There are two ways to spell her first name: Susannah or Susanna, But there is only one thing for which is remembered. At the age of 18, she became one of the chief accusers at the Salem Witch Trials. Susanna was the daughter of Rebecca SCADLOCK and William SHELDON born in Saco, Maine. Her father was the son of the immigrant Godfrey SHELDON of Derbyshire, England.

Susannah was not quite two years old when brutal native attacks occurred during King Phillips War in present-day Scarborough, Maine in 1675. Following an attack where her family sheltered in a garrison, her uncle was killed the next day. The family fled south to Massachusets, then later returned to Maine. A few years later, her brother Godfrey was attacked and killed by Natives in Maine.  Her father William died in 1692 from an infection in his leg caused by wounds in yet another attack by the Natives. Susannah had seen plenty of horror in her time growing up in Maine.  

Maybe she suffered from what we call PTSD these days.  In 1692, she was living with her family in Salem Village, She had afflictions and visions.  The Sheldon House was somewhere near the present-day intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Gates Street. The location is now in Danvers, Massachusetts. She had accused 11 people of witchcraft. Some of those accused by Sheldon were wealthy and prominent in the community.

Before the Salem Witch Trials were over, Susannah fled to Providence, RI. It is believed she died without having married or having children.

A quick Google search will locate more information about Susannah and her involvement with the Salem Witch Trials. The Sheldon house is long gone, but Google Maps does show the approximate area of where it was located. Here is more information on the site of her home.

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