Mrs. Elizabeth Seager is thought by many to have been the daughter of Deacon John Moody, however, there is no proof of this.  In his will, John Moody left 25 pounds to who some say was Elizabeth Seager, others say he left this to Elizabeth Peper/Pepper. The will was handwritten in a very flourished style, and difficult to read, apparently, and is subject to misinterpretation.  People seem to make this will important in determining Elizabeth's ancestry, however, because John Moody never specified his relationship to the Elizabeth he bequeathed the 25 pounds to, it is likely that Elizabeth's parentage may never be proven.

Her personal history is not so enigmatic, though, and is quite fascinating, in that she was tried 3 times for witchcraft.  The prelude to Elizabeth's "bewitching" problems are detailed at History of American Women which states, "There are in every community those who for one cause or another unfortunately incur the dislike and suspicion of their neighbors, and when belief in witchcraft prevailed such persons were easily believed to have familiarity with the devil.  In the spring of 1662, the daughter of John Kelley, eight years old, died after a short illness. In her delirium, she cried out that a neighbor had afflicted her. Her parents and some of the neighbors thought the child was bewitched to death.  About that same time, another girl, Ann Cole, was taken with strange fits, during which she talked, or it was believed that the devil talked through her. Her examination by four local ministers, only increased the mystery and augmented the excitement." Ann Cole cried out against Elizabeth, proclaiming her a witch, and implicating Rebecca Greensmith, as well.

If that weren't enough trouble to be in, Elizabeth was also accused of bewitching cheese and of other unacceptable behavior. According to The Colonial History of Hartford By William DeLoss Love, "One night they had a merry-making, under a tree on the green near Rebecca Greensmith's house. James Walkley, Goodwife Ayres and Goody Seager were present. They all danced and had a bottle of sack. Other nocturnal gatherings were held. Suspicions were awakened in the neighborhood."

I am not sure that my timeline is accurate, as I've not found the whole story in one place, however, the results of these suspicions are known.  In her third, and final trial, Elizabeth was found guilty of blasphemy, adultery/familiarity with Satan. The Seager Family of Colonial New England states, "Elizabeth was first freed but again accused and tried. The result of the second trial is unclear but at a third hearing she was adjudged guilty and sentenced to death. Among those similarly condemned was Judith Varleth, a sister-in-law of Peter Stryvesant, Governor of New York. His indignant protest led to a review of these convictions. Finally, by direction of Governor Winthrop, the court, in 1665, ordered the discharge of Elizabeth from further suffering and imprisonment."

One only has to do a google search to find out more fascinating details of Elizabeth's trials, though, as I said the details are fragmented. We have copies of some of her original court transcripts, here onsite that we downloaded via the Connecticut State Library website.  They are not very legible, but are fascinating, nonetheless.  At the left you'll see a youtube clip of a new documentary, THE DEVIL AMONG US: America's First Witch Hunt by wolfgangpicures.  This documentary is about the witch-hunt in Hartford, that happened prior to the Salem witch-hunt, but is not widely known.  To see more clips from this documentary, and one specific to Elizabeth, go here.