Person:Eunice Unknown (68)

Goody Cole: Hampton's Witch

Much has been written about trials and speculation surrounding the wife of William Cole, Eunice aka "Goody" Cole, but what has been proven about her family history?

Some Remaining Research Questions

• Who were her parents?
• When/where was she born?
• Is she William Cole's first or second wife?

... and others.

Some Resources

• Hampton Library:Goody Cole, Hampton's Witch - A list of writings about Goody Cole
• Burrage in 1909:Eunice Cole - states that Eunice was the 2nd wife of Wm. Cole and that she died in Oct 1680. No sources.
• Ingmire in 1998:"Goody" Cole -- The Witch Of Hampton - makes no mention that Eunice is Wm's 2nd wife and states that Eunice came to America with William. No sources.
• (Last modified 2 Feb 2013) Wikipedia:Eunice Cole - Last accessed 29 Apr 2013. Proceed with caution. Indicates that Eunice was Wm Cole's 1st wife. Some sources, but no primary documents.

1.   Eunice Cole, in Burrage, Henry Sweetser; Albert Roscoe Stubbs; and George Thomas Little. Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine. (New York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, c1909).

   [page number needed]
   ... He [William Cole] had a second wife, Eunice, who was a reputed witch and who survived him until Oct., 1680. ...
   -----
   [cos1776 note: need proof of dates and that she was his second wife]

2. ↑ Eunice Cole, in Karlsen, Carol F. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England (W.W. Norton & Co., 1987).

   p 52 - ... the first time in 1645, when she was charged with making "slanderous speeches."(19)
   
   (19) Essex Court Records 1:88, and see also 129, 143, 238, 313; Essex County Quarterly Court File Papers, Works Progress Administration Transcripts, 75 vols. (Essex Institute, Salem, Mass.), 1:doc.93 (hereafter cited as Essex Court File Papers); Records of the Quarterly Court, Ipswich, 1645-1663 (manuscript volume, Essex Institute, Salem, Mass.), doc. 12; Norfolk Court Records, 1648-1678 (manuscript volume, Essex Institute, Salem, Mass.), docs. 30, 50.