TL;DR: In the first part, we analyzed what was really going on with Theranos, exposed the Salem Witches involved, and discussed the meta-documentary. In this part, we’ll talk about a set of names that kept recurring in the research in very different contexts. It’s a Very Small Club and we ain’t in it.
Our focus is three names, but there are assorted items of interest along the way. Enjoy the Halloween ride!
The names
The University of Virginia | Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project has compiled a comprehensive list of names of people involved in the event, as reflected in the original court records.
For our present purposes, you’ll want to note there are six people named Parker, twelve people named Johnson, and lonely James Sanders. As to the last name, you’ll see some variations of it so score it as you will.
Billy Evans’ school
As discussed in Part 1, Elizabeth’s husband (or is he really?) is named Billy Evans. Billy attended Francis Parker School (San Diego) (1912), “also known simply as Parker”.
[Parker is a] college preparatory independent day school in San Diego, California, serving students from junior kindergarten through twelfth grade.
As you might have guessed, the prep school is about as fancy as it gets on the West Coast, with School Tuition 2026–2027 Academic Year ranging from $30,300 to 49,100.
The founders were notable San Diego architect William Templeton Johnson (1877-1957) and his wife, Clara Sturges Johnson.
The school was named after Francis Wayland Parker (1837-1902). Wikipedia doesn’t tell you and WikiTree doesn’t know he exists, so you’ll have to go to his FindAGrave page to learn that his sister was Charlotte Ann Sanderson (1825-1886).
Interesting, right?
Actresses
Only three actress have portrayed Elizabeth Holmes. Technically two, since Jennifer Lawrence backed out:
Jennifer Lawrence Says She's Exited Elizabeth Holmes Movie: Amanda Seyfried 'Was Terrific' (People 11/2/2022)
Is JLaw a Salem Witch? Well, she rocketed to fame in the movie franchise where the Elites force starving children to murder each other. On brand for debasing society, so an investigation for another day.
The other brief appearance was by actress Elizabeth Stanley (b1978). That name isn’t on the UVA list, but you should become familiar with it. For example, that’s where Zorro Ranch is located, it’s where the name of the hockey trophy comes from, it’s the name of John Lennon’s mother, etc, etc.
This Elizabeth played the other Elizabeth in one episode of Younger (2015-2021). The series stars Sutton Foster (b1975). Enough said?
The feature player here is Amanda Seyfried (b1985). Her mother was born Ann Sander.
The show about the fraudulent adventures of Elizabeth was a Hulu limited series titled, The Dropout (2022). The old double-entendre, get it? The creator was Elizabeth Hughes Meriwether (b1981). Lots of Elizabeths, huh? The executive producer was Katherine Pope.
As to Meriwether, let me also add that she wrote the screenplay for the film No Strings Attached (2011). The working title for that film was “Fuckbuddies”. Remember I mentioned debasing society? Before that, she wrote a play in 2010 called “Oliver Parker!” Boldface mine.
Back on Seyfried, opinions could differ but I would say that she got a place on the A-list with her appearance in the film, Mamma Mia! (2008):
The film became the highest-grossing British picture of all time in the UK to that point, and the biggest selling UK DVD of all time in January 2009.
That’s high-profile in anyone’s book. The original musical of the same name and screenplay for the film were by Catherine Johnson (playwright).
Seyfried reprised her role for the prequel/sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018). The screenwriter and director was Ol Parker (b1969). Yes, the “Ol” is short for “Oliver”.
He was raised in Radwinter, which is in the ancestral home of the Salem Witches in Essex, England. The Salem is Massachusetts is in Essex County.
I also found it quite intriguing that his wife (m. 1998; sep. 2022) is/was Thandiwe Newton (b1972). I would say she’s most famous for and won an Emmy as “Maeve” in Westworld (TV series) (2016-2022).
You see, it’s a long long long long story, but in Season 1 of that series, “They” tipped their hand in a way as subtle as it was unmistakable which confirmed some of the deepest, wildest theories I have. Why haven’t I ever written that up? Well, if you think this Salem Witch material is “challenging” (or whatever word you want to substitute), imagine material 100x that same word.
Let me segue to the next section. I almost choked on this in Wikipedia:
Named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time in 2022…
Seyfried is a terrible actress, and I think we are all aware now how she broke into the industry. How is she “influential”? Does anyone care what she says or does? Do they even know? I’m not trying to be insulting, just realistic.
I actually went to confirm that claim, to make sure I was reading it right. You can and should look at: The 100 Most Influential People of 2022: Artists. There are only six artists in total. Do you see the other questionable choice just to Amanda’s right?
Hocus Pocus
Sarah Jessica Parker (b1965). I LOLed when I saw that.
You see, I’ll write this up one day, but they confirmed on that stupid Finding Your Roots show that she was descended from a Salem Witch! Except (drum roll) they say it was Esther Elwell. They didn’t even mention the Parkers. The impudence! Anyway….
Sarah was launched into global stardom in Sex and the City. Have you noticed societal debasement keeps coming up over and over? BTW, Kim Cattrall was born in Liverpool, ancestral home of the Stanleys.
In what is now becoming Sarah Jessica’s most prominent film role, she plays Sarah Sanderson of the three Sanderson sisters, witches all, in Disney’s Hocus Pocus (1993):
Upon its original release, it received mixed reviews from critics and was initially a box-office bomb…. The annual celebration of Halloween has helped make the film a cult classic.
The witches actually sacrifice a child on-screen, draining her life force to keep themselves young. Pretty telling for those with eyes to see, isn’t it? This is what I’ve been saying about cultural creation. They tell us what to like and we eventually like it, completely forgetting about the being told part.
The film takes place on Halloween in both 1693 and 1993 in Salem, Masschusetts. I thought I did pretty good hitting both Halloween and Salem with a single blow. But where’s the Johnson, you ask?
Jay Armstrong Johnson’s I Put a Spell on You: A Sanderson Sister Act
Experience the magic of Jay Armstrong Johnson’s I Put a Spell on You - the spellbinding Halloween benefit dubbed one of NYC’s “most coveted” by VOGUE. Inspired by Disney's Hocus Pocus, what began as an intimate cabaret has grown into an international phenomenon, blending Broadway spectacle, pop culture, and unapologetic queer joy into one legendary night.
Jay is gay, by the way, and he portrays Winnie, one of the other witch sisters. And “most coveted”? What did I just say about Them telling us what to like?
Anyway, it may be too late to get tickets for this year but you’re probably going to need a year to save up. The “Charmer VIP Package” which includes two VIP tickets is $1,000, and packages go up from there.
Bonus: I came across this candy apple-scented hand soap from Johnson Parker that they branded as “Hocus Pocus”. I’d like to think this is pure coincidence but it’s pretty on-the-nose, isn’t it?
Thanks for reading! Have a safe and Happy Halloween!