Joseph Herrick

Who was Joseph Herrick?

Joseph Herrick was the principal law enforcement officer in Salem, Massachusetts during the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692. Joseph, it was believed, was the son of Henry Herrick, who was the fifth son of Sir William Herrick of Beaumanor Park, in the parish of Loughborough, in the county of Leicester, England. Recent research indicates that Joseph is the son of a different Henrie Hericke, who also immigrated to America, possibly a cousin of the Henry Heyricke of Beaumanor. Henry Heyricke of Beaumanor owned land Poquosin Creek, York Co., Virginia. He is noted in various records from 1640 to 1659. His location after 1659 has not been discovered. He served in the House of Burgesses in 1644-45.

Henry Hericke, progenitor of most of the Herricks in America, migrated to Salem in 1629 as a member of Higginson's fleet. Joseph, Henry's 4th son, was married to Sarah, the daughter of Richard Leach, on February 7, 1667. He was referred to as Governor, which means he had probably been at in command of a military district at some point, or perhaps he had been the magistrate of a West Indies colony. His descendants were large in number, and have held many important positions.