William Hoar: A Life Under a Black Cloud

William Hoar is my 8th-Great Grandfather on the Crosby side.  William lived his life under the black cloud that followed his wife. But it is because of his wife’s infamy that so much is known about William. I wonder if he would be pleased?

William Hoar’s origin and lineage are not known.  However, during a 1670 deposition he gave his age as 35-years old, so it is estimated that he was born about 1635. Based on court documents it is known that William Hoar married Dorcas Galley (daughter of John and Florence ___ Galley) sometime before 1656 in the town of Beverly, MA.  Together that had either 6 (or *7) children with the eldest, William Jr., being born before 1659. (*There is a single mention in one court document of a daughter Joan. Nowhere else does the name Joan appear as a child.  This could be a case of multiple names for the same child. For instance, Annis Hoar was frequently called Nancy Hoar. After her marriage to John King the names Annis King and Nancy King appear in records.)

From the time of their marriage until 1678 William was mentioned once in court records and Dorcas twice. Each instance was as a witness. But in May 1678 things took a turn for the worse.

On May 31, 1678 an arrest warrant was issued for Dorcas, charging her as the ringleader in a burglary and theft ring.  Compounding the seriousness of the charge was the allegation that she had employed her own daughters in the scheme.  One daughter, Tabitha, testified that Dorcas sent her and her sisters to get stolen goods on many occasions. In June 1678 William’s name is brought into the investigation when a search warrant is issued for “the home of William Hoar.”  The search yielded several items which were reported as stolen.  Unfortunately, the outcome of this case is not recorded, but nowhere in the court documents is William implicated in any wrongdoing.  (The Burglary Ring is covered in greater detail in Blacksheep Sunday: Grandma Dorcas, Part I – Burglary Ring)

Apparently, the 1678 activities of his family did not effect William’s reputation because, on December 10, 1680, an agreement was made between Beverly town leaders and William Hoar, senior, that made him the caretaker of the town meetinghouse.  William was given the key to the meetinghouse and he was to ring the bell on the Lord’s day, for all meetings and at 9 o’clock each night, sweep and keep neat the interior and to “turn the glass” (I am not sure what this means. Open the windows? Turn the hourglass?). As payment, William received one peck of corn a year, from every family in the town.

Witchery and Murder?

In 1689 Dorcas fell gravely ill and was being tended to by family and friends.  Rachael Tuck stated she was in the house when Dorcas suddenly leapt from her bed, onto a ladder (or stairs) in the house.  Rachael said all those present ran from the house, but that Dorcas was able to grab, and hold onto, Hannah Cox.  When Hannah Cox turned she saw Dorcas, dressed in “her clothes and hat & cloke [sic]”.  This is the first documented instance of Dorcas acting witch-like, but many more would follow. This story was recorded in a May 1692 deposition of Rachael Tuck (aged 45).

Winter 1691/92

During the Winter of 1691/92 William Hoar, senior, died suddenly in his home.  William’s age, and the suddenness of his death, caused a Coroner’s jury to be appointed to investigate the circumstances.  John Richards served as part of the Coroner’s jury that was tasked with investigation.  In May 1692, Richards provided a deposition of what transpired during the investigation. In his deposition, Richards said:

I said to the rest of the Jury that it was necessary that the naked body of the deceased should be viewed and Dorcas Hoar, the wife of the deceased, broke out in a very great passion, wringing of her hands and stamping on the floor with her feet and said you wicked wretch or wicked wretches what do you think I have murdered my husband: and the rest of the Jury blaming her for being in such a passion and then she was something pacified”

In short, Dorcas was “pacified” and the body of William was never examined.  Dorcas won the battle of wills. So strenuously did she protest, that the jury relented in their request to view the body.  All these years later one must wonder what, if anything, would have been discovered during such an examination and, if nothing was amiss, why did Dorcas protest so much?

May-September 1692

In May 1692, Dorcas Hoar was arrested for the crime of Witchcraft and became a defendant in what history remembers as The Salem Witch Trials.

At her arraignment Dorcas was asked not only about her alleged activities as a witch, but also about the allegations that she murdered her husband, William, during the winter of 1691/92. Dorcas unsuccessfully denied the allegations of witchcraft and was held-over for trial, which was to begin in September.

At the trial of Dorcas Hoar most of the testimony related to her being a witch. However, the deposition of John Hale was presented in which Hale alleged that Dorcas said that as long as her husband, William, shall live she would live poorly and if her husband should die she would live a better life.

Dorcas was not on trial for the murder of William, but the allegation was used to partly support her being a witch. Dorcas was convicted of witchcraft in September 1692 and sentenced to be hanged. (See Black Sheep Sunday: Grandma Dorcas, Part 2 — Capital Crime for the whole story of Dorcas’ witchcraft ordeal.)

William’s Estate

Beverly town records have an entry regarding William’s estate, which was settled March 2, 1695/6.  The entry says that the administrator of William’s estate is “the widow ‘outlawed'” Further along in the writing the entry is clarified with, “The ‘outlaw’ widow was Dorcas Hoar, sentenced to death 1692 for witchcraft…”

The following probate records are still held by Essex County, MA.  The inventory  (image #2) of the estate is an important document, because it lists debts owed by William’s estate.  The last name on the list is William Hoar, Junior, my 7th-great grandfather.

*Probate Documents:
Document 1
Document 2: Inventory
Document 3
Document 4
Document 5

* Source: Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1840.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2013. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.)

Summary:

William’s life was likely a stressful one. But whatever the reason, he married Dorcas Galley. The irony of William’s life is that the court documents, which were generated by the activities of Dorcas,  allow him to assume his place in my lineage.  There are no birth or baptismal records for William Junior and the only marriage record for him lists just his name and his wife’s, Sara Ross. Dorcas’ troubled life allows the pieces to fall into place. This branch of my tree would probably end at William Jr. had Dorcas led a crime-free life.  Instead, I have written about William and Dorcas more than any other set of grandparents, of any generation.

My Lineage from William Hoar, senior:

William Hoar > William Hoar Jr. > Abigail (Hoar) Grover > Rebeckah (Grover) Elwell > Rebecca (Elwell) Crosby > Edward Crosby III > John Crosby > John A. Crosby > Roy Crosby > Maurice Crosby > Me.

Other Readings Available about the Galley & Hoar Families:

Blacksheep Sunday: Fined 20 shillings for that?!

Blacksheep Sunday: Grandma Dorcas, Part I – Burglary Ring

Blacksheep Sunday: Grandma Dorcas, Part 2 — Capital Crime

Salem Witch Trials, Documentary Archive The entire Witchcraft trial case-file, for Dorcas Hoar

Dossier for Dorcas Hoar Evidence and primary documents from witchcraft trial

Wikipedia: Dorcas Hoar

Alternate Spellings of Hoar: Hore, Hoare, Hoor