The Witch Characters

The present-day protagonist, a woman who arrives at Pemberton after losing her Manhattan apartment and nonprofit job. She is logical but open to ghosts, and she becomes determined to uncover why her family sent her to Woodhaven and what haunts the house. She investigates the attic, Caroline's history, Ethel's letters, Celia Caine, and the human bones in the backyard.

Arc: She moves from a reluctant caregiver and houseguest to an investigator who exposes Celia's impersonation and Mick's staged hauntings. She survives Celia's attack, learns Ethel was her biological grandmother, and stays in Woodhaven with Henry, helping turn Pemberton into part of the museum.

• Letitia Barlow (Gram/Letty) — the woman she calls Gram, who saves her from Celia; later notes clarify she is not Julia's biological grandmother
• Henry Ziegler — romantic partner and museum ally
• Caroline Eldridge — historical figure whose grave she visits and whose story she investigates
• Celia Caine — adversary who poses as Ethel and tries to kill her
• Ethel (real) — biological grandmother revealed in the epilogue
• Mick Wheeler — household member and Celia's accomplice
• Alistair Dixon — ghost hunter she hires
• Molly Howe — ancestor whose betrayal of Caroline Julia learns of

The 1692 protagonist, Archibald Eldridge's wife, who longs to give him a son and is kind to neighbors and servants. She feeds the stray cat Gideon, seeks Hitty Atkins's help, nurses Judith Hatch, and is accused of witchcraft after Molly Howe's betrayal. She narrates her imprisonment and trial, and eventually survives by escaping with Jonas and assuming Molly's identity.

Arc: She goes from hopeful wife and healer to condemned witch, then from prisoner to fugitive and survivor. After Jonas kills Archie, she buries Archie and Molly and lives as Molly Howe, returning to Pemberton in 1717 with Jonas disguised as Archie.

• Archibald Eldridge — husband and murderer
• Molly Howe — servant, accuser, and the identity Caroline later assumes
• Jonas Reeve — fellow prisoner, rescuer, and later husband
• Hitty Atkins — friend and healer
• Judith Hatch — neighbor she nurses
• Gideon — stray cat she feeds
• Julia Barlow — present-day investigator of her story
• Letitia Barlow (Gram/Letty) — calls her 'the witch' and says she dislikes moved combs

The present-day antagonist, originally a maid and helper at Pemberton who killed the real Ethel and took her identity. She poses as Julia's great-aunt Ethel, rules the household with hostility, and secretly works with Mick to drive Julia out of Pemberton. She is also the voice and name on Dixon's recording and the person who shoots Mick.

Arc: She moves from a seemingly cranky great-aunt to the revealed murderer of Ethel and Mick. After she is knocked out by Gram, she is arrested, convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, and imprisoned.

• Ethel (real) — the woman she killed and whose identity she took; notes describe Ethel as her sister
• Mick Wheeler — fiance and accomplice; she shoots him
• Letitia Barlow (Gram/Letty) — lived with and shared the secret for decades
• Julia Barlow — adversary she tries to kill
• Henry Ziegler — rival prospective buyer she opposes

Caroline's husband in 1692, a wealthy merchant descendant who helped build Woodhaven and is publicly pious. He wants a son, warns Caroline about the Night Reaper, and is secretly the Night Reaper himself. He murders Temperance, Molly, and other women, and strangles Caroline when she discovers him.

Arc: He moves from respected husband to revealed serial killer. He is shot by Jonas while strangling Caroline, and his body is buried under his own name with Molly; Caroline later lives under Molly's identity and his property passes into Jonas's assumed identity.

• Caroline Eldridge — wife he murders
• Molly Howe — servant and mistress whom he impregnates and kills
• Temperance — first wife he murdered
• Jonas Reeve — shoots him
• Julia Barlow — family-history ancestor via Molly

Caroline's servant and later Archie's wife, who accuses Caroline of hiding barrenness and of witchcraft. She testifies that Caroline feeds the devil as the cat Gideon, produces the handkerchief, and claims Caroline gave Judith the evil eye. She is also Archie's mistress, pregnant by him, and is strangled by Archie in the bed she shares with Caroline.

Arc: She goes from antagonistic servant to key accuser and Archie's later wife in the portrait, then to victim of Archie's violence. Her identity is later assumed by Caroline, who buries her with Archie and lives as Molly.

• Caroline Eldridge — mistress she accuses
• Archibald Eldridge — employer, lover, and killer
• Julia Barlow — Julia believes Molly betrayed Caroline and is her ancestor
• Gideon — calls him a creature of the devil
• Magistrate Putman — testifies before him

Julia's grandmother figure at Pemberton, an elderly woman whose memory is failing but who owns the house and refuses to sell to the museum. She warns Julia not to move the combs, mistakes Julia for Ethel and Barbara and Celia, and is sometimes aware of Caroline's presence. She is Ethel's sister and Walter's wife.

