Ebenezer Barker

Ebenezer Barker (22 Mar 1651–22 Jan 1746) was a carpenter associated with Andover and Methuen, Massachusetts. During the Salem witchcraft crisis of 1692, his wife, Abigail Barker, was imprisoned at Salem; Ebenezer joined petitions seeking relief and later sought compensation for the expenses of her imprisonment. Later accounts describe him as an early Methuen selectman, a mill operator, schoolkeeper, and proprietor of Amherst, New Hampshire, though several of these details require confirmation from original records.

Ebenezer Barker was born on 22 March 1651. A family-tree note, citing Descendants of Richard Barker, says that he was wounded in King Philip’s War in 1690 during the “Swamp fight.” The same note identifies him as a carpenter and as one of the first Board of Selectmen in Methuen, Massachusetts.

By 1692, Ebenezer was living in or connected with Andover, Massachusetts, and was married to Abigail Barker. During the Salem witchcraft outbreak, Abigail was accused of witchcraft and imprisoned at Salem. Ebenezer’s name appears among the petitioners in October 1692 who asked the General Court to allow their imprisoned wives and relatives to return home under bond, where they could be cared for by their families. He also signed an 18 October 1692 address from the ministers and inhabitants of Andover describing the town’s distress over the accusations and imprisonment of its residents. On 6 December 1692, he joined another petition seeking the speedy release of the prisoners because of the dangers and hardships of winter confinement.

An account submitted by Ebenezer states that Abigail was imprisoned at Salem for 18 weeks in 1692. He reported paying £1 10s. to the jail keeper, £1 7s. 4d. in court charges, and £2 10s. for her maintenance and necessities while she was in prison, for a total of £5 7s. 4d. The account says that the jail and court charges had to be paid before she could be released.

In January 1711/12, Ebenezer joined other Andover residents in requesting that Stephen Sewall, Esq., prepare a petition to the General Court for compensation for the expenses they had incurred because relatives had been imprisoned at Salem in 1692. In December 1711, his name also appeared among those authorizing Sewall to obtain a copy of an act passed in their favor concerning their reputations and estates and to receive any allowance made on their behalf.

A later narrative account describes “Brother Ebenezer (2) Barker” as Methuen’s first selectman and says that he established fulling mills and corn mills. It further states that one of the first school terms was held in his home and that, in 1733, he and his nephew Zebadiah received more than £2 for keeping school. The same account says that he became one of the proprietors of Amherst, New Hampshire, through the Narragansett bounty land. It describes him, at age 90, as “a carpenter in pretty good health, perfect memory and understanding,” and says that sons Philemon and Nathan received household goods and books, while a granddaughter identified as Abigail Bannister’s Abigail received 20 shillings in addition to her mother’s dowry. These later details are reported in the supplied narrative and should be checked against probate, town, school, and land records.

The supplied life dates give Ebenezer Barker’s death as 22 January 1746. A later narrative instead says that he died in 1747 at age 96; this discrepancy remains unresolved in the supplied material.

Historical context

The Salem witchcraft outbreak of 1692 brought accusations, examinations, imprisonment, and severe financial burdens to many Massachusetts families. The petitions signed by Ebenezer Barker show that relatives and neighbors of prisoners sought release under bond, objected to the hardships of confinement, and later pursued relief for damage to their families’ reputations and estates. The Andover petitioners emphasized that some accused residents had previously held good reputations and that confessions may have been influenced by fear and pressure.

Sources & research

Boyer, Paul, and Stephen Nissenbaum, editors. The Salem Witchcraft Papers: Verbatim Transcripts of the Legal Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Outbreak of 1692. Compiled and transcribed in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration under the supervision of Archie N. Frost. Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library.

Petition of John Osgood and Eight Others, 12 Oct 1692. Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 135, No. 59.

Petition of the Andover Ministers and Twenty-Two Others, 18 Oct 1692. Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 135, No. 61.

Petition of John Osgood and Seven Others, 6 Dec 1692. Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 135, No. 66.

Account of Ebenezer Barker for expenses paid for Abigail Barker’s Salem imprisonment, 1692. Included in the supplied Salem witchcraft material.

Letter of Thirty-four Victims and Relatives, including Ebenezer Barker, Dec 1711. Included in the supplied Salem witchcraft material.

Petition of Andover residents seeking allowance for expenses of relatives imprisoned at Salem, 21 Jan 1711/12. Essex County Archives, Salem, Witchcraft Vol. 2, p. 77.

Descendants of Richard Barker. Cited in the original family-tree maker notes.

Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620–1988.

Original family-tree maker notes, posted 19 Mar 2011 by Hellendrung.