Christian Trask - Bewitched in Salem, 1690?

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In looking at info about the Trasks in the Salem area, I saw that the Trasks didn't seem to be involved in the infamous witch hysteria that took place in Salem in 1692.

Juel M. Trask mentioned a tenuous connection:

Another interesting connection of the Traske family of the Bay Plantation to the witch trials is found in the transcripts of the trial of Bridgett Bishop. At Bridgett Bishop's trial, there was testimony that Bridgett Bishop had bewitched Christina Woodbury Traske and caused Christina to commit suicide by cutting her throat with a dull pair of scissors. Bridgett Bishop and Christian Woodbury Traske had a confrontational relationship and had argued on many occasions. Christina Woodbury Trask had felt that Bridgett Bishop was not sufficiently pious and had desecrated the Sabbath.

Here's more information about Christian Trask, from History of Salem, vol. III 1671-1716, by Sidney Perley, 1928, from page 237:

Christian Trask, wife of John Trask, who lived on the Rial Side took her own life June 3, 1690, by cutting her windpipe with a small pair of scissors, from which she died "an untimely death," being only twenty-nine. This family lived down the old landing to the ferry on the southerly side of Conant St., south of the Cherry Hill farm house. Mrs. Trask was the daughter of Humphrey Woodbury. She had been "out of her right senses" for about a month previous to that time. The jury of inquest made their return on the twenty-fourth. The jury consisted of Joshua Rea, Sr., James Putnam, Joshua Rea, Jr., Edward Bishop, Jr., Joseph Herrick, Daniel Andrew, Nathaniel Hayward, Thomas Rayment, Benjamin Balch, James Kettle, William Rayment, Jr., and Edward Bishop, Jr. On the Beverly Town records, her death is recorded as follows:

Christian, wife of John Trask of Salem, "being violently asalted by the temptations of Satan, cut her own throate with a paire of sisers to the astonishment and grief of all, especially her most near relations."

Juel speculated that the suicide might have been the result of a longtime feud between Bridget Bishop and Chrstian. In fact, Bishop was caught up in the witch trials two years later. Here's an excerpt from the Salem Witch Trials Chronology:

June 10
Bridget Bishop was hanged in Salem, the first official execution of the Salem witch trials.

Bridget Bishop "I am no witch. I am innocent. I know nothing of it."

That dispute between the women probably was a factor. It's clear that Salem was full of hysterics, a fact borne out two years later during the legally-sanctioned murders of about twenty people for "witchcraft."

However, I'd like to suggest that Christian may have suffered from post-partum depression. She was married on April 9, 1679. During eleven years of marriage, Christian had five children. Her last child was born five months before her suicide in 1690. Her namesake, Christian, died in 1687 when she was just seven years old.

Again, all it's very tenuous, but I think post-partum depression makes much more sense as a reason for her behavior than witchcraft.

Interestingly, John and Christian Trask have at least one very famous direct descendent - Secretary of State John Kerry.