As the United States settled into its early years, superstition still lingered in small towns and villages.
While the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692 in Massachusetts are well-documented, lesser-known but equally disturbing trials occurred in other states, including Ohio.
One of the strangest episodes unfolded in Bethel, Ohio, in 1805. What began as a family’s claims of being tormented by evil spirits turned into an unusual community spectacle, complete with screaming fits, bizarre rituals, and a trial that ended with a Bible placed on one side of a scale and an accused neighbor on the other.
The Hildebrand family’s troubles
Bethel, founded in 1798 by Obed Denham, was still a young village when the Hildebrand family arrived. Before long, their two oldest daughters began claiming they were under the influence of evil spirits. Their fits of screaming and visions of shadowy figures unsettled the family and neighbors alike.
In desperation, the Hildebrands tried rituals to drive out the supposed witch. In one, they sewed a large bag out of lindsey-woolsey cloth, believing the witch could be trapped inside. Each family member held the bag before it was tied shut, hacked into pieces, and burned in the fire. But even after the ritual, the girls’ behavior continued.
The sisters soon pointed the finger at a neighbor: Nancy Evans, a widowed woman living quietly nearby. Convinced she was the source of their misfortune, the family and others in town began to shun her.
A trial by Bible
With tensions rising, local justice of the peace Houton Clarke stepped in. Ohio had no laws against witchcraft, so Clarke turned to the folklore of the day. A common belief held that witches, having forsaken goodness, were lighter than they should be.
On the appointed day, townsfolk gathered as Nancy Evans was placed on one side of a scale, and a Bible on the other. Clarke declared, “Nancy Evans, thou art weighed against the Bible to try thee against all witchcraftry and diabolical practices.”
The results were clear: Nancy was (obviously) much heavier than the Bible, and in the eyes of the community, her innocence was proven.
Aftermath in Bethel
Some villagers thought the Hildebrand daughters should be punished for their false accusations, but Clarke had them escorted away instead. Soon after, the Hildebrand family moved west. Nancy Evans eventually relocated to Brown County, while Clarke remained in Bethel, continuing his role as justice of the peace.
According to the “History of Clermont County, Ohio” (1880), “since their departure (the Hildebrands), witches have no more flourished at Bethel than at any other place. The village became known for the intelligence of its inhabitants and the neighborly relations among them, which continue to this day.”
What happened in Bethel wasn’t an official witch trial, but it shows just how deeply superstition could shape early American life. A bag ritual, a Bible, and a scale were all it took for neighbors to wrestle with the supernatural—and, in the end, to return to peace.
