The Salem witch trials, famously known as one of the darkest periods in American history, occurred between 1692 and 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts. During this time, numerous individuals were accused of practicing witchcraft, leading to the execution of 20 people. This note aims to provide a list of some of the accused witches in Salem, highlighting the tragic events that unfolded during this period. 1. Tituba: Tituba, an enslaved woman from Barbados, was one of the first persons accused of witchcraft in Salem. She was known for telling stories of witchcraft to young girls, and her confession played a significant role in fueling the witch hunt.

Group seeks to clear names of all accused, convicted or executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts

In this Sept. 16, 2023 photo, provided by Alexina Jones, people dressed as witches gather near a newly installed marker, in Pownal, Vt., that recognizes the survivor of Vermont’s only recorded witch trial. Widow Krieger was said to have escaped drowning in the Hoosic River when tried as a witch in 1785, according to the Legends and Lore marker. (Alexina Jones via AP)

In this Sept. 2023 photo, provided by Alexina Jones, a newly installed marker, in Pownal, Vt., recognizes the survivor of Vermont’s only recorded witch trial. Widow Krieger was said to have escaped drowning in the Hoosic River when tried as a witch in 1785, according to the Legends and Lore marker. (Alexina Jones via AP)

In this Sept. 16, 2023 photo, provided by Alexina Jones, people dressed as witches gather for a witches’ walk in Pownal, Vt., to a newly installed marker recognizing the survivor of Vermont’s only recorded witch trial. Widow Krieger was said to have escaped drowning in the Hoosic River when tried as a witch in 1785, according to the Legends and Lore marker. (Alexina Jones via AP)

This Oct. 25, 2023 photo shows a plaque memorializing Goodwife Ann Glover or Goody Glover, hanged as a witch in Boston in 1688, is located on the front of a Catholic church in the city’s North End neighborhood. It’s one of the reminders of a dark period in the city’s history. A group of history buffs and descendants of both those accused of witchcraft and their accusers are pressing state lawmakers to officially clear the names of all those accused, arrested, or indicted for witchcraft in Massachusetts, home of the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692-1693 that claimed the lives of 20 accused witches. (AP Photo/Steve LeBlanc)

This Oct. 25, 2023 photo shows the Boston grave site of Samuel Sewall, a judge in the 1692-1693 Salem witch trials who later issued a public confession, taking “the blame and shame of the trials and asking for forgiveness. A group of history buffs and descendants of both those accused of witchcraft and their accusers are pressing state lawmakers to officially clear the names of all those accused, arrested, or indicted for witchcraft in Massachusetts, home of the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692-1693 that claimed the lives of 20 individuals. (AP Photo/Steve LeBlanc)

In this Sept. 16, 2023 photo, provided by Alexina Jones, people dressed as witches gather near a newly installed marker, in Pownal, Vt., that recognizes the survivor of Vermont’s only recorded witch trial. Widow Krieger was said to have escaped drowning in the Hoosic River when tried as a witch in 1785, according to the Legends and Lore marker. (Alexina Jones via AP)

In this Sept. 16, 2023 photo, provided by Alexina Jones, people dressed as witches gather near a newly installed marker, in Pownal, Vt., that recognizes the survivor of Vermont’s only recorded witch trial. Widow Krieger was said to have escaped drowning in the Hoosic River when tried as a witch in 1785, according to the Legends and Lore marker. (Alexina Jones via AP)

In this Sept. 2023 photo, provided by Alexina Jones, a newly installed marker, in Pownal, Vt., recognizes the survivor of Vermont’s only recorded witch trial. Widow Krieger was said to have escaped drowning in the Hoosic River when tried as a witch in 1785, according to the Legends and Lore marker. (Alexina Jones via AP)

In this Sept. 2023 photo, provided by Alexina Jones, a newly installed marker, in Pownal, Vt., recognizes the survivor of Vermont’s only recorded witch trial. Widow Krieger was said to have escaped drowning in the Hoosic River when tried as a witch in 1785, according to the Legends and Lore marker. (Alexina Jones via AP)

