Seventh Generation

52. Dr. William GRIGGS Sr. was born on 24 February 1619 in Lavendon, Buckinghamshire, England.^49,75,140 Life Sketch: "Williams Griggs was a doctor in Salem, Massachusetts. His diagnosis that the afflictions of Betty Parris and Abigail Williams were caused by 'an evil hand' rather than natural causes set into motion the events that became the Salem Witch Trials.

But his diagnosis does not warrant a full share of blame. Rather, Griggs shares responsibility with the ministers and magistrates as one of the professionals involved in advancing the Salem witch trials.William's maidservant and grandneice Elizabeth Hubbard also became one of the accusers.

Dr. William Griggs of Salem Village, though not referred to by name in the court documents, is generally accepted by historians as the doctor who made the diagnosis that the afflictions of the girls in Salem village were caused by "an evil hand," not by natural causes. His diagnosis triggered a sequence of events that began with the making of a witch cake and led to hundreds of accusations of witchcraft.

Dr. William Griggs; Written by Beckie Dashiell; Salem Witch Trials in History and Literature; An Undergraduate Course, University of Virginia; Fall Semester 2006 [Noted:] "It was quite common in those days for the faculty [the medical faculty] to dispose of difficult cases by this resort. When their remedies were baffled, and their skill at fault, the patient was said to be "under an evil hand." In all cases, the sage conclusion was received by nurses, and elderly women called in on such occasions, if the symptoms were out of the common course, or did not yield to the prescriptions these persons were in the habit of applying."

William was born in 1615. He passed away in 1697.

The Children of William Griggs & of Ratchell his wife followeth:
1.) William ye Sonne of William Griggs & of Ratchell his wife borne April 2, 1640
2.) Elizabeth ye Daughter of Wm Griggs & of Rachell his wife borne 3d October
3.) Isaac ye sonne of Wm Griggs & of Rachell his wife borne 5th October, 1646
4.) Rachell ye Daughter of Wm Griggs & of Rachel! his wife borne October 13, 1644
5.) Sarah ye Daughter of William Griggs & of Rachell his wife borne October 6, 1642
6.) Jacob ye sonne of Wm Griggs & of Rachell his wife borne November 2, 1658
7.) Hannah, born March 12, 1660.
8.) Rebecca, born April 3, 1662.

The will of William Griggs was probated in Salem, February 10, 1693, and mentions his wife Rachel, his daughter Sarah Haskell, and but two sons, William and Jacob." He was christened on 25 June 1619 in Hackney, London, Greater London County, England.^49,140 He emigrated on 1 April 1635 from Lavendon, Buckinghamshire, England.^94,100 After 1643 William was in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.⁴⁹ Medical Doctor. About 1690 he was a medical doctor in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.⁹¹ "William Griggs was of Rumney Marsh (Chelsea) in 1659 and is said to have been there from 1640 to 1662. By 1671 he was in Gloucester, Mass., where he was living as late as 1682 (Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Mass., vol. 1, p. 197; vol. 8, p. 372).

He moved to that part of Salem that is now Beverly by 1692 where he was the town physician, owning 9 books on physics (Sidney Perley's History of Salem, 1928, vol. 3, p. 250-257). In that year he was prominent in witchcraft persecutions, sustaining the position that many people, including his wife's niece Elizabeth were bewitched.

His will, dated 10 Feb. 1793, was proved 18 July 1698 (Danvers Historical Society, The Historical Collections, vol. 4, 1916), p. 83-87)." He had his estate probated on 10 February 1693 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.¹⁴¹ William died on 10 February 1693 at the age of 73 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.^75,140 He was buried in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.^49,75

Dr. William GRIGGS Sr. and Rachel HUBBARD were married in 1639 in Chelsea, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.⁴⁹ He had five children from his first marriage. They were all baptized in the First Church of Boston, 31 July 1659, together with Jacob, son of Rachel (Boston Record Commissioners, p. 72).

. Rachel HUBBARD was born about 1622 in England, United Kingdom.^91,140 She died on 1 February 1718 at the age of 96 in Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.^91,140

Dr. William GRIGGS Sr. and Rachel HUBBARD had the following children: