In 19th century Salem, Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s clairvoyant bride rescued her beloved husband from a perceived
curse that spanned generations.
Meet Diana
My passion for history and
travel has taken me to every locale of my books and short stories, set in
Medieval and Renaissance England, Paris, Egypt, the Mediterranean, colonial
Virginia, New England, Washington D.C. and New York. My urban fantasy romance,
FAKIN’ IT, won a Top Pick award from Romantic Times. I’m a member of Romance
Writers of America, the Richard III Society and the Aaron Burr Association. My
husband Chris and I own CostPro, an engineering firm based in Boston. In my
spare time, I bicycle, golf, play my piano, devour books of any genre, and
spend as much time as possible living the dream on my beloved Cape Cod.
About FOR THE LOVE OF
HAWTHORNE
Salem, Massachusetts witnessed horrific and shameful events in
1692 that haunted the town for three centuries. Accused as witches, nineteen
innocent people were hanged and one was pressed to death. Judge John Hathorne
and Reverend Nicholas Noyes handed down the sentences. One victim, Sarah Good,
cursed Noyes from the hanging tree: “If you take away my life, God will give
you blood to drink!” She then set her eyes on Judge Hathorne. “I curse you and
your acknowledged heirs for all time on this wicked earth!” Hathorne was not
only Sarah Good’s merciless judge; he also fathered her son Peter and refused
to acknowledge him.
In 1717, Nicholas Noyes choked on his own blood and died. Every
generation after the judge continued to lose Hathorne land and money, prompting
the rumor of a family curse. By the time his great great grandson Nathaniel was
born, they faced poverty.
Ashamed of his ancestor, Nathaniel added the ‘w’ to his last name.
His novels and stories explore his beliefs and fears of sin and evil, and he
based many of his characters on overbearing Puritan rulers such as Judge
Hathorne.
When Nathaniel first met Sophia Peabody, they experienced
instantaneous mutual attraction. Sparks flew. He rose upon my eyes and soul a
king among men by divine right, she wrote in her journal.
But to Sophia’s frustration, Nathaniel insisted they keep their
romance secret for three years. He had his reasons, none of which made sense to
Sophia. But knowing that he believed Sarah Good’s curse inflicted so much
tragedy on his family over the centuries, she made it her mission to save him.
Sarah was an ancestor of Sophia’s, making her and Nathaniel distant cousins—but
she kept that to herself for the time being.
Sophia Peabody’s home next to Charter
Street Burying Ground, resting place of Judge Hathorne, Salem, MA
Sophia suffered severe headaches as a result of childhood mercury
treatments. She underwent routine mesmerizing sessions, a popular cure for many
ailments. Spirits sometimes came to her when mesmerized, and as a spiritualist
and medium, she was able to contact and communicate with spirits. She knew if
she could reach Sarah and persuade her to forgive Judge Hathorne, Nathaniel
would be free of his lifelong burden.
Sarah Good’s son Peter had kept a journal the family passed down
to the Peabodys. Sophia sensed his presence every time she turned the brittle
pages and read his words. John Hathorne’s legitimate son John also kept a
journal, now in the Hawthorne family’s possession. Living on opposite sides of
Salem in 1692, Peter and John wrote in vivid detail about how the Salem trials
tormented them throughout their lives.
Nathaniel finally agreed to announce their engagement, and married
Sophia on July 9, 1842. They moved into their first home, The Old Manse in
Concord, Massachusetts. Wanting nothing else but to spend the summer enjoying
each other, we became Adam and Eve, alone in our Garden of Eden, Sophia wrote
in her journal.
The Old Manse, the Hawthornes' first home
as newlyweds
As success eluded Nathaniel, they lived on the verge of poverty.
After being dismissed from his day job at the Salem Custom House, he wrote The
Scarlet Letter, which finally gained him the recognition he deserved. But the
curse he believed Sarah cast on his family still haunted him. In the book he
asks for the curse to be lifted.
The House of the Seven Gables,
Salem, MA, built in 1668
Sophia urged Nathaniel to write a novel about the house, knowing
it would be cathartic for him. While they lived in Lenox, Nathaniel finished
writing The House of the Seven Gables. The Gothic novel explored all his fears
and trepidations about the curse. He told Sophia, “Writing it, and especially
reading it aloud to you lifted a tremendous burden off my shoulders. I felt it
physically leave me. I carried this inside me since my youth and couldn’t bring
it out to face it. And I have you, and only you, to thank.”
But he did not believe the curse could be lifted.
Sophia invited renowned spiritualist John Spear to The Gables. She
explained that she needed to complete one final step to convince Nathaniel the
curse was lifted.
Read More About John Spear
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/06/the-bizarre-mechanical-messiah-of-john-murray-spear/John
Spear
John Spear urged Nathaniel to forgive Judge Hathorne. “You don’t
have to say it out loud,” John said. “Just forgive him in your heart.”
Nathaniel whispered his forgiveness.
John, Nathaniel and Sophia went to Judge Hathorne’s gravesite to
give the journals proper burial.
Grave of Judge Hathorne, Charter Street
Burial Ground, Salem, MA
Why I wrote FOR THE LOVE OF
HAWTHORNE
I live near Salem and have been to all the Hawthorne
landmarks there, and in Concord. The House of the Seven Gables has been my
favorite house in the world since I'm a kid. I've always felt a strong
spiritual connection to Salem, and always wanted to write one of my books set
there, including the witch trials.
I read several of his books and stories, to get a better
background on him. Nathaniel wrote from the heart, about his true beliefs, and
his loathing of how the witch victims were treated. He did consider it
disgraceful, and it certainly was. He added the 'w' to his last name to
distance himself from the judge. That tormented him and his family all his
life. It must have been cathartic to him to have his writing as his outlet.
Visit Salem
I was fortunate to get a private tour of the House of the Seven
Gables when I was writing the book; two of the guides, Ryan Conary and David
Moffat, showed me around, and it was fabulous.
The Wayside, the only home the Hawthornes
ever owned, in Concord, MA
Nathaniel added that room at the top for
his writing studio
An Excerpt From FOR THE LOVE
OF HAWTHORNE (Sophia and Nathaniel’s visit to his cousin Susan Ingersoll at The
House of the Seven Gables)
I
went over to a curio cabinet and swept my eyes over the items on the shelves—a
china doll wearing a calico dress, a stack of gold cups and saucers, a red and
blue glass checkerboard propped up to display its surface…and a wooden hammer
on the top shelf. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was a gavel that judges use
in trials. Out of curiosity I picked it up and a shock ran through me as if
electrified. Dear God, was it that
gavel?
I
dropped it to the rug. It landed with a thump. I bent to retrieve it. Somehow I
knew it wouldn’t shock me this time—that was only an initial warning. “Something
about it made me want to touch it, to pick it up and hold it.”
Nathaniel
approached me. He stared at the gavel in my hand, horror darkening his eyes.
His lips parted but no words emerged. I knew what he was thinking—the curse. He
turned to his cousin, pointing at the gavel, his arm trembling.
Susan
hurried over to us, took it from me and placed it back on the shelf. “Yes, it’s
Judge Hathorne’s. What happened, Sophie? Are you all right?”
I
looked down at my open hands, palms up. They burned as if I’d touched a hot
poker. “That gavel—it carries something evil. Has anything happened to you with
this, Susie?”
Nathaniel
backed away and before Susan could answer me, he grasped her arm. “I begged you
to get rid of that accursed thing! You know it shouldn’t be here!”
She
looked from him to me, heaving a deep sigh. “I’m not inclined to dispose of it,
Natty. It’s a family heirloom, notwithstanding its past.”
He
gripped the chair, his face drained of color. “It’s downright evil. You know
what he used that thing for.”
She
held her hands up in surrender. “Very well, I’ll conceal it.” She took it off
the shelf and slid it behind the checkerboard.
“That
should not be in this house!” He stood his ground, his eyes fixed on the
checkerboard as if it would melt in such close proximity to that horrid object.
“It’s
fine there, Natty. It’s concealed from sight now.” She looked at me and
gestured for me to sit again. I sat and gulped my sherry.
“Nathaniel’s
always overcome with distress at the witch trials.” Susan explained what I
already knew.
“And
so should you be,” he cut in.
“If
I must speak for Judge Hathorne, I heard stories of him from my grandfather.”
Susan looked from Nathaniel to me. “The whole hysteria that caught up the judge
was started by unscrupulous men to further their own riches. But spectral
evidence was still admissible. No sane person could believe that blithery.”
Purchase FOR THE LOVE OF
HAWTHORNE
Connect with Diana
www.dianarubinoauthor.blogspot.com
What a very rich and fascinating history! Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Fascinating. I never knew much about Hawthorne when he was required reading in school.
DeleteThanks, I had such a great time researching the Hawthornes--I always loved his work, but never knew about his life and his love story with Sophia.
ReplyDeleteThe post looks fantastic, Diane. Thanks for hosting me!
ReplyDeleteDiana
A pleasure having you here, Diana. I know so little about Hawthorne. Your book intrigues me.
DeleteI am so fascinated with Salem and the witch trials, and that area in general. I would love to have toured the home. Sounds like a great read! Best wishes.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alicia--it's my favorite house in the whole world! I've always been fascinated with the witch trials and Salem since I'm a kid.
ReplyDelete