In this Sept. 16, 2023 photo, provided by Alexina Jones, people dressed as witches gather for a witches’ walk in Pownal, Vt., to a newly installed marker recognizing the survivor of Vermont’s only recorded witch trial. Widow Krieger was said to have escaped drowning in the Hoosic River when tried as a witch in 1785, according to the Legends and Lore marker. (Alexina Jones via AP)

In this Sept. 16, 2023 photo, provided by Alexina Jones, people dressed as witches gather for a witches’ walk in Pownal, Vt., to a newly installed marker recognizing the survivor of Vermont’s only recorded witch trial. Widow Krieger was said to have escaped drowning in the Hoosic River when tried as a witch in 1785, according to the Legends and Lore marker. (Alexina Jones via AP)

This Oct. 25, 2023 photo shows a plaque memorializing Goodwife Ann Glover or Goody Glover, hanged as a witch in Boston in 1688, is located on the front of a Catholic church in the city’s North End neighborhood. It’s one of the reminders of a dark period in the city’s history. A group of history buffs and descendants of both those accused of witchcraft and their accusers are pressing state lawmakers to officially clear the names of all those accused, arrested, or indicted for witchcraft in Massachusetts, home of the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692-1693 that claimed the lives of 20 accused witches. (AP Photo/Steve LeBlanc)

This Oct. 25, 2023 photo shows a plaque memorializing Goodwife Ann Glover or Goody Glover, hanged as a witch in Boston in 1688, is located on the front of a Catholic church in the city’s North End neighborhood. It’s one of the reminders of a dark period in the city’s history. A group of history buffs and descendants of both those accused of witchcraft and their accusers are pressing state lawmakers to officially clear the names of all those accused, arrested, or indicted for witchcraft in Massachusetts, home of the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692-1693 that claimed the lives of 20 accused witches. (AP Photo/Steve LeBlanc)

This Oct. 25, 2023 photo shows the Boston grave site of Samuel Sewall, a judge in the 1692-1693 Salem witch trials who later issued a public confession, taking “the blame and shame of the trials and asking for forgiveness. A group of history buffs and descendants of both those accused of witchcraft and their accusers are pressing state lawmakers to officially clear the names of all those accused, arrested, or indicted for witchcraft in Massachusetts, home of the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692-1693 that claimed the lives of 20 individuals. (AP Photo/Steve LeBlanc)

This Oct. 25, 2023 photo shows the Boston grave site of Samuel Sewall, a judge in the 1692-1693 Salem witch trials who later issued a public confession, taking “the blame and shame of the trials and asking for forgiveness. A group of history buffs and descendants of both those accused of witchcraft and their accusers are pressing state lawmakers to officially clear the names of all those accused, arrested, or indicted for witchcraft in Massachusetts, home of the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692-1693 that claimed the lives of 20 individuals. (AP Photo/Steve LeBlanc)

BOSTON (AP) — In 1648, Margaret Jones, a midwife, became the first person in Massachusetts — the second in New England — to be executed for witchcraft, decades before the infamous Salem witch trials .

Nearly four centuries later, the state and region are still working to come to grips with the scope of its witch trial legacy.

The latest effort comes from a group dedicated to clearing the names of all those accused, arrested or indicted for witchcraft in Massachusetts, whether or not the accusations ended in hanging.

The Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project, made up of history buffs and descendants, is hoping to persuade the state to take a fuller reckoning of its early history, according to Josh Hutchinson, the group’s leader.

Hundreds of individuals were accused of witchcraft in what would become the Commonwealth of Massachusetts between 1638 and 1693. Most escaped execution.

While much attention has focused on clearing the names of those put to death in Salem, most of those caught up in witch trials throughout the 1600s have largely been ignored, including five women hanged for witchcraft in Boston between 1648 and 1688.

