The Edwards family accused a woman called Garlick of being a witch and at the witch trial said, "Goody Edwards said that once Goody Garlick had requested that Edwards' daughter, who had recently given birth, provide her with some breast milk, which she did. The child immediately got sick." There was even a black cat, "A black thing at the bed's feet,'' The legal indictment said, "familiarity with Satan the great enemy of God & mankind & by his help since the year 1650 hath done works above the course of nature to the loss of lives of several persons with several other sorceries..." Several other Edwards said she was a witch, such as Ann Edwards. The court determined the Edwards had lied.

     George DeWan of Newsday said of the accusations, "The indictment (of witchcraft) shows how strongly the idea of a woman possessed by the devil, a witch, was embedded in the Puritan belief system."

     The only other trial was involved two people who were indicted on charges of witchcraft and sorcery for the death George Wood and his son. Part of the Amityville Horror story was based on these two trials. According to the Amityville Horror story, a witch from Salem called John Ketchum escaped the witch trials to resume his worship of the devil. He was supposedly then caught and burned at the stake on the location of the Lutz's house. Although John Ketchum did come to Suffolk County from the Salem, MA area at about the time of the trials, he was not part of either witch trial.

 

Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Melissa Joan Hart, and Serena, who killed a cheerleader in a demonic ceremony are both from Sayville.  Notice the purple and gold color scheme of the show, same colors as Sayville.

 

Puritan Witch Trial The Edwards, who founded Sayville, brought Puritan traditions with them from Salem, Mass. The Edwards were found by the court to have made false accusations of witchcraft.

Books about witchcraft, the type witch accusers like the Edwards used.

 

Witches with the Devil

Witch Examination

Witch Hanging

   

"Salem Village" No one is really sure exactly why Sayville is called Sayville. One theory is "Sayville" is a contraction of "Salem Village," the original name of Salem, Massachusetts, where the family of the village founders lived before coming to Suffolk County. Salem = Say ; Village = Ville ; = Sayville Old houses in Sayville. Looks like Salem, MA.