Individual Details

Anne was the daughter of John Cole. She was the "bewitched maid" on whose account Nathaniel Greensmith and his wife Rebecca and Mary Barnes were hanged for witchcraft on 25 Jan 1663. [These were the last hangings in Connecticut for witchcraft.] Cotton Mather stated that "she is restored to health". The land were she lived as wife of Andrew had previously belonged to Nathaniel Greensmith.

There is an interesting article "The Great Witchcraft Panic of 1662" in The Connecticut Nutmegger, 1980, Volume 13, p. 4-10, that describes the above incident in detail. It is available online at NewEnglandAncestors.org by subscription.

Anne died 19 Apr 1686 leaving a will that divided her estate among her three surviving children: Ebenezer, Lydia & Hannah. Ebenezer was given a double portion because of "impotency", apparently in some way handicapped.

A DIGEST OF THE EARLY CONNECTICUT PROBATE RECORDS.1677 to 1687 in digital format on Ancestry.com, p.236-7
Date of Will: 14 May 1686
who died 19 April, 1686. Invt. £60-12-06. Taken 14 May, 1686, by Stephen Hosmer, Jacob Wells.
The last Will of Ane Benton, made the twenty-sixth day of march, one thousand sixe hundred and eighty sixe: Being in sound mind & perfect memory, and not knowing the day of my death, doe Comit my soule into the hands of my Redemer, and my body to Comly buryell. I doe dispose of that estate god has betrusted me with as follows: I give to my son Ebenezer what of my estate is not hereafter excepted, if he Lives to nede it. Yn my will is that my dafter Lydia shod have my litell brass ketell; and my dafter Hannah should have my litell Iron pote and all my wareing aparell, except won arporne, which I give to my son Ebenezer. Al the rest, both Lining & wollen, should be divided between my dafters Lydia and hanah equeilly, and allso my pewter to be devided betweene them, and my 2 skillets I give ym. I give to Lydia 1 fine pille-bere and 1 paire of sheats and 1 paire of Coten pille beares, and to my dafter Hanah 1 paire of sheats and the best of the Coten pilleberes; allso Lydia must be paid the three pounds of what I tooke up in my husbands aparell out of the household stuff; and all these Legaseys to be paid them, the son at twenty-one years, and the dafters at eightene years of age. I desire my loveing brother Nathaniel Cole to be Executor.Witness: John Willson, Mathew Grant. Ane X Benton.
No Court Record found.

Marriage	Abt 1673	Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut - ANDREW Benton
Death	19 Apr 1686	Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut

Spouse	ANDREW Benton (1620 - 1683)
Child	Ebenezer Benton ( - )
Child	Lydia Benton ( - )
Child	Hannah Benton ( - )
Child	John Benton ( - 1683)

Father	John Cole ( - )
Sibling	Nathaniel Cole ( - 1708)