“It’s important that we correct the injustices of the past,” said Hutchinson, who noted he counts both accusers and victims among his ancestors. “We’d like an apology for all of the accused or indicted or arrested.”

For now, the group has been collecting signatures for a petition but hopes to take their case to the Statehouse.

Among those accused of witchcraft in Boston was Ann Hibbins, sister-in-law to Massachusetts Gov. Richard Bellingham, who was executed in 1656. A character based on Hibbins would later appear in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter,” published in 1850.

Another accused Boston witch, known as Goodwife Ann Glover or Goody Glover, was hanged in the city in 1688. A plaque dedicated to her is located on the front of a Catholic church in the city’s North End neighborhood, describing her as “the first Catholic martyr in Massachusetts.” It’s one of the few physical reminders of the city’s witch trial history.

The witch justice group helped successfully spearhead a similar effort in Connecticut, home of the first person executed for witchcraft in the American colonies in 1647 -- Alse Young. The last witchcraft trial in Connecticut happened in 1697 and ended with the charges being dismissed.

Connecticut state senators in May voted by 34-1 to absolve 12 women and men convicted of witchcraft — 11 of whom were executed — more than 370 years ago and apologize for the “miscarriage of justice” that occurred over a dark 15-year-period of the state’s colonial history.

The resolution, which lists the nine women and two men who were executed and the one woman who was convicted and given a reprieve, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 121-30. Because it’s a resolution, it doesn’t require the governor’s signature.

For many, the distant events in Boston, Salem and beyond are both fascinating and personal. That includes David Allen Lambert, chief genealogist for the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Lambert counts his 10th great grandmother — Mary Perkins Bradbury — among the accused who was supposed to be hanged in 1692 in Salem but escaped execution.

“We can’t change history but maybe we can send the accused an apology,” he said. “It kind of closes the chapter in a way.”

Massachusetts has already made efforts to come to terms with its history of witch trials — proceedings that allowed “spectral evidence” in which victims could testify that the accused harmed them in a dream or vision.

That effort began almost immediately when Samuel Sewall, a judge in the 1692-1693 Salem witch trials, issued a public confession in a Boston church five years later, taking “the blame and shame of” the trials and asking for forgiveness.

In 1711, colonial leaders passed a bill clearing the names of some convicted in Salem.

In 1957, the state Legislature issued a kind of apology for Ann Pudeator and others who “were indicted, tried, found guilty, sentenced to death and executed” in 1692 for witchcraft. The resolution declared the Salem trials “shocking, and the result of a wave of popular hysterical fear of the Devil in the community.”

In 2001, acting Gov. Jane Swift signed a bill exonerating five women executed during the witch trials in Salem.

In 2017, Salem unveiled a memorial for the victims . The ceremony came 325 years to the day when Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin, Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Wildes were hanged at a site in Salem known as Proctor’s Ledge. Nineteen were hanged during the Salem witch trials while a 20th victim was pressed to death.

In 2022, lawmakers exonerated Elizabeth Johnson Jr., clearing her name 329 years after she was convicted of witchcraft in 1693 and sentenced to death at the height of the Salem witch trials. Johnson is believed to be the last accused Salem witch to have her conviction set aside.

Other states have worked to confront similar histories.

In Pownal, Vermont, a town that borders Massachusetts and New York, a dedication ceremony was held last month for a historical marker recognizing the survivor of Vermont’s only recorded witch trial. Widow Krieger was said to have escaped drowning in the Hoosic River when tried as a witch in 1785, according to the Legends and Lore marker.

Accusers believed witches floated but Krieger sank and was saved, the marker states.

The Sept. 16 dedication ceremony included a witches’ walk, in which people dressed as witches walked across a bridge to the marker site along the Hoosic River.

