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Our Rich History: You’ve heard of Salem Witch Trials but what about Clermont County Witch Trial


By Steve Preston
Special to NKyTribune

Everyone’s heard of the Salem Witch trials of the late 1600s. During the hysteria that gripped the colony of Massachusetts, over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, and over 20 died as a result of punishment or related injuries. It seemed no one was safe from accusations. Women and men, old and young alike were accused of witchcraft and casting spells in several Massachusetts towns.

Can you believe over a century after the Salem Witch Trials calamity concluded in Massachusetts, another trial of a witch took place … in Bethel, Ohio?

In 1805, two years after Ohio became a state, the Hildebrand family lived near where state routes 232 and 125 currently meet in Clermont County. Their two oldest daughters were described as, “…young women grown…”

The Hildebrand daughters soon began acting out in most peculiar ways. The ladies claimed they were possessed by evil spirits and would scream and be fearful of objects and beings only they could see.

Circa 1810, the Clermont County Courthouse was located in Williamsburg, Ohio.

These afflictions prevented them from doing their daily tasks. Despite the efforts of their parents, the afflictions and terrors continued.

The Hildebrand family went so far as to try and trap the entity. The History of Clermont County, Ohio (History of Clermont County, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1880) describes them using a large linsey-woolsey bag to “trap” the witch after others spoke some incantations. After the witch was “caught,” the bag was taken outside where it was chopped up by an axe and then burned.

Despite this wonderfully “scientific approach,” the bewitching of the girls persisted. Eventually the entity took on a human form to the girls, as their neighbor.

Their nearest neighbor was an elderly woman named Nancy Evans. She reportedly had a black cat. Nancy Evans and her family sternly denied that the elderly woman had appeared to the Hildebrand girls or was a practicing witch. Despite the denials, Mrs. Evans was ostracized by the Hildebrands. Even though the Hildebrand girls avoided the Evans family, especially Nancy, they were still tormented as the bewitching continued. Desperate for relief for their daughters, the Hildebrand parents took the only choice they felt remained, they called the justice of the peace.

The fledgling state of Ohio had no laws on the books regarding witchcraft. The Hildebrand family wanted Nancy Evans proven or disproven a witch. They felt their daughters’ mortal souls depended on it and wanted Evans banished if in fact she were a witch. Because of the lack of legal guidance, a less legal remedy was sought.

Much as it was done during the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials, an atypical test would be required to outsmart the devil and provide a fair outcome. To ensure justice, a crude but actual scale would be constructed. On one side of the scale, the Holy Bible would be placed. The other side was reserved for Nancy Evans. If Nancy Evans were a witch, she would weigh less than the Holy Bible, as she would be able to circumvent natural laws as such. A person uneducated in the ways of a witch would obviously be unable to subvert nature and would weigh more than the Bible.

Weighing witches wasn’t a new thing. It had its origins back in Europe. That is why this “tried and true approach” was chosen. On the appointed day, Nancy Evans was weighed against the Holy Bible to prove once and for all to the Hildebrands her true identity. After Mrs. Evans took her seat on the scale, the scale was released, and it immediately pitched to one side. Most likely, the room’s air was full of dread, tension, and, finally relief, as one side of the scale settled to the bottom. The side holding the elderly Nancy Evans proved much heavier than the Good Book, and she was quickly acquitted of being a witch.

Nancy Evans truly pitied the Hildebrand family and their situation. She was somewhat a willing participant in some respects, in order to try and provide them some peace of mind.

No word exists as to whether the torment subsided for the Hildebrand girls. The Evans family moved to Brown County, Ohio. No doubt the “trial” and notoriety played a part in their departure. Nancy Evans later passed away quietly, well respected by all who knew her in Brown County.

The Hildebrands also left the Bethel area. Their destination was not recorded but the History of Clermont County, Ohio took the unusual and harsh step of mentioning that since their departure, “ … the Village became noted for the general intelligence of its inhabitants and neighborly relations which existed among them …”

Steve Preston is the Education Director and a Curator of History at Heritage Village Museum. He received his MA in Public History from Northern Kentucky University.

The featured image is courtesy of the Clermont County Courthouse.


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