… but being gone about 6 Rod from her the said Bishop; with a small Load in his Cart: suddenly the off Wheels Slumped or Sunk downe into a hole upon Plain ground, that this Depon’t was forced to gett one to help him gett the wheele out afterwards this Depon’t went Back to look for said hole where his wheele sunk in but could not find any hole.

The account of this incident was part of William Stacy’s testimony against Bridget Bishop during the Salem witch trials of 1692. Bishop was one of 19 people hanged for witchcraft in Massachusetts.

Some of the stories from the era are indeed, spooky, but many others, like this one about Bridget, are sad. A wheel fell off?

There are a number of Web sites with information, church records and even transcripts from the trials, among them: www.law.umkc.edu/

faculty/projects/ftrials/

salem/salem.htm and www.iath.virginia.edu/

salem/home/html

In some cases you will find reference not only to those who were hanged for witchcraft, but to many more who were accused.

Libraries have countless books on the witch trials, including:

. “Salem Witch Judge: The Life and Repentance of Samuel Sewall,” by Eve LaPlante, Bangor Public Library, Maine State Library, University of Maine at Machias.

. “Witch-hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials,” by Marc Arson, University of Maine at Machias.

. “Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692,” by Richard Goodbeer, Maine State Library. This book pertains to Connecticut.

. “The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege,” by Marilynne K. Roach, Maine State Library, University of Maine at Machias.

The Maine Society of Mayflower Descendants will hold its 108th annual meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, at Verrillo’s Convention Center, off Exit 48 in Portland.

Society Gov. Robert R. Dow will lead the business meeting. Reservations for the Compact Day luncheon on Nov. 17 are $15.50 for sliced turkey, baked haddock or roast sirloin. Checks are due by Nov. 7 to Maine Mayflower Society, c/o Carol Gagnon, 189 Blanchard Drive, Cumberland, ME 04021-0785. No tickets will be available at the door.

Requirement for membership is proof of descent from any passenger on the Mayflower which landed in Plymouth, Mass., in November 1620.

For information, call 721-9528.

In early October we ran a query about the Quin family of Athens, and I’m pleased to tell you that the inquirer – who also has submitted the first query below – soon was contacted by a fourth cousin. Was she pleased! We hope she’ll have good luck a second time.

3407. STARKEY-MOORE-WENTWORTH. Lost grandfather: Searching for the Starkey line of Hancock County. My relative Alvin Starkey, born 1809 in Eastbrook, married Charlotte Moore. Sister Asenath Starkey, born 1805, married Daniel Potter Wentworth. Mother is Polley D. Maddocks. No known marriage to Mr. Starkey. Grateful for any news. Mrs. J. Henderson, 33 Erie Drive, Fairport, N.Y. 14450; jjahenderson@gmail.com

3408. MOON-MERCHANT-STANLEY. Looking for proof that Betsy Moon Merchant is the daughter of Joseph Moon and Ann or Anna (Stanley). Betsy was born Oct. 20, 1796, and married Reuben Abbott Merchant in February 1817 in Hancock. Her marriage is supported by a copy of the banns and by her son’s death certificate. She died in 1864. I was told she was buried in Moon Cemetery or Riverside Cemetery in Hancock. Could not find her grave in Riverside and Moon Cemetery has been vandalized nearly to extinction. Censuses of early 1800s show Joseph Moon as having a girl her age in his household. Other two Moon brothers were not married at time of her birth, so logically she belongs to Joseph. Might there be a christening record or Bible record or other item? Need proof for DAR supplemental application. Lucia Dimauro, P.O. Box 503, East Machias, ME 04630; themaineiac@earthlink.net

3409. TOMKINS. Looking for available information from vital records for Tomkins families in Unity and Presque Isle. Harold Kjellman, 131 Wheeler Road, Hollis, N.H. 03049-5928; hkjellman7784@charter.net

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or familyti@bangordailynews.net.