“I am sure Widow Krieger would have been quite happy to join our witches’ walk today in defiance of those who feel they have the right to accuse someone they feel looks different, acts different or has a personality that they might find odd, of being a witch,” said Joyce Held, a member of the Pownal Historical Society, which worked with the Bennington Museum to get the marker.

She was known for telling stories of witchcraft to young girls, and her confession played a significant role in fueling the witch hunt. 2. Sarah Good: Sarah Good was a homeless woman who found herself at the center of the accusations.

___

AP reporter Lisa Rathke in Marshfield, Vermont, contributed.

Switching Sides : How a Generation of Historians Lost Sympathy for the Victims of the Salem Witch Hunt

In Switching Sides, Tony Fels explains that for a new generation of historians influenced by the radicalism of the New Left in the 1960s and early 1970s, the Salem panic acquired a startlingly different meaning. Determined to champion the common people of colonial New England, dismissive toward liberal values, and no longer instinctively wary of utopian belief systems, the leading works on the subject to emerge from 1969 through the early 2000s highlighted economic changes, social tensions, racial conflicts, and political developments that served to unsettle the accusers in the witchcraft proceedings. These interpretations, still dominant in the academic world, encourage readers to sympathize with the perpetrators of the witch hunt, while at the same time showing indifference or even hostility toward the accused.

Switching Sides is meticulously documented, but its comparatively short text aims broadly at an educated American public, for whom the Salem witch hunt has long occupied an iconic place in the nation’s conscience. Readers will come away from the book with a sound knowledge of what is currently known about the Salem witch hunt—and pondering the relationship between works of history and the ideological influences on the historians who write them.

“With vivacious prose, palpable passion, and powerful reasoning, he delivers a book that is dramatic and dynamic. A rare work of critical historiography that could actually matter, Switching Sides is a brilliant and impassioned volume that will be a must-read for all students of early America.” —Michael W. Zuckerman, author of Peaceable Kingdoms

Massachusetts Group Seeks To Clear Names Of Hundreds Of Accused Witches

Massachusetts is working to fully atone for its witch trial legacy nearly 400 years after the first person was executed there for witchcraft.

BOSTON (AP) — In 1648, Margaret Jones, a midwife, became the first person in Massachusetts — the second in New England — to be executed for witchcraft, decades before the infamous Salem witch trials.

Nearly four centuries later, the state and region are still working to come to grips with the scope of its witch trial legacy.

The latest effort comes from a group dedicated to clearing the names of all those accused, arrested or indicted for witchcraft in Massachusetts, whether or not the accusations ended in hanging.

The Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project, made up of history buffs and descendants, is hoping to persuade the state to take a fuller reckoning of its early history, according to Josh Hutchinson, the group’s leader.

Hundreds of individuals were accused of witchcraft in what would become the Commonwealth of Massachusetts between 1638 and 1693. Most escaped execution.

While much attention has focused on clearing the names of those put to death in Salem, most of those caught up in witch trials throughout the 1600s have largely been ignored, including five women hanged for witchcraft in Boston between 1648 and 1688.

“It’s important that we correct the injustices of the past,” said Hutchinson, who noted he counts both accusers and victims among his ancestors. “We’d like an apology for all of the accused or indicted or arrested.”

In this Sept. 16 photo provided by Alexina Jones, people dressed as witches gather for a witches' walk in Pownal, Vt., to a newly installed marker recognizing the survivor of Vermont's only recorded witch trial.

For now, the group has been collecting signatures for a petition but hopes to take their case to the Statehouse.

Among those accused of witchcraft in Boston was Ann Hibbins, sister-in-law to Massachusetts Gov. Richard Bellingham, who was executed in 1656. A character based on Hibbins would later appear in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter,” published in 1850.

Another accused Boston witch, known as Goodwife Ann Glover or Goody Glover, was hanged in the city in 1688. A plaque dedicated to her is located on the front of a Catholic church in the city’s North End neighborhood, describing her as “the first Catholic martyr in Massachusetts.” It’s one of the few physical reminders of the city’s witch trial history.

