Portrait of a witch, 1692

October 14, 12:40 PMBoston Genealogy ExaminerRobin C. Mason

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A witch's brew.

Generally, we think of witches as old hags, widows who lived on the outskirts of their community, often bad mannered and physically offensive. Sometimes we even add the image of someone who was known for healing powers, such as an herbalist or midwife, or one who brewed noxious remedies to inflict pain and suffering on others.

Yes, there were widows accused as witches in 1692, but so were young mothers and little girls. Men and boys were not exempt either. It’s difficult to create a profile of a witch because the accused ran the gamut from beggar to rich merchant, law-breaker to minister---and everything in between.

In the 17th century, many people believed in witches and witchcraft. Their ancestors lived through witch-hunts in the Old World, where thousands of witches were burned at the stake. They learned from Sabbath-day sermons that the Devil was using witches to undermine the Puritan church. And they heard rumors of witches already wreaking havoc in New England.

Accusations went flying. The accused lived in Salem Town, in Salem Village (now Danvers), throughout Essex county, and even in Maine. Some were very well known in the neighborhood, others weren’t known or even recognized by their accusers.

Since not all the Salem court documents still exist, it’s difficult to even account for how many people were accused; about 150 were imprisoned, 19 hanged, one crushed to death, and at least five died in prison.

To learn more, check out the Salem Witch Trials: Documentary Archive and Transcription Project (University of Virginia) or the Famous American Trials: Salem Witchcraft Trials 1692 (by the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law). Both sites include 17th-century court records and historic maps.

See also: 
Keeping the witch trials in perspective 
Salem recreates the 1692 witch hysteria
Witch-hunting facts through the ages 
Recording the Salem witch trials 
Genealogies of the victims of the 1692 witch hunt 
The Devil is in the details: a timeline of the 1692 witch hunt 
Samuel Sewall: Salem witch judge

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