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[Opinions] Names from the Salem Witch Trials
I was finding out about the Salem With Trials, which took place between 1692 and 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts. Below are some of the most interesting names a came across, from accused, accusers and authorities at the time:
Bethiah
Bethshua / Bethsheba
Bray
Cotton
Deliverance
Dorcas
Goodwife
Increase
Infant
Israel
Mercy
Phebe
Tituba
Waitstill
WilmotWhat do you think? Which stand out to you? :)

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Personally, with my non-puritanical mindset, these names sound odd to me (except for Mercy, Phebe, and Tituba [Tituba, because I read “The Crucible” back in high school]). Though, I admire the thought that Puritans put into their children’s names; they all had a special meaning. Despite my banter, I really enjoy the sound of Bethiah! I think that Bethia (this spelling) would be a cool name, though I don’t know its origins.
I'm fascinated by those. Mercy and Deliverance are the kind of outrageous-yet-surprisingly-charming puritanical names I love; Israel and Wilmot are unusual without being too strange and Tituba is rather intriguing.
Some, like Deliverance, Increase and Mercy, are middle-of-the-road for the period and place. I'm astonished by Cotton, Goodwife, Waitstill and, especially, Bray.
I looked on Wikipedia ...There's a few rather interesting names of various people involved:Roger Toothaker: He was a doctor. He should have been a dentist with a name like that.Percy Jackson: Did Rick Riordan know about this?Dorcas Hoar: Just one of those names is bad enough.
Goodwife isn't an actual first name ...It just means Mrs. Often shortened to Goody.
Deliverance is, I know, a Puritan virtue-name, but all I can think of when I hear it is the movie of the same title. Squealing like pigs and all that.
I didn’t know about Goodwife, thanks for the information!
Cotton is a gp of mine
Fun!! My favorites are Dorcas and Waitstill, though I'm also fond of Bethiah, Bethsheba (prefer Bathsheba), Increase, Mercy, and Wilmot.