Dorothy Talby, early example of PPD/PPP


http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~taulbee/jntalby.html 

http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~taulbee/jntalby.html#Difficulty 

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/vt/state/savage/bk4/talbot-tawley.htm 

[John Talby] complained to the Salem court, June 27, 1637, that she 
frequently laid hands on him to the danger of his life. She manifested 
contempt for the authority of the court, who ordered her to be chained 
to a post, being allowed only to "come to the place of God's worship," 
until she repented. The church was very patient with her, and after 
various admonitions, which were unavailing, they "cast" her out of the 
church. Whereupon she became worse, and September 25 following, she was 
ordered to be whipped for misdemeanors against her husband. 

For a time she behaved herself more dutifully to her husband, etc., but 
this continued only a few weeks. Her mind again became more clouded, 
and delusions controlled her. She believed that God revealed to her 
the necessity of taking the life of her baby, in order to save the child 
from future misery. Her acquaintances and even Governor Winthrop 
himself believed that she was possessed by Satan and by the delusions 
he caused her to believe were from God, she was led to take the child's 
life, by breaking its neck. She made no secret of the murder, and when 
apprehended confessed the deed. 

TALBY, or TOLBY, JOHN, Salem 1635, had sev. ch. by w. Dorothy, wh. was
hang. 6 Dec. 1638, acc. to her sentence, two days bef. for murder of
her d. Difficulty, that had been bapt. 25 Dec. 1636. See
Col. Rec. I. 246 and Winthrop I. 279. She had been pun. for beat. and
attempt. to k. her h. and other ch. as well as hers. and Felt,
II. 456, is satisf. that she was insane, and her h. was excommun.  for
unnaturalness to her. Hutch. I. 420. He d. June 1645. STEPHEN, Boston
1662, a mariner, by w. Hannah had Stephen, b. 9 Aug. 1663; Samuel, 9
Jan. 1665; and John, 4 May 1671.