Reverend samuel paris biography of alberta brown

Also a businessman and one-time plantation owner, he gained notoriety for being the minister of the church in Salem Village, Massachusetts during the Salem witch trials of Accusations by Parris and his daughter against an enslaved woman precipitated an expanding series of witchcraft accusations. Samuel Parris, son of Thomas Parris, was born in London , England to a family of modest financial success and religious nonconformity.

When his father died in , Samuel left Harvard to take up his inheritance in Barbados , where he maintained a sugar plantation. In , after a hurricane hit Barbados, damaging much of his property, Parris sold a little of his land and returned to Boston, where he brought his slave Tituba and married Elizabeth Eldridge.

Reverend samuel paris biography of alberta brown: Samuel Parris ( – February 27,

Although the plantation supported his merchant ventures, Parris was dissatisfied with his lack of financial security and began to look to the ministry. In he briefly served as minister in Stow Massachusetts. Salem Village was a contentious place to live and was known to be quarrelsome by neighboring towns and villages. James Bayley —79 and George Burroughs —83 each stayed only a few years, departing after the congregation failed to pay their full rates.

Deodat Lawson —88 left with less contention. Further tension was caused by Parris' delay in accepting the position and his inability to resolve his parishioners' disputes. There were also disputes over Parris' compensation.