Beth M. Caruso

Young Alice Ashbey was born into the Tinker family of Berkshire, England in 1615. As a distant cousin to the Tinkers, Alice soon came to see her cousins more as adopted brothers and sisters. Orphaned at the age of ten, she also soon discovers that she has inherited her mother's talent for intuitive insights. With the deaths of the patriarch of the Tinker family - as well as of the eldest son and namesake, Robert - within a few weeks of each other, the Tinkers find themselves at a heartrending crossroads.

Deciding to leave England for the promise of the New World, first one and then more members of the Tinker family begin to make plans to settle in America. Alice - now a lovely young woman of twenty - hopes to stay with the only family she has ever known and everyone that she dearly loves. Yet sadly, her wish is not to be, as she stubbornly remains unmarried and seemingly indifferent to all potential suitors. The frustrated matriarch of the Tinker family, Mary, subsequently secures a position for Alice as a housemaid and nanny with an affluent family who is also sailing to America.

So it was that in 1635, Alice Ashbey reluctantly set sail from her home in England for the colony of strict religious dissenters in the Massachusetts Bay. She had made such a treacherous journey filled with the hope that she would be reunited with the Tinker family again, after the family had resettled themselves. Despite her initial misgivings, Alice is astonished by her first sight of the rich American wilderness and its inhabitants. She subsequently begins to appreciate the beauty of her new home.

However, Alice's first impressions of the New England colonies are not all good. Eventually settling in Windsor, Connecticut, Alice soon learns to use her own healing abilities and strong intuition to help those around her. She even learns to open her heart to the possibilities of a love of her own. However, she also encounters the suspicions and blinding fears of Puritan leaders which inevitably collide and set the stage for America's very first witch hanging - her own - on May 26th, 1647.

Although it was this horrendous event as well as Alice's strong ties to her beloved family which eventually influenced Connecticut's Governor John Winthrop, Jr. to put a halt to any further witchcraft hangings in the New England settlement; such horror could never be truly eradicated even in much later years.

Paradoxically, forty-five after Alice's death - her strong familial bonds were again used to further enflame witchcraft hysteria. This time, the influential Puritan minister and prolific author Cotton Mather, used his knowledge of Alice's tragic story as the secret impetus behind the writing of his dangerous and destructive commentary in support of the Salem witch trials of 1692. Alice's strong family ties - as much as the painful memories of the tragedies which resulted in the accusation of witchcraft being leveled against her - served only as a cautionary tale for the righteous to always remain vigilant in their neverending battle against the minions of evil.

In my opinion, Alice Young was such an extraordinary young woman and her story was remarkably poignant. Actually, while I knew all about the Salem witch trials in 1692, I had never actually heard of any previous trials before that time. To be perfectly honest, I didn't really realize that there were any other outbreaks of witchcraft hysteria before 1692, although I knew that the hysteria spread elsewhere around New England after that time.

Actually, I enjoyed this story very much. In my opinion, the time period was well-researched and the characters and story were sympathetically written. I was drawn into Ms. Caruso's writing from the first few pages and would certainly give this book an A+!… (altro)

An interesting fictional interpretation of the victim of America's first witch hanging, Alice/Alse Young (1647). The minutiae of details of day-to-day living paints a vivid picture of puritan life (and it's not good: day-long work, stringent moral codes, no privacy... they're allowed to get tipsy only at a funeral!) Alice is, of course, rendered extremely sympathetically... she is shown to be a woman who happens to have "second-sight", a kind nature, and an interest in herbal medicine. She is portrayed from birth (her mother also gifted with second sight) though a happy childhood among cousins. Her early adulthood is not as pleasant: as a (loved) servant to the Tinker family, she is suddenly moved to a new family who set sale for the Colonies. Alice, loyal and liked by her new family, the Hulburds, is then hastily married to John Young and gives birth prematurely to a daughter (also named Alice/Alissa). The author eventually fills in the plot holes (an imagined clandestine love affair between Alice and her male cousin!) A series of unfortunate events (sorry, Lemony Snickett fans... couldn't resist) including the deaths of many in Alice's neighborhood, leads to suspicions. The tension mounts as the proverbial noose tightens around Alice's throat and her end at the gallows is seen as inevitable. While the fictions is a bit histrionic at times (John's & Alice's attraction is called "savage love"!) the author does connect all the dots and presents a feasible explanation for a void in history. The best part of the book for this reader was the Epilogue and the Author's Notes. Considering Alice Young died with no recorded name (hence, the title) and no grave site, Caruso did a heap of research! Caruso also draws a startling link between the events of the 1640s and the later, more (in)famous Salem witch trials. As a direct descendant of Alice Young, I am grateful that at least someone remembered her name and tried to tell her story.… (altro)

Having been born and raised in New England, Scituate Mass. in particular ( which is mentioned), i must say i really enjoyed One of Windsor. Caruso did a fine job with her research even tho the book is fiction, the reader is taken on a ride of possibilities.
The mindset of the era- the narrow-minded and fear based way of thinking of many of the settlers in Windsor CT, the need of family, and the limited medical knowledge, are all brought forth.
America's heart breaking first witch hanging... but certainly not the last.… (altro)

Alice began life in England and is soon orphaned, left to be raised by her mother’s family, the Tinkers. Alice and her mother shared a gift of intuition and prophetic dreams, although Alice never found a way to help anyone with her knowledge. As Alice grows, Mary Tinker attempts to find a place for her. The Holman family on their way to Massachusetts Bay Colony in need of help with their children offers a perfect opportunity. Alice is saddened to leave the only family she knows, but enjoys the Holman children and Winifred Holman’s company. Once in the colony Winifred and Alice learn the medicinal plants and healing arts from the Native Americans. Alice reunites with the Tinkers once again when they move to the Colonies. She takes an offer of marriage and settles near the rest of the Tinker clan. When illness strikes the town, Alice does her best to help her neighbors and family with her knowledge of herbs. However, in the winter her stores run dry. When the illness passes, neighbors and friends are grieving their losses and turn on the person who tried to help.
When most people think of witch trials in America, they automatically think of Salem. However, the very first person to be tried and hung as a witch has been almost forgotten to history. With compassion and much digging through historical records, Beth Caruso has reimagined the life of a woman so far only known as “One ---- of Windsor.” Now thought to be “One Alice Young of Windsor,” her life and path to being an accused witch is brought forth in vivid detail. I was very impressed by all of the historical period detail. Life in the new Colonies was rough and Alice’s experience reflected this. I enjoyed reading about her relationships with the Native Americans and appreciated the honest way that most Colonists saw them. Furthermore, I thought the tension created from religion, the unknown and fear of a new land created a perfect storm for accusations of witchcraft. As the story progressed, I fell for Alice and the injustices that were quickly spiraling out of control around her; however, I also knew that she was hiding something. I loved that Alice’s story was told through and then, after her downfall, the truth and secrets were revealed. One of Windsor did a fabulous job of recreating the life of someone that history tried to forget as well as tying in the fears and hysteria of the time that people still try to use today in order to oppress groups of people.… (altro)