Arc: She moves from confused, vulnerable elder to the person who saves Julia by knocking Celia unconscious with a shovel. She later tells police that Ethel woke her and told her to get the shovel; notes clarify she is not Julia's biological grandmother.

• Julia Barlow — granddaughter figure she saves
• Ethel (real) — sister
• Celia Caine — the woman posing as Ethel who lived with her
• Mick Wheeler — housekeeper and groundskeeper
• Julia's father — son
• Walter — husband

Pemberton's housekeeper and groundskeeper, described as quiet and unable to keep up the grounds. He believes Caroline's ghost haunts Pemberton, tells Julia about the stopped clock at 3:41, and is secretly Celia's accomplice. He helps stage the hauntings with recordings, cold air, muddy footprints, a noose, wall writing, and magnets.

Arc: He moves from seemingly harmless helper to revealed accomplice and then victim. Celia shoots him in the backyard after he questions her; his body is found by police.

• Celia Caine — fiancee and accomplice; she shoots him
• Julia Barlow — helps her then deceives her
• Letitia Barlow (Gram/Letty) — works for her
• Ethel (real) — in her letter, Mick is Celia's fiance
• Caroline Eldridge — believes her ghost haunts Pemberton

The Woodhaven Museum curator who wants to buy Pemberton and its artifacts. He is skeptical of ghosts, helps Julia investigate Caroline, arranges carbon-14 dating and DNA testing, and becomes her romantic partner. He calls Adult Protective Services out of concern for Gram, which briefly angers Julia.

Arc: He moves from potential buyer and skeptic to Julia's ally and partner. He supports her investigation, helps identify the pelvic bone and Celia Caine, and ends the story with Julia, planning to make Pemberton part of the museum.

• Julia Barlow — romantic partner
• Caroline Eldridge — historical figure he discusses and doubts as a ghost
• Celia Caine — rival prospective buyer he opposes
• Letitia Barlow (Gram/Letty) — concern that leads to Adult Protective Services call
• Alistair Dixon — skeptic who mocks him

A prisoner in the 1692 jail, accused as the Night Reaper and feared by Deputy Strickland. He is silent and frightening, but Caroline discovers he is innocent of being the Night Reaper. He saves Caroline from Strickland, escapes with her, kills Strickland by burning the jailhouse, and shoots Archie to save her.

Arc: He moves from suspected monster to Caroline's rescuer and future husband. He proposes they bury Archie and Molly, assume their identities, and marry; by 1717 he lives as Archie Eldridge and returns to Pemberton with Caroline.

• Caroline Eldridge — rescues, marries, and later lives with as her husband
• Hitty Atkins — promises to take care of Caroline
• Deputy Strickland — kills him in the jailhouse fire
• Archibald Eldridge — shoots him to save Caroline
• Leonora Rowley — claims he loved her and planned to marry her

A market herbalist and healer who is like a mother to Caroline. She gives Caroline sage and black cohosh for conception, warns about the Night Reaper, and is later arrested for witchcraft, found guilty, and hanged. Caroline protests her innocence, and Jonas later says Hitty spoke to him about Caroline.

Arc: She moves from Caroline's trusted friend and healer to condemned witch and martyr. Her execution drives Caroline's later actions, and Jonas invokes her promise when he takes Caroline with him.

• Caroline Eldridge — friend and daughter figure
• Elias Fenn — accuses her of witchcraft
• Archibald Eldridge — she healed him
• Jonas Reeve — spoke with him before her death
• Sheriff Bixby — executes her

The deputy who arrests Hitty Atkins and later Caroline for witchcraft. He is cruel, coercive, and falsifies evidence: he strips and searches Caroline, withholds food, propositions her, beats Jonas, and presents a needle test at trial. He fears Jonas and is ultimately killed by him.

Arc: He moves from arresting officer to abusive jailer and false witness. Jonas attacks him, locks him in a cell, and burns the jailhouse with him inside; Caroline feels complicit in his death.

• Caroline Eldridge — jailer, abuser, and false accuser
• Jonas Reeve — prisoner he fears; Jonas kills him
• Sheriff Bixby — superior and father-in-law
• Magistrate Putman — presents false evidence to him
• Mistress Strickland — wife

The sheriff who enforces the witchcraft accusations in Woodhaven. He orders Caroline's search, denies her visitors, leads Hitty to the gallows, and leads the captured Jonas Reeve through Town Square as the Night Reaper. He is Deputy Strickland's father-in-law.

Arc: He remains a hard authority throughout the 1692 timeline, carrying out the witchcraft hysteria and executions. He is not shown changing or facing consequence.

