Kathy Hudson won’t be riding on her broomstick this Halloween. Nor will she be dragging out a cauldron to whip up a devilish brew. Her friends tease her and call her a witch, but she just shrugs if off.
"It’s not the worst thing that I’ve been called," she said.
Although Hudson can’t be accused of practicing black magic, there are hints her ancestors may have dabbled in the dark arts. While researching her genealogy, the Kailua resident discovered that her family tree reached back to the colonial witch hunts of the late 17th century. Her ninth-great-grandmother, Rebecca Shelly Chamberlain, died at age 67 in a jail cell in Cambridge, Mass., where she was being held as a suspected witch.
"She was never convicted or charged with witchcraft," Hudson said. "They really weren’t witches. It was mass hysteria, persecution."
Approximately 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and 1693, and nearly two dozen were executed. Eventually, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted.
Hudson said her ninth-great-grandmother refused to confess in exchange for her freedom, holding steadfastly to her Christian beliefs. "She gave up her life for it and not many people would do that," she said.
Hudson is also related to John and Joan Carrington, who were hanged in Connecticut in 1651 after being charged with having "familiarity with the devil." John Carrington was her 10th-great-grandfather.
"They lived in Puritan times. Everyone had to toe the line, keep things clean," Hudson said. "The Carringtons didn’t have much money, so John sold a gun to an Indian. He wasn’t considered a stellar citizen."
Hudson, who owns a flooring company, said she found the bewitching connection while searching for one of her Revolutionary War ancestors who ended up being Chamberlain’s great-grandson.
The discovery provided the link she needed to become a member of the Associated Daughters of Early American Witches, a lineage society formed to search for and preserve the names of those accused of witchcraft and to locate the living female descendants of accused witches in the American colonies.
"I was fairly impressed when I found that connection to history. My granddaughters think it’s really cool," said Hudson, who is also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Membership to the Associated Daughters of Early American Witches is by invitation only. Members must be at least 16 years of age and be able to prove they are descended from an ancestor who was accused, tried or executed for the practice of witchcraft before 1700. The group has about 350 members.
"It provides a great example of why we should be vigilant about undue persecution. It’s a lesson in history, a lesson in both religion and politics," Hudson said of the Salem witch hunts.
"It’s really interesting that we descend from a witch," added granddaughter Ashley Abraham, 19. "I’ll appreciate it much more when I’m older. It will definitely come in handy and give me something to share with my kids."
Contact Kathy Hudson via email at khudson888@aol.com.
