Last convicted Salem witch exonerated
Timeline of Elizabeth Johnson Jr.’s conviction to exoneration for the Salem witch trials of 1692.
Tag: William Phips
Confessions of accused witches, part 4
Examination of George Burroughs
A conversation between Tony Fels and Margo Burns about the confessions during the Salem witch trials. Read the original post, part 1, part 2, and part 3. Margo Burns responds: Tony: Thanks for your thoughtful reply, but I still don’t accept …
An interview with Professor Emerson W. Baker, part 4
Cotton Mather wrote the only government-approved book about the Salem witch trials.
Governor Phips created one of the first large-scale government coverups in American history by curbing free speech.
Capitalizing on seasonal interest in the Salem witch trials
Every October it’s inevitable that new publications on the Salem witch trials are published. It’s odd because the witches of our Halloween imaginations have nothing to do with the innocent people hanged in 1692. This time one of the new …
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The Salem witch trials and the Body of Liberties laws
When the witch hunt started in Salem Village in February 1692, the Massachusetts colonists were waiting for Rev. Increase Mather to return home from England with a new governor, Sir William Phips, and joint monarchs William & Mary’s new charter. …
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No ‘memento mori’ for Mary
Sometimes you’re so sure your ancestor is buried in a certain cemetery, but you can’t find any proof. Unfortunately, someone went too far. Besides the obvious lines to keep the lettering straight, you can tell by the B, the Y, …
Treasures of the court house
The Supreme Judicial Court celebrated its 325th anniversary in Salem in January 2018. Previously known as the Superior Court of Judicature, this high court took over after the Court of Oyer and Terminer was dismissed by Governor William Phips in …
Q&A with Juliet Mofford on Abigail Accused: A Story of the Salem Witch Hunt
Recently, Juliet Haines Mofford published a historical novel on Abigail (Dane) Faulkner, accused of witchcraft in 1692 in Andover, Massachusetts. I had some questions for the author of The Devil Made Me Do It: Crime and Punishment in Early New …
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