The Scarlet Letter

In 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter, a work of historical fiction that has since been acclaimed as a classic and has been taught in many American schools.  The story is set in 1642 in Massachusetts and focuses on the character of Hester Prynne, who has a child as a result of an adulterous affair and is sentenced to wear a scarlet-colored letter "A", to publicly denote her sin and her shame.

The character of Hester Prynne and many of the elements of the book are said to be based (loosely) on the life of Mrs. Mary Batchelder, who was the fourth wife of Rev. Stephen Batchelder, my direct ancestor.  Stephen moved to New England in 1632 and was a prominent pioneer and minister in what is new Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.  (I descend in 6 different ways - all on the Wadleigh side - from Stephen Batchelder, see below.)  Stephen married his fourth wife, a widow named Mary Beedle, in 1650, when he was very old (probably in his 80's) and she much younger (perhaps in her 20's or 30's).  In 1651, she was discovered to have had an affair with a man named George Rogers and to have become pregnant by him.  In October 1651 in York, Maine, both were tried and convicted of adultery.  Mary was sentenced to have 40 lashes and to be literally branded (probably on her forehead) with the letter "A".  Her sentence was carried out about 6 weeks later, after she had given birth to her child. 

At the time of the trial, both Stephen and Mary tried to obtain a divorce, but were denied one and were told to live together as husband and wife.  Instead, Stephen fled to England and never returned.  In 1656, Mary was finally granted a divorce by claiming that Stephen had taken another wife while in England.  (Ironically, Stephen died a week or two later in England.) Mary later remarried and apparently led a respectable, married life.

Interestingly, in 1641 (long before his marriage to Mary and the subsequent adultery and trial) in Hampton, New Hampshire, Stephen ran into his own scandalous  trouble.  At that time, he was married to wife #3 (Helena) who was described as a "lusty, comely woman".  Stephen apparently was not interested in his wife and instead solicited his neighbor's wife for sex.  She refused and told her husband.  Stephen then complained to the town magistrates that the woman and the husband were slandering him, but when the church got involved, he confessed.  Stephen received no punishment, except to be excommunicated by the church.  He was reinstated into the church a few years later.

Source:
http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/biog/bachilerscarletletter.htm

I descend from Stephen Batchelder in 6 different ways, all through his first wife Ann.  All 6 lines of descent from Stephen are on my father's side of the family, the Wadleighs.  Specifically, my great-great-grandfather Oscar Wadleigh is the descendant of all 6 of these lines.

My lines of descent from Stephen to me:

#1 Stephen Batchelder  Ann Batchelder    William Sanborn      William Sanborn        John Sanborn          Anna Sanborn            Mary Dearborn              James Wadleigh                James Wadleigh                  John Wadleigh                    John B. Wadleigh                      Oscar S. Wadleigh                        Odin F. Wadleigh                          Paul C. Wadleigh                            Randy Wadleigh                              Ryan Wadleigh	#2 Stephen Batchelder  Ann Batchelder    William Sanborn      Mehitabel Sanborn        Samuel Tilton          Josiah Tilton            Josiah Tilton              Josiah Tilton                Jeremiah D. Tilton                  Abigail R. Tilton                    Oscar S. Wadleigh                    (see #1)	#3 Stephen Batchelder   Theodate Batchelder     Mary Hussey       Mary Page          Bathsheba Robie             Joshua Lane               Sarah Lane                 Ruth Stearns                   Abigail S. Freese                     Abigail R. Tilton                     (see #2)
#4 Stephen Batchelder   Nathaniel Batchelder     Nathaniel Batchelder       Samuel Batchelder         Mary Batchelder           Jeremiah Dearborn             Sarah Dearborn               Jeremiah D. Tilton               (see #2)	#5 Stephen Batchelder   Nathaniel Batchelder     Nathaniel Batchelder       Mercy Batchelder         Nathaniel Dearborn            Jeremiah Dearborn            (see #4)	#6 Stephen Batchelder   Nathaniel Batchelder     Nathaniel Batchelder       Nathaniel Batchelder         John Batchelder           Ruth Batchelder             Sarah Lane             (see #3)