Lucretia Mott warned John Ketcham about the occult. | John Ketchum and his circle of friends were involved with the occultist Fox sisters who claimed to talk to the dead. | ||||
Katie Haegele said people accused the Fox sisters of being "witches." |
Jerimiah Ketcham is a fictional character very remotely based on John Ketcham. The Ketchams were Puritans from the Salem area of Massachusetts that settled on Long Island and once owned the land that the famous horror house is on. There were really Indian burial grounds in the area, and John Ketcham was a real person. However, much of their facts were mixed up since John Ketcham was not burned, and the burial ground was not under the house.
Here are the facts. There were several John Ketchams in Suffolk County. The first was from the Salem, Massachusetts who was involved in anti-witch activities. A relative, another John Ketcham was actually involved in the occult. In a letter to John Ketcham, Lucretia Mott wrote, "[Her husband James Mott] attended a circle for 10 weeks last winter, and was much interested. I have never witnessed anything of the kind. Is there not reason to fear the effects of such frequent reveries, on Isaac Post’s mind? A Mrs. Taft of Mass. has lately become quite insane, from that cause. (Mott, 1852) ."
John Ketcham was practicing Spiritism. Spiritism was founded by the Fox sisters and according to "Spirits of the Age" by Katie Haegele many people at the time "called the girls harlots and witches." (http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=7310) The bible says in Galatians 5:19-20: that people must stay away from, "...impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, spiritism (that is, encouraging the activity of demons),..." and Kathryn Capoccia, said, "The basic elements of Spiritism and witchcraft have remained the same throughout it's history." ("Halloween: A Trick or a Treat? 04/29/2003 http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=613) The Fox sister would hold ceremonies in a circle and claim to talk to the dead. John Ketcham knew Isaac Post. Post was one of the leaders of the Spiritist movement and wrote the book "Voices From the Spirit World," in 1852, the year John Ketcham received the letter from Lucretia Mott.
Picture of the lion that supposedly moved. |
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The earliest case involving claims of demon possession and murder in Suffolk County was in 1657 where Goody Garlick was accused of being a witch. In addition there was a mysterious animal sighted, much like people sight Jody the pig. In the murder and witchcraft trial of Goody Garlick people sighted a strange black cat. This occurred like the others on the south shore of Suffolk County New York, like the others. Goody Garlick was found innocent. She was accused by members of the Edwards family, who were the founders of Sayville, which is located on the south side of Suffolk County. Sayville is the gateway to the world center of homosexuality, Fire Island.
According to the Amityville story, John Ketcham was a witch that came to Suffolk County from the Salem, Massachusetts area. John Ketcham was a real person, but he was not put on trial for witchcraft. However, Suffolk County was originally settled by people from the area around Salem, which werd Puritans. One particular mystery is where Amityville sister city Sayville got its name from. No one knows. This in itself is strange. A popular theory is that since the family that started Sayville came from Salem Village, Massachusetts, it is a contraction of Salem and Village. Originally Salem was called "Salem Village" later dropping the second part of the name. Thus Salem=Say, Village=Ville, and the two combined being equal to "Sayville."
The actual ad that the Lutzes saw in Newsday for the horror house. | Dead body being carried out of the house of Amityville house of horrors. |
From George Washington's 1790 Diary: His visit to
Sayville and the Ketcham's
"From hence turning off to the right we fell into the South Rd. [Montauk Hwy]
at the distance of about five miles where we came in view of the Sea & continued
to be so the remaining part of the days ride, and as near it as the road could
run for the small bays, marshes and guts, into which the tide flows at all times
rendering it impassible from the height of it by the Easterly Winds."
"We dined at one Ketchams..." - Day before Sayville
"Thursday 22nd. About 8 O'clock we left Mr. Thompson's -- halted a while at one
Greenes distant 11 Miles and dined
Harts Tavern..."
"To this place we traveled on what is called the South road described yesterday
but the Country through which it passed grew more and more Sandy and barren as
we traveled Eastward, so as to become exceedingly poor indeed but a few miles
further Eastward the lands took a different complexion we were informed. From
Harts we struck across the
Island for the No. side, "
NOTES: The Ketchams mentions are of the family of John Ketcham of Amityville Horror fame. According to the Amityville story, he was a witch that came to Long Island from Salem, MA. The Greenes are the people who settled West Sayville. There is an old Amityville legend says John Ketcham came to Long Island from Salem Mass. but because he was a witch escaping the trials, when in Amityville he was burned as a witch.
"Salem Village" No one is
really sure exactly why Amityville sister village
Sayville is called Sayville. The theory is "Sayville" is a
contraction of "Salem Village," the original name of Salem, Massachusetts.
Many of the original families came from there. Sayville is near Amityville
in Suffolk County. Salem = Say ; Village = Ville ; = Sayville Old pictures of houses in Sayville. Looks like Salem, MA. |
LINKS:
Amityville Insane Asylum: Drew Barrymore's Great-Grandfather died there.
Suicide Club in Amityville - Mass suicide and Murder
Bram Stoker who wrote "Dracula": His link to Amityville
Al Capone in Amityville - Sinks into insanity.
Witch Trials
- Woman
accused of witchcraft in Amityville area!
Ray Buckland: Starts
Modern Wicca near Amityville - First Coven in America
Amityville's Sister City and Sport's Rival Sayville
Amityville Witch Building: Building shaped like witch hat.