• Caroline Eldridge — authority over her case
• Hitty Atkins — executes her
• Deputy Strickland — son-in-law and subordinate
• Jonas Reeve — captures and parades him as the Night Reaper

The magistrate who presides over Caroline's witchcraft trial. He accepts spectral evidence, offers Caroline a chance to confess that Hitty bewitched her, questions witnesses, and sentences Caroline to death by hanging. He asks Archie to speak for Caroline and calls her forward after Archie refuses.

Arc: He remains the instrument of the court's injustice, convinced of Caroline's guilt and unmoved by her objections. He declares her guilty and sentences her to die the next day.

• Caroline Eldridge — judges and sentences her
• Molly Howe — questions her testimony
• Archibald Eldridge — asks him to defend Caroline
• Deputy Strickland — accepts his false evidence

The town doctor whom Caroline distrusts because his bloodletting preceded her father's death. He treats Judith Hatch, calls her illness the devil's work, and testifies at Caroline's trial that Caroline caused Judith's fits and called Judith property of the devil. He demands payment and nearly takes Hiram's horse.

Arc: He moves from failed doctor to hostile witness whose testimony helps condemn Caroline. He is shown as proud, self-serving, and aligned with the witchcraft accusations.

• Caroline Eldridge — distrusts and accuses her
• Judith Hatch — patient he bloodlets
• Hiram Hatch — demands payment from him
• Molly Howe — assists him
• Magistrate Putman — testifies before him

Caroline's neighbor who falls severely ill with fever and fits. Caroline nurses her with cooling rags after Dr. Shaylor's bloodletting fails and calls the illness diabolical. Molly later testifies that Caroline gave Judith the evil eye and caused her fits.

Arc: She moves from near death to recovery through Caroline's care, but her illness becomes evidence in Caroline's witchcraft trial. She does not appear to speak at the trial.

• Hiram Hatch — husband
• Caroline Eldridge — nurse and friend
• Dr. John Shaylor — attends her
• Molly Howe — helps tend her but accuses Caroline

Judith Hatch's husband, who comes to Caroline for help and offers his horse to Dr. Shaylor as payment. He watches Judith bloodlet, then follows Caroline's plan to cool her with wet rags. He thanks Caroline for saving Judith.

Arc: He moves from desperate husband to grateful neighbor who accepts Caroline's help. His testimony at trial admits Judith had a fit in Caroline's presence, which is used against Caroline.

• Judith Hatch — wife
• Caroline Eldridge — neighbor who saves her
• Dr. John Shaylor — offers horse as payment
• Molly Howe — present during treatment

A self-described certified ghost hunter whom Julia hires to investigate Pemberton. He uses a REM pod, K2 meter, and EVP recorder, and he warns Julia not to anger Caroline. His equipment is later revealed to have been fooled by magnets Celia planted.

Arc: He moves from potential helper to discredited investigator; his recordings nevertheless capture the voice saying 'Celia,' and Ethel throws him out. Julia suspects he may be a con artist, but his fear during the K2 crack makes her less certain.

• Julia Barlow — client
• Henry Ziegler — skeptic who mocks him
• Celia Caine — plants magnets to fool him
• Caroline Eldridge — detects an angry presence connected to the painting

Letty's sister and, as revealed in the epilogue, Julia's biological grandmother. She was pregnant by Howard, planned a home birth with Celia's help, and was uncertain whether to raise or give up her child. Celia smothered her, took her identity, and hid the death with Letty's help.

Arc: She moves from a hidden letter-writer to the murdered woman whose identity Celia steals. Her remains are found in the backyard and reburied near her parents; the presence at Pemberton fades after her funeral.

• Celia Caine — killer and identity thief; notes describe Ethel as her sister
• Letitia Barlow (Gram/Letty) — sister
• Julia Barlow — biological granddaughter
• Mick Wheeler — in her letter, Mick is Celia's fiance
• Howard — love and father of her child
• Gertrude Eldridge — mother

A market vendor who sells Caroline venison and warns her away from Hitty Atkins, calling Hitty a witch. He later tells Molly where Hitty is jailed and testifies at Caroline's trial that Caroline consorted with Hitty, exchanged potions, and danced naked around a fire.

Arc: He remains an accuser and gossip whose testimony helps condemn Caroline. He shows satisfaction when Hitty is arrested and gone.

• Caroline Eldridge — warns and later testifies against her
• Hitty Atkins — accuses her of witchcraft
• Molly Howe — tells her where Hitty is jailed

Caroline's mother's elder sister, who cared for Caroline after Caroline's mother died. She died of a fever when Caroline was seven years old. She is part of the early losses that shape Caroline's expectation of dying young.

Arc: She appears only in backstory and does not change; her death is one of the losses Caroline recounts.

• Caroline Eldridge — niece

Ethel's love in her unmailed letters, a soldier she planned to marry. He was killed when his helicopter was shot down. Ethel was pregnant with his child at the time.

