History Department

History Department

History 301 – History Conversations – October 21, 2008

The Social Historian as Detective

I. As investigators, our first task is to describe exactly what occurred in as much detail as possible. Clues: what’s important in this mass of detail?

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2. Second: we need to track all the people involved:

Goody Edwards (neighbor and accuser of Goody Garlick)

Lion Gardner (E’s father)

Arthur Howell (husband)

William Russell (friend)

Goody Garlick

Thomas Talmage (neighbor; deposes concerning Garlick)

Samuel Parsons (friend)

Elizabeth Howell

Goody Simons (neighbor)

Joshua Garlick

Richard Stratton (deposes, concerning Garlick)

Mary Gardner (E’s mother)

Baby

Goody Birdsall (neighbor)

Goody Davis (neighborhood gossip)

The Court

3. Third, we need to look for clues in the world in which the event occurred:

Specific Event

(death of E. Howell)

Who is the victim? To whom is she related?

Size of village

Do the villages know each other? Are there strangers in the village?

Economy

How do the villagers sort out village duties (“corporatism”)

How do villagers sort themselves out (“hierarchy”)

How does power work in the village?

Evidence of tension in the village?

Is there more tension within social groups, or between social groups?

Where do villagers live?

Have any of the principles involved been in conflict?

Table 1: How can we figure out the village’s hierarchy?

Table 2: Who marries whom?

Table 3: Who accuses whom in court?

Table 4: Who supports whom in court?

Why is Elizabeth’s death, in particular, a trigger for accusations?

Why did the ill Elizabeth accuse Goody Garlick in particular?

Gossip appears to have been a major issue in this village & others – how do we know gossip was a problem?

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Modified by: H. Kamerling

Goody Edwards (neighbor and accuser of Goody Garlick)	Lion Gardner (E’s father)	Arthur Howell (husband)	William Russell (friend)	Goody Garlick
Thomas Talmage (neighbor; deposes concerning Garlick)	Samuel Parsons (friend)	Elizabeth Howell	Goody Simons (neighbor)	Joshua Garlick
Richard Stratton (deposes, concerning Garlick)	Mary Gardner (E’s mother)	Baby	Goody Birdsall (neighbor)	Goody Davis (neighborhood gossip)
The Court

Specific Event (death of E. Howell)	Who is the victim? To whom is she related?	Size of village	Do the villages know each other? Are there strangers in the village?
Economy	How do the villagers sort out village duties (“corporatism”)	How do villagers sort themselves out (“hierarchy”)	How does power work in the village?
Evidence of tension in the village?	Is there more tension within social groups, or between social groups?	Where do villagers live?	Have any of the principles involved been in conflict?
Table 1: How can we figure out the village’s hierarchy?	Table 2: Who marries whom?	Table 3: Who accuses whom in court?	Table 4: Who supports whom in court?
Why is Elizabeth’s death, in particular, a trigger for accusations?	Why did the ill Elizabeth accuse Goody Garlick in particular?	Gossip appears to have been a major issue in this village & others – how do we know gossip was a problem?