Roger Eastman and the Salem Witch Trials
Letitia Owen--Rhoda S. Eastman--Levi J. Eastman--Abel Eastman--John Eastman--Joseph Eastman--Samuel Eastman--Roger Eastman The earliest Eastman ancestor that can be reliably traced with solid evidence at this time is Roger Eastman. He is regarded as the progenitor of the line in the British colonies of America, and for most of those descendants with the Eastman surname in the U.S. today. He was recorded as arriving in Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, in 1638 aboard the Confidence out of Southampton. Massachusetts Bay Colony was settled by Puritans, who "established a theocratic government with the franchise limited to church members" and "zealously sought to prevent any independence of religious views, and many with differing religious beliefs...were banished" (Britannica.com). Roger Eastman married Sarah [last name unknown] soon after his arrival, and his first child was born in 1640. He received land in the first division of Salisbury and was ...