ancestor veneration: been a little quiet on here while processing some things happening in the background of life
we went to visit our family at the First Church of Andover's cemetery a week or so before Halloween
William Barker Sr is my 10th great grandfather and accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials (died 1713)
feeling a lot and keeping a lot unsaid, but this feels big for me
unearthing something
maybe a narrative that has run through our lines since the incident
I can feel the ripples of it all right now-- the persecution, the accusations, betrayal of community, group think, the distinction of truth and lies, the abuses of those in power
a lot to digest and rest my heart into
I do know that the joy of bringing life to the dead is something that I'm only starting to understand now that I'm raising Bea
teaching her that a graveyard deserves deep respect and reverence, but that it's a safe place to run free and laugh and have fun hiding behind the tombstones because our ancestors memory is strongest then
we live through them and they live through us
our family is some of the first to be buried here, under pine trees that cover the ground in cones and sap
roots that run deep and boughs that reach to the heavens
we made three mandalas: one circle for William Sr, the patriarch of the line and protector of his family; one heart for the babies lost to Samuel Barker, Joshua at 2 and Joshua at 3 weeks; and Mary who was William's partner, our kin, and braved the hardest journey that a mother can
I left here thinking one thing: we are survivors
And for some background, in case anyone is actually reading 😝👌 William was accused of witchcraft and confessed that the was in the legion of the Devil because the people who denied got hanged and the people who confessed lived. He escaped prison and made his way to Andover from Salem. Everyone accused was eventually acquitted including a few members of our family. There are many theories about the fervor of the trials, seems like a blend of politics, economics, bad harvest, and group think. I do like the ergot poisoning theory the best 🔥🔥
