Mary Pearsall "Goody Tilton"
Bart
Mary was a woman of strong religious convictions, and was not afraid
to assert them. The inevitable result was that this arrayed her
against the authorities both in New England and New Amsterdam. And
since she, as well as her husband, was a follower of George Fox, she
was much persecuted.
'Goody Tilton was not so much condemned for assisting at Conventicles
as for having, like a sorceress, gone from door to door to lure and
seduce the people, yea even young girls, to join the Quakers.'
SOURCE: http://www.whitesville.net/phillips3.htm
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She is often referred to as 'Mary 'Goody' Pearsall'. The word 'Goody'
is not a term of derision or even a nickname; it is simply a common
termused in those days as a short form of 'Good wife'. She was simply
the 'Goodwife' of John Tilton.
Within a couple years of her marriage to John Tilton, Mary 'Goody'
(goodwife) Tilton got into trouble with the Salem Church. The Court
proceedings under the date of December 1642, report that 'Lady
Deborah Moody, Mrs. King, and the wife of John Tilton were presented
for houldinge that the baptising of Infants is noe ordinance of God.'
Shortly after this John, Mary and their young children moved to
Gravesend, Long Island, along with Lady Deborah Moody and several
other families.
Mary and John Tilton were among the first Americans to become
Quakers.The Dutch Governor of New Amsterdam, Peter Stuyvesant made
continual efforts to stamp out 'these raving Quakers ' by fines and
imprisonment.John Tilton and his wife Mary were among those who had
to endure hardpersecutions. Mary was charged with the crime of having
gone, like a sorceress, from door to door to lure and seduce the
people, even young girls to join the Quakers. John was charged with
having permitted Quakers to quake at his house in Gravesend.