The story of Elizabeth Kelly and Goody Ayres marks a pivotal, albeit tragic, chapter in American colonial history, preceding the more famous Salem witch trials. This harrowing episode unfolded in Connecticut, not Massachusetts, initiating a wave of fear and suspicion that would grip the colony for decades. The events surrounding the death of eight-year-old Elizabeth Kelly and the subsequent accusations against her neighbor, Goody Ayres, ignited the infamous Hartford Witch Panic of 1662, revealing the deep-seated anxieties and superstitious beliefs prevalent in Puritan society.
Far from being an isolated incident, the case of Elizabeth Kelly and Goody Ayres illustrates the early, intense manifestations of witch-hunting in the American colonies, which began in Connecticut as early as 1647 and persisted intermittently until 1697. The spring of 1662 saw this madness reach a fever pitch, fundamentally altering the lives of many Hartford residents and casting a long shadow over the nascent legal and medical practices of the time.
The Tragic Illness and Accusations Against Goody Ayres
On March 23, 1662, eight-year-old Elizabeth Kelly succumbed to an illness, now largely believed to have been bronchial pneumonia. Days before her death, she had returned home with a neighbor, Goodwife Ayres. The following day, Goodwife Ayres visited the Kelly household and shared a bowl of broth with the young girl. That very night, Elizabeth fell gravely ill. For five agonizing days, she suffered from intense stomach pains, accompanied by delusional episodes during which she reportedly screamed about Goodwife Ayres tormenting her.
In their profound grief and desperation to understand their child’s sudden and excruciating demise, Elizabeth’s parents, John and Bethia Kelly, were quick to attribute her suffering and death to malevolent forces. They became convinced that Goody Ayres had fatally possessed their daughter and accused her of using black magic to strangle the child. Their testimony was particularly harrowing, detailing Elizabeth’s purported exclamations during her final days:
“Father! Father! Help me, help me! Goodwife Ayres is upon me. She chokes me. She kneels on my belly. She will break my bowels. She pinches me. She will make me black and blue. Goodwife Ayres torments me, she pricks me with pins, she will kill me! Oh Father, set on the great furnace and scald her, get the broad ax and cut off her head.”
These dramatic declarations, amplified by the pervasive fear of witchcraft, quickly spread throughout Hartford. Whispers further fueled the accusations against Ayres, with rumors circulating that she had openly shared stories of encounters with the devil.
The Inquest and Connecticut’s First Autopsy
Shortly after Elizabeth’s death, her parents formally presented their suspicions to the local magistrates. An inquest was convened, during which Goody Ayres was summoned to the side of the deceased child, who lay in her parents’ home. The sleeves of Elizabeth’s corpse were rolled up, revealing what were described as bruises on her upper arms and shoulders. Crucially, witnesses reported that a red spot appeared on the dead child’s cheek nearest to where Ayres stood, an event interpreted as an ominous sign of guilt by those present.
Given the escalating suspicions, the magistrates sought the expertise of Physician Bray Rossiter, who resided in Guilford, approximately 20 miles from Hartford. Rossiter was tasked with conducting what is widely considered to be the first autopsy in Connecticut’s history. Accompanied by schoolmaster William Pitkin and at least six other witnesses, Rossiter performed the procedure several days after Elizabeth’s burial, exhuming her body for examination.
Rossiter’s findings concluded that Elizabeth Kelly had not died of natural causes, but rather of
