Francis Dane

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Francis Dane (20 November 1615-17 February 1697) was born in Roxbury, England. Dane served as the second minister of the church in Andover, Massachusetts. He had lived in Andover for forty-four years when the Salem Witch Trials began. On October 18, 1692 he, Thomas Barnard, and twenty-three others wrote a letter to the governor and to the General Court public condemning the witch trials. Dane and his family were in danger as half a dozen family members were accused. Another minister, George Burroughs, had been hanged, and thus Dane's status did not guarantee protection. He warned that his people were guilty of blood for accepting unfounded accusations against covenanted members of the church. His own daughter, Abigail (Dane) Faulkner Sr., was convicted and condemned in September 1692, but given a temporary stay of execution because she was pregnant. Although his extended family had the most accused of any other family, in the end, none of his family members were hanged.

[edit] External links

• Pathway: A Family History, Sinners in Salem
• Rev. Francis Dane
• Facsimile of the letter of October 18, 1692

This article relating to the Salem witch trials is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article about a member of the Christian clergy in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.