More Fact Than Fiction - Was an Event at Yarmouth the Inspiration for the Scarlet Letter?
Sometimes while researching I find random bits of information that, while not part of my own family history, are too interesting not to share. I recently came across a record that on first view seems to relate to a familiar Yarmouth family - the Brays. However, the little digging I've done promises something more complicated. There may be a family connection to the Yarmouth Brays that future research could uncover, however the Thomas Bray discussed here - and subject of the following described criminal acts and court documents - is probably of a branch of Brays from north of Boston, who were original settlers of the Gloucester area. There is no doubt though that the illegal act took place at Yarmouth, and some literary discussion points to the event as a possible inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter (there are a couple of possibilities). The court ordered punishment, carried out at Yarmouth, adds a whole new reality of