The witch justice group helped successfully spearhead a similar effort in Connecticut, home of the first person executed for witchcraft in the American colonies in 1647 ― Alse Young. The last witchcraft trial in Connecticut happened in 1697 and ended with the charges being dismissed.

Connecticut state senators in May voted by 34-1 to absolve 12 women and men convicted of witchcraft — 11 of whom were executed — more than 370 years ago and apologize for the “miscarriage of justice” that occurred over a dark 15-year-period of the state’s colonial history.

The resolution, which lists the nine women and two men who were executed and the one woman who was convicted and given a reprieve, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 121-30. Because it’s a resolution, it doesn’t require the governor’s signature.

For many, the distant events in Boston, Salem and beyond are both fascinating and personal. That includes David Allen Lambert, chief genealogist for the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Lambert counts his 10th great grandmother — Mary Perkins Bradbury — among the accused who was supposed to be hanged in 1692 in Salem but escaped execution.

“We can’t change history but maybe we can send the accused an apology,” he said. “It kind of closes the chapter in a way.”

Massachusetts has already made efforts to come to terms with its history of witch trials — proceedings that allowed “spectral evidence” in which victims could testify that the accused harmed them in a dream or vision.

That effort began almost immediately when Samuel Sewall, a judge in the 1692-1693 Salem witch trials, issued a public confession in a Boston church five years later, taking “the blame and shame of” the trials and asking for forgiveness.

In 1711, colonial leaders passed a bill clearing the names of some convicted in Salem.

In 1957, the state Legislature issued a kind of apology for Ann Pudeator and others who “were indicted, tried, found guilty, sentenced to death and executed” in 1692 for witchcraft. The resolution declared the Salem trials “shocking, and the result of a wave of popular hysterical fear of the Devil in the community.”

In 2001, acting Gov. Jane Swift signed a bill exonerating five women executed during the witch trials in Salem.

In 2017, Salem unveiled a memorial for the victims. The ceremony came 325 years to the day when Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin, Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Wildes were hanged at a site in Salem known as Proctor’s Ledge. Nineteen were hanged during the Salem witch trials while a 20th victim was pressed to death.

In 2022, lawmakers exonerated Elizabeth Johnson Jr., clearing her name 329 years after she was convicted of witchcraft in 1693 and sentenced to death at the height of the Salem witch trials. Johnson is believed to be the last accused Salem witch to have her conviction set aside.

Other states have worked to confront similar histories.

In Pownal, Vermont, a town that borders Massachusetts and New York, a dedication ceremony was held last month for a historical marker recognizing the survivor of Vermont’s only recorded witch trial. Widow Krieger was said to have escaped drowning in the Hoosic River when tried as a witch in 1785, according to the Legends and Lore marker.

Accusers believed witches floated but Krieger sank and was saved, the marker states.

The Sept. 16 dedication ceremony included a witches’ walk, in which people dressed as witches walked across a bridge to the marker site along the Hoosic River.

“I am sure Widow Krieger would have been quite happy to join our witches’ walk today in defiance of those who feel they have the right to accuse someone they feel looks different, acts different or has a personality that they might find odd, of being a witch,” said Joyce Held, a member of the Pownal Historical Society, which worked with the Bennington Museum to get the marker.

List of people of the Salem witch trials facts for kids

This is a list of people associated with the Salem Witch Trials, a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between March 1692 and May 1693. The trials resulted in the executions of twenty people, most of whom were women.

The central figure in this 1876 illustration of the courtroom in the Salem witch trials is usually identified Mary Walcott, one of the accusers.

Surnames in parentheses preceded by "née" indicate birth family maiden names (if known) of married women, who upon marriage generally took their husbands' surnames. Due to the low population of the Massachusetts North Shore at the time of the trials, a significant percentage of local residents were related to other local residents through descent or by marriage. Many of the witchcraft accusations were driven at least in part by acrimonious relations between the families of the plaintiffs and defendants. Unless otherwise specified, dates provided in this list use Julian-dated month and day but New Style-enumerated year (i.e., years begin on January 1 and end on December 31, in the modern style).

