Sarah Wildes (Salem witch trials)
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Sarah Wildes' Memorial Marker
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| Born |
Sarah Averill Bapt. March 16, 1627 Chipping Norton, England |
| Died | July 19, 1692 (aged 65) Salem Village, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Residence | Topsfield, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Housewife |
| Known for | Convicted of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials |
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Sarah Wildes (née Averell/Averill; baptized March 16, 1627 – July 29, 1692 [O.S. July 19, 1692]) was wrongly convicted of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials and was executed by hanging. She maintained her innocence throughout the process, and was later exonerated. Her husband's first wife was a member of the Gould family, cousins of the Putnam family, the primary accusers, and court records document the family feuds which led to her persecution.
Sarah was one of seven children born to William Averell and Abigail Hynton, immigrants from Chipping Norton, England who settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts. William was a bailiff in Chipping Norton in 1634, and Ipswich town records first mention him in 1637, which brackets their migration to the intervening time period, when Sarah was around 7–10 years old.
Sarah married English immigrant John Wildes (born ca. 1615-1618), a widower with eight children, and had a son, Ephraim. Ephraim held the positions of town treasurer and constable during the period of the conspiracy. They were residents of Topsfield, a neighboring town of Salem, in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. John held several positions in the town government and was affectionately called "Old Father Wildes". Two of John's daughters, Sarah (Wildes) Bishop and Phoebe (Wildes) Day, and a son-in-law, Edward Bishop Jr., were also accused of witchcraft. Sarah Averill Wildes and Sarah Wildes Bishop, her stepdaughter, have often been confused (as have Sarah Wildes Bishop and Bridget Bishop).
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