth Proctor

Elizabeth Proctor (née Bassett; 1650 – after 1703) was convicted of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. She was the wife of John Proctor, who was convicted and executed. Her execution sentence was postponed because she was pregnant. In 1693 the new governor, Sir William Phips, freed 153 prisoners, including Elizabeth. The widow Proctor remarried in 1699, to Daniel Richards. In 1703 she and her late husband John Proctor were granted a reversal of attainder by the Massachusetts legislature. Early life Elizabeth was born in 1650 in Lynn, Massachusetts, and was the daughter of Capt. William Bassett Sr. and Sarah Burt. As an adult she weighed 155 pounds. She married John Proctor on April 1, 1674 in Salem, Massachusetts. Elizabeth's grandmother was Ann (Holland) Bassett Burt, a Quaker and a midwife. The Puritans felt there was something "witchlike" about Quakers. Since Ann was not a doctor, but was successful at caring for those who were ill, some felt she could only have these skills if she were a witch. She was charged with witchcraft in 1669. One of those who testified against Ann was Phillip Read, a doctor. These accusations left a taint in the memories of residents and may have contributed to Elizabeth's persecution nearly 30 years later.