The possession of Elizabeth Knapp of Groton, Massachusetts was documented by Samuel Willard, a prominent preacher in the Puritan, Massachusetts Bay Colony from October 30, 1671 until January 12, 1672. More significantly, Willard sent letters to the Puritan minister Cotton Mather who published an account of Elizabeth Knapp's possession in his Magnalia Christi Americana. Knapp, who was sixteen at the time was the daughter of a farmer and the servant in the house of Willard. Her possession, which has striking resemblance to those that are seen in Salem some twenty years later, serves as an insight into Puritan life and society. Life in Groton Groton, Massachusetts is located 32 miles NW of Boston. During the time of Elizabeth Knapp's possession it was located in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1676, just four years after the Knapp case, the town was attacked by 400 Native Americans, and all but a few of the homes were destroyed in the attack. Groton had an overwhelmingly strict religious atmosphere being predominately Puritan, as well as holding views that women should contribute in the community labor. The possession The possession case of Elizabeth Knapp is unique and strange in the aspect that it was documented and approached from a thoughtful, and scientific aspect. Knapp was the servant at the household of Samuel Willard, a prominent Reverend in the church of Groton. This became an issue because Willard was known for his sermons about damnation and obedience to God. One Sermon in particular states that the youth of the town should have been very careful because, "although God is ready to receive them, the Devil is ready to endeavor them". When Knapp, a member of his own household, began to show signs of a demonic possession, Willard took a careful and scientific approach to the situation, which was rare for 17th century Puritan New England. He called in a medical doctor on several occasions and tried to find a cure for her symptoms. After they could provide no explanation for her fits he declared that it was a case of possession. Throughout the entire process, as noted in his journal, Knapp seemed to have the most violent fits when he was present. Willard carefully and meticulously documented Knapp daily from the night she first showed signs, Monday October 30, 1671, until January 12, 1672. Willard states that Knapp, at first, began to complain of pains throughout