ELIZABETH PARRIS
Elizabeth "Betty" Parris was one of the two girls who started the Salem Witch Trials. She was the daughter of Reverend Samuel Parris. The Parris family was one of the prominent families in town. They may have had conflict with the Putnam family. Betty was nine years old at the time of the Trial. Betty and her cousin, Abigail Williams, are the key to the beginning of the Trials.
The story goes that Betty and Abigail were bored one day. They decided to make a "venus glass," which is like a homemade crystal ball. They would put an egg white in water and see what shape it would make. This was supposed to show them what their future husband's job would be. The girls became terrified when the egg white formed the shape of a coffin. Shortly after this incident, the girls began to show symptoms of being ill. The accusations would follow after that. Eventually, Betty's father sent her to live with Stephen Sewall in Salem Town. He wanted her to get away from any contact that might make her ill. Apparently, her fits calmed down after she left Salem Village (Hansen, 31).
After the Trials, Betty lived a normal, ordinary life. She married and had four children. She died March 21, 1760.
The story goes that Betty and Abigail were bored one day. They decided to make a "venus glass," which is like a homemade crystal ball. They would put an egg white in water and see what shape it would make. This was supposed to show them what their future husband's job would be. The girls became terrified when the egg white formed the shape of a coffin. Shortly after this incident, the girls began to show symptoms of being ill. The accusations would follow after that. Eventually, Betty's father sent her to live with Stephen Sewall in Salem Town. He wanted her to get away from any contact that might make her ill. Apparently, her fits calmed down after she left Salem Village (Hansen, 31).
After the Trials, Betty lived a normal, ordinary life. She married and had four children. She died March 21, 1760.