Deliverance (Hazeltine) Dane

Who is Deliverance (Hazeltine) Dane?

Deliverance (Hazeltine) Dane was one of many women accused of witchcraft during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. The trials began in Salem, but quickly began to spread. Dane was from Andover, Massachusetts, and due largely to the work of her father-in-law, much of the hysteria that swept through Salem was halted in Andover.

Her husband, Nathaniel Dane, was the son of Rev. Francis Dane. Francis Dane was outspoken against the trials, and his two daughters Abigail Faulkner and Elizabeth Johnson were also accused of being witches. Abigail was convicted of witchcraft, but only escaped execution because she was pregnant at the time.

Many of the records of Deliverance's examination have been lost, but on page 280 of Marilynne K. Roach's book The Salem witch trials: a day-by-day chronicle of a community under siege, she quotes Deliverance as saying that she and some other witches had brought her father-in-law's specter along with them to torment the afflicted. Fortunately, her testimony was ignored and Rev. Francis Dane was not arrested.

Deliverance Dane escaped execution. According to Andover, Massachusetts records, she lived until 15 June 1735.

A fictional account of Deliverance Dane can be found in the book The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. In this book, Deliverance is an avowed and practicing witch.