Richard G Tomlinson

Gershom Bulkeley Richard G Tomlinson

This is an important and eye-opening study of one of colonial New England's most important and contrarian figures. Gershom Bulkeley - minister, alchemist, healer, political figure, and man-with-an-opinion-about everything - was in his early life a brilliant, admired member of the Puritan elite destined for great things. He accomplished great things, too - as a minister, alchemical healer, arbitrator in witchcraft cases, spokesman for the colony against intervention in colonial affairs, and member of the three-man War Council during King Philip's War. In later years, though, especially after the overthrow of Sir Edmund Andros and the Dominion of New England, Bulkeley became colonial Connecticut's gadfly - the insider turned whistle-blower, too loud and too powerful to be ignored, but dangerous if unchecked. After the publication of Will and Doom, his essay challenging the legitimacy of Connecticut's government, an existential threat to Connecticut's fiercely prized virtual self-rule. This is an interesting, highly readable, and refreshingly jargon-free biography of a figure of real significance, both during his own lifetime and afterwards, through the legacy of his actions involving witch trials, government, and the nature of political authority. The presentation of the events leading to the takeover of Connecticut's colonial government by Sir Edmund Andros - lays waste to the story of the Charter Oak - the most iconic tale Connecticans tell themselves about their colonial past, and their commitment to independent self-government. This work presents new insights on both Bulkeley's role in redefining the standards of evidence used to convict witches, and the powerful rejection of deviation from those standards issued by Connecticut magistrates during the time of the Salem witch hunt. General readers will find Gershom Bulkeley, Zealot for Truth refreshingly accessible - a good read, with much of interest. .