" our grandmother is a witch and your mother is half a witch," the slave spat at the boy. The year is 1702. The grandmother in question is Mary (Bliss) Parsons, former resident of Northampton, Massachusetts, not much more than an outpost on the frontier of the western edge of English settlement in New England.

Although Mary had been acquitted by the courts of witchcraft in 1674, lingering questions about her behavior led many of her neighbors to ongoing suspicions about her and the Parsons family.

The Parsonses were one of the first families of Northampton and Mary Parsons was the subject witchcraft-related trials: in 1656, 1674, and possibly again in 1679. Her story is a fascinating one that sheds light on the workings of the Puritan mind and the early years of the colony.

Enter the Goody Parsons Witchcraft Case Exhibit

A companion web site has been developed with the assistance of Northampton area teachers and the Center for Computer-Based Technology (CCBIT) at the University of Massachuestts to present the Goody Parsons story in a developmentally appropriate manner. The Goody Parsons Educational Web Site provides educational activities for students, background resources, and example curricula for classroom teachers.

Enter the Goody Parsons Educational Web Site