Arc: He appears only in Ethel's letters and does not change. His death leaves Ethel pregnant and vulnerable, leading to the secret at the heart of the family.

• Ethel (real) — love she planned to marry
• Walter — soldier who shipped out with him

Letty's husband and a soldier who shipped out with Howard. Ethel's letter says Letty is worried about him. He is part of the family backstory.

Arc: He appears only in the letters and does not change.

• Letitia Barlow (Gram/Letty) — husband
• Howard — fellow soldier

Ethel's mother and Julia's great-grandmother. She is the addressee of Ethel's unmailed letters, which reveal Ethel's pregnancy and her hope for her mother's support.

Arc: She appears only through the letters; her reaction to Ethel's pregnancy is uncertain, and the letters are never mailed.

• Ethel (real) — daughter
• Julia Barlow — great-granddaughter

A sixteen-year-old maiden who disappeared and was found lifeless with Jonas Reeve looming over her. Caroline associates her with the Night Reaper's victims. Jonas later claims he loved her and planned to marry her, and Caroline ultimately realizes Archie is the Night Reaper.

Arc: She remains a victim whose death is used to accuse Jonas, but the truth of her murder is tied to Archie's secret killings.

• Jonas Reeve — found with her and claims he loved her
• Archibald Eldridge — one of the Night Reaper's victims

Archibald Eldridge's first wife, whose death was believed to be from fever. Archie later confesses that Temperance was murdered. She is one of the hidden victims in his history.

Arc: She appears only in Archie's confession and does not change; the truth of her murder exposes Archie's serial killing.

• Archibald Eldridge — first wife he murdered
• Caroline Eldridge — Caroline believed she died of fever

A longtime market acquaintance of Caroline who testifies at her trial that Caroline bewitched her. She claims she felt something sticking her with a needle after Caroline waved to her.

Arc: She appears as an accuser and does not change.

• Caroline Eldridge — acquaintance who accuses her

Julia's father, Gram's son, who worries about Gram, Ethel, and Mick. He tells Julia about the Woodhaven Museum's offer for Pemberton and that Ethel was cut out of the will. He arranges Julia's meeting with the curator.

Arc: He remains off-page but shapes the present-day plot by sending Julia to Pemberton and being willing to sell if Gram is unsafe.

• Julia Barlow — daughter
• Letitia Barlow (Gram/Letty) — mother
• Ethel (real) — relative he says was cut out of the will

Julia's mother, mentioned when Gram mistakes Julia for her. She is part of Julia's family background and one of the names Gram confuses.

Arc: She appears only in mentions and does not change.

• Julia Barlow — mother
• Letitia Barlow (Gram/Letty) — Gram mistakes Julia for Barbara

Julia's ex-boyfriend, who ended their relationship about nine months before the present day. He told Julia they did not have enough chemistry to move forward. Gram asks about him and offers to kill him.

Arc: He appears only in backstory and does not change.

• Julia Barlow — ex-boyfriend

A museum coworker and front-desk colleague of Henry's who pranks Julia by telling her Henry died in a 1952 museum fire and is a ghost. She laughs and admits it was a joke when Henry appears.

Arc: She appears briefly as a prankster and does not change.

• Henry Ziegler — coworker she teases
• Julia Barlow — visitor she pranks

A police officer who questions Julia and Gram after Celia shoots Mick. He investigates the shooting and Ethel's remains, and indulges Gram's confusion.

Arc: He appears in the aftermath and does not change; he represents the official discovery of the crimes.

• Julia Barlow — questions her
• Letitia Barlow (Gram/Letty) — questions her
• Celia Caine — investigates her crimes

In 1692 notes, a stray black cat Caroline feeds and lets into Pemberton; Molly calls him a creature of the devil and later claims Caroline feeds the devil as Gideon. In the epilogue notes, Gideon is described as the dog Caroline took when she fled, who died in her arms a decade later.

Arc: He moves from hungry stray to Caroline's companion; his identity as cat and dog is inconsistent in the notes, but he remains linked to Caroline's tenderness and to the witchcraft accusations.

• Caroline Eldridge — fed and kept him
• Molly Howe — calls him a creature of the devil
• Archibald Eldridge — Caroline feeds him against household rules

Caroline's horse, a gift from Archie. She carries Caroline to market and is spooked by the unfamiliar stranger who later proves to be Jonas Reeve. Lucky's fear first signals the stranger's menace.

Arc: She appears briefly and does not change; her reaction marks Jonas's introduction.

• Caroline Eldridge — rider and owner
• Archibald Eldridge — gave her as a gift
• Jonas Reeve — spooked by him

Deputy Strickland's wife, mentioned as a painfully thin waif who startled whenever the narrator tried to speak to her. She appears only in a recollection.

Arc: She does not change and appears only to suggest Strickland's domestic cruelty.

• Deputy Strickland — husband