Episode Summary

Not all witch trials were the Salem Witch Trials. To truly understand the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692-1693, we must examine the broader context of witch hunting that swept through colonial America. This episode explores the extensive history of witch trials in British North America that preceded and influenced the Salem events, revealing how witch hunts affected dozens of communities across New England and beyond.

The Context Behind Salem

• Why Salem didn't happen in a bubble

• European influence on colonial witch trials

• How English writings shaped Salem court decisions

• The role of European witchcraft tales in accuser testimonies

  
  

  Pre-Salem Witch Trials in New England (1647-1691)Connecticut Witch Trials

• • Alice Young of Windsor - First execution, May 26, 1647

  • 34 total indictments with 11 executions

  • Hartford Witch Panic (1662-1663) - 14 accused, 4 executed

• • Final Connecticut hangings: January 25, 1663

  Massachusetts Witch Trials

• • Margaret Jones of Charlestown - Hanged June 15, 1648

  • 31 indictments between 1648-1691

• • 8 convictions, 5 executions

  • Notable gap in executions from 1656-1688

• The Goodwin Children Case

• • Goody Glover trial as Salem's precursor

  • Cotton Mather's "Memorable Providences" (1689, 1691)

• • How the Goodwin children became the model for Salem's afflicted

  
  

  Witch Trials Beyond New England

  Virginia

• • First accusation: Joan Wright (1626)

  • William Harding conviction (1656)

• • Grace Sherwood, "Witch of Pungo" - water ordeal trial (1706)

  Maryland

• • Multiple accusations investigated

  • Rebecca Fowler execution (1685)

• • John Cowman conviction

  
  

  New Hampshire

• • Goody Cole trials across jurisdictions

  • Massachusetts Bay control influence

  Salem's Wider ImpactThe 1692-1693 Salem Witch Trials affected numerous communities:

  • Andover

  • Boston

  • Maine and New Hampshire territories

  • Connecticut spinoff: Katharine Branch case (1692)

  • First witch trial execution in colonial America: Alice Young, 1647

  • Total colonial witch trial scope: Over 65 indictments across multiple colonies

  • Geographic spread: From Connecticut to Maine, Virginia to Maryland

  • Timeline: 45+ years of witch trials before Salem

  • Legal precedents: How earlier trials shaped Salem procedures

  Check out the hosts' companion podcast: The Thing About Witch Hunts for deeper dives into European witch trial history and modern witchcraft persecution worldwide.

  Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project

  Massachusetts Court of Oyer and Terminer Documents, ⁠The Salem Witch Trials Collection, Peabody Essex Museum

  Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt

  The Thing About Salem Website

  ⁠The Thing About Salem YouTube

  ⁠The Thing About Salem Patreon

  ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts YouTube⁠
  ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts Website

Episode Overview

It wasn't moldy bread, mass hysteria, or girls dabbling in magic. Join hosts Josh and Sarah (whose ancestors lived through these events) as they uncover the real forces that created one of America's darkest chapters.

What You'll Discover

• The Real Causes: Multiple explosive factors that turned Salem into a powder keg

• Political Chaos: How governmental instability set the stage for tragedy

• Community Tensions: The deadly mix of wealth gaps, frontier trauma, and religious conflict

• The Spark: What actually triggered the first accusations in January 1692

• • Modern Relevance: Why these lessons matter for recognizing witch hunts today

  
  

  Key Topics Explored

• ✓ Belief systems that made witchcraft accusations believable

  ✓ Political upheaval following the revocation of Massachusetts' Royal Charter

  ✓ Controversial judicial decisions like allowing "spectral evidence"

  ✓ Economic anxieties from King William's War and previous conflicts

  ✓ European witchcraft beliefs that influenced New England thinking

  ✓ The snowball effect that made accusations spiral out of control

  
  

  Why This Episode Matters

  Learn the complex, interconnected causes behind one of history's most misunderstood events. Discover how fear-mongering, scapegoating, and abandoning rational thinking can lead entire communities astray—and why these patterns still matter today.

  Perfect for history buffs, true crime fans, and anyone who wants to separate Salem facts from fiction in just 15 minutes.

  
  

  Tags: #SalemWitchTrials #AmericanHistory #TrueCrime #HistoryPodcast #Massachusetts #Colonial #WitchHunts

  
  

  Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project

  Massachusetts Court of Oyer and Terminer Documents, ⁠The Salem Witch Trials Collection, Peabody Essex Museum

  Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt

  The Thing About Salem Website

  ⁠The Thing About Salem YouTube

  ⁠The Thing About Salem Patreon

  ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts YouTube

  
  ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts Website

What happens when your only defense against a death sentence is a handwritten letter? In 1692 Salem, petitions became lifelines for the accused, their families, and entire communities caught in the witch trial hysteria.

In this episode, we explore:

• Mary Esty's remarkable final petition that prioritized saving others over herself

• The creative legal strategies colonists used to challenge "spectral evidence"

• How torture was used to extract confessions (and documented in writing)

• The economic reality of having family members imprisoned for witchcraft

• Community petitions that reveal the social chaos engulfing entire towns

• Why some people recanted their confessions—and what that tells us about coercion

From character witness statements to desperate pleas from prison, these historical documents reveal the human cost of mass hysteria and the courage it took to speak truth to power with nothing but ink and parchment.

Plus: The meaningful modern connection—how middle schoolers in 2022 successfully petitioned to clear a victim's name, and why there's still a bill before Massachusetts legislature today.

Perfect for history buffs, true crime fans, and anyone fascinated by how ordinary people navigate extraordinary circumstances.

Keywords: Salem witch trials, historical petitions, spectral evidence, Mary Esty, colonial justice system, Massachusetts history

Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project

Massachusetts Court of Oyer and Terminer Documents, ⁠The Salem Witch Trials Collection, Peabody Essex Museum

Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt

The Thing About Salem Website

⁠The Thing About Salem YouTube

⁠The Thing About Salem Patreon

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts YouTube

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts Website