Due to her poverty and social status, she easily became a target for witchcraft allegations. Good maintained her innocence throughout the trials but was ultimately found guilty and executed. 3. Sarah Osborne: Another woman accused of witchcraft, Sarah Osborne, had brought suspicion upon herself due to her unconventional lifestyle. As a widow who often lived alone, she was seen as a prime candidate for witchcraft involvement. 4. Bridget Bishop: Known for her outspoken and independent nature, Bridget Bishop was the first person to be executed during the Salem witch trials. She was perceived as a woman with questionable moral character, which led to her being accused of witchcraft. 5. Martha Corey: Martha Corey's accusation came as a surprise to many, as she was a respected and upstanding member of the community. Her husband's vocal skepticism about the witch trials may have contributed to her prosecution, highlighting the hysteria that gripped Salem at the time. 6. Rebecca Nurse: Rebecca Nurse, an elderly woman deeply devoted to her church, was wrongly accused of witchcraft. Despite her virtuous reputation and the outpouring of support from her community, she was wrongfully convicted and executed. 7. John Proctor: One of the most prominent figures caught up in the witch trials was John Proctor. His refusal to accept the validity of the accusations and his criticism of the court led to his arrest and subsequent execution. Proctor's story is well-known due to its portrayal in Arthur Miller's play, "The Crucible." 8. Elizabeth Proctor: The wife of John Proctor, Elizabeth, was also accused of witchcraft. Although she was initially spared from execution, she remained imprisoned until the trials came to an end. The accused witches in Salem were subjected to unfair trials, relying heavily on spectral evidence and testimonies from young girls who claimed to be afflicted by their bewitchment. The witch hunt brought fear, paranoia, and devastation to the community, leading to a widespread realization of the magnitude of the tragedy that had unfolded. Today, the events in Salem serve as a reminder of the dangers of mass hysteria, the importance of due process, and the fragile nature of justice..

Reviews for "Unmasking the Accused: The Complete Roster of Witches in Salem"

1. Emily - 2 stars

I found the "List of accused witches in Salem" to be quite disappointing. While it provides a comprehensive list of the accused witches in the Salem Witch Trials, it lacks any substantial analysis or critical evaluation of the events. The book reads more like a dry encyclopedia entry rather than an engaging piece of historical literature. I was hoping for a deeper exploration into the societal factors that led to the witch trials and the impact they had on the individuals involved. Unfortunately, this book failed to deliver on those expectations.

2. Daniel - 1 star

I cannot express how unimpressed I was with the "List of accused witches in Salem." It simply provided a list of names without any context or explanation. The author missed a golden opportunity to delve into the historical significance of each accused witch and the mindset of the people during that time period. The entire book felt rushed and half-hearted. It seemed more like a lazy attempt to cash in on the popularity of the Salem Witch Trials rather than a genuine effort to educate or enlighten readers.

3. Samantha - 2 stars

As someone who is fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials, I was excited to get my hands on the "List of accused witches in Salem." However, I was sorely disappointed by what I found. The book merely listed the names of the accused witches without providing any additional information or analysis. I was hoping for a more in-depth exploration of their stories, the evidence against them, and the overall impact on society. The lack of context and substance made the book feel incomplete and left me wanting more.

4. John - 1 star

I don't understand the hype around the "List of accused witches in Salem." It was nothing more than a tedious list of names with no meaningful explanation or historical context. If you already have a basic understanding of the Salem Witch Trials, this book will do nothing to enhance your knowledge. Even for those new to the topic, it fails to provide any real insights or engaging storytelling. Overall, I found it to be a shallow and uninformative read.

Revealing the Accused: Names and Fates of the Witches of Salem