It is hosted by the University of Virginia, but the Project Staff is international. Over 150 people were arrested for allegedly using witchcraft to inflict harm on their fellow townspeople, resulting in the executions of 20 people and the prison deaths of five more. Peabody Essex Museum . In January 1692, 9-year-old Elizabeth (Betty) Parris and 11-year-old Abigail Williams (the daughter and niece of Samuel Parris, minister of Salem Village) began having fits, including violent contortions and uncontrollable outbursts of screaming. Just as the jails were filling up with accused witches, the number of those claiming affliction also ramped up. The Salem Witch Trials occurred just as Europe's "witchcraft craze'' from the 14th to 17th centuries was winding down, where an estimated tens of thousands of European witches, mostly women, were executed. Elizabeth Balch, wife of Benjamin Balch Jr., and her sister, Abigail Walden, also testified against Sarah Bishop, claiming they heard Edward accuse Elizabeth of entertaining Satan at night. Girls started saying they were getting the devil. The Salem Village Accusations Map shows the day-by-day accusations the month of March, 1692. Edward Bishop and Sarah Bishop were arrested on April 21 of 1692 with Sarah's stepmother Sarah Wildes, William and Deliverance Hobbs, Nehemiah Abbott Jr., Mary Easty, Mary Black and Mary English. When pious men and women who were in good standing in their own churches were accused, there was pushback, says Burns. Salem included much of the North Shore, including Marblehead. The 16-year-old daughter of Captain Jonathan Walcott, leader of the Salem Village militia, was related to the Putnam family by marriage; Ann Jr. was her step-cousin. Sarah Osborne ( ne Warren) - died in prison (May 10, 1692) before she could be tried. She later rejoined the ranks of the accusers and testified against the Proctors, whom she claimed had tricked her into signing the devils book, and numerous other accused witches. Visit The Salem Witch Museum | Salem, MA Visit About the Museum The Salem Witch Museum examines one of the most enduring and emotional events in American History, the Salem witch trials of 1692. Family tradition says that as a boy young Roger met Sir Walter Raleigh. The dark tourism that surrounds The Salem Witch Trials has been an intriguing topic of conversation for more than three centuries, due to the intense wave of hysteria they caused . Witchcraft, History Matters. When the trial for Sarah Bishop came along Elizabeth Balch testified against her. Belief in the supernaturaland specifically in the devils practice of giving certain humans (witches) the power to harm others in return for their loyaltyhad emerged in Europe as early as the 14th century, and was widespread in colonial New England. Five more people were hanged that July; five in August and eight more in September. The initial accusers were Betty Parris (age 9) and . It didnt have to go any further than those three, says Burns, but they didnt have a way to defend themselves. The witch trials in Salem in the year 1692 was a scowling time in American history. Co./George Eastman House/Getty Images. 2 a sucking child dyed in prison before the Mothers Execution. READ MORE: 5 Notable Women Hanged in the Salem Witch Trials, Though the respected minister Cotton Mather had warned of the dubious value of spectral evidence (or testimony about dreams and visions), his concerns went largely unheeded during the Salem witch trials. He and his wife Hannah signed a petition protesting the accusations against Rebecca Nurse. Historical Insights The Salem Witch Trials During the year-and-a-half-long inquisition at the end of the 17th century known as the Salem Witch Trials, even the pious became suspect in small town New England. The Superior Court of Judicature, formed to replace the witchcraft court, did not allow spectral evidence. In January of 1692, the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris of Salem Village became ill. William Griggs, the village doctor, was called in when they failed to improve. She was daughter of John Woodbury (d 1673) & his wife Elizabeth. In his petition he wrote: To The Honourable Committee The humble representation Willm. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/edward-and-sarah-bishop-biography-3530317. Salem Witch Museum. Plan to allow at least one hour for your visit. The girls complained of bites, contorted their bodies, threw things, and fell into trances. His diagnosis of bewitchment put into motion the forces that would ultimately result in the hanging deaths of 19 men and women. An NEH-funded film revisits the Puritan Separatists who arrived aboard theMayflower. Testimony, provided by Elizabeth, would cost Sarah Bishop her life. It wasnt so much whether specters existed, it was how you interpret it. Though popularly referred to as "the Salem witch trials," accusations had spread throughout Essex County and beyond. Though she began showing signs of affliction early in the crisis, she apparently recovered after John Proctor, an outspoken critic of the witch trials, threatened to beat her. A strong belief in the devil, factions amongSalem Village familiesand rivalry with nearby Salem Town combined with a recent small pox epidemic and the threat of attack by warring tribes created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion. During the trial, Tituba confessed to having seen the devil and also stated that there was a coven, or group, of witches in the Salem Village area. So that was tantamount to saying Rebecca Nurse gave the devil permission to go out and afflict these girls in her image.. By Amber C. Snider. There were 156 official complaints and maybe 200 accused, along with 70 afflicted persons, nine judges, dozens of jurors and . (Note: this deposition was previously published in the Newsletter of the Balch House Associates in October 1979 incorrectly indicating that it referred to Bridget Bishop, the first 'witch' hanged at Salem Village. The Salem witch trials have gripped American imaginations ever since they occurred in 1692. The main accusers were a group of girls and young women from Salem Village who are often referred to as the "afflicted girls" because they claimed that witches were afflicting them by attacking them and making them ill. The accused were interrogated in public. She gave her last testimony before the court in early June 1692, and no record exists of her life after the trials. SALEM, MA Hundreds of documents from the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, which have been held at the Peabody Essex Museum's Phillips Library in Salem for the past four decades, will be. Phips pardoned all those sentenced to be executed by Stoughton in January 1693. A land grant of 1,000 acres was given to five men in 1627 in the northernmost, waterfront area of Salem, or the "Bass River Side." A dense forest separated Bass River Side from the rest of Salem. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Though Good and Osborn denied their guilt, Tituba confessed. Hathorne and Corwin could have said, Okay, we dont buy this. Hale stated that "Edward Bishop's would have been a house if great profaneness and iniquity" if the behavior had not been stopped. Edward Bishop may have been the son of Edward Bishop, the husband of Bridget Bishop. the mark of Abigail walden. Known for her tendency to go into trances in the courtroom, she claimed frequently to be tormented by the specters of the accused. In January 1697, the Massachusetts General Court declared a day of fasting for the tragedy of the Salem witch trials; the court later deemed the trials unlawful, and the leading justice Samuel Sewall publicly apologized for his role in the process. Sister of John Woodbury; Hannah Dodge; Mary Conant and Abigail Walden This article is available for unedited republication, free of charge, using the following credit: Originally published as Records of the Salem Witch Trialsin the Winter 2022 issue ofHumanitiesmagazine, a publication of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Please notify us atpublications@neh.govif you are republishing it or have any questions. This presentation focuses on the European witch trials and the background leading to the Salem witch trials. Salem Witch Trials: The Hysteria Spreads Salem Witch Trials: Conclusion and Legacy The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem. By September 1692, people were starting to think that the trials weren't fair. In all, 19 were hanged, one pressed to death, and five others died in jail. By early 1692, the 19-year-old was living in Salem Village and working as a servant in the household of Thomas and Ann Putnam Sr. The rear of the Balch House, seen from Cabot Street. Brought before the judges in April 1692, she was confronted with her past statement that the afflicted persons did but dissemble, or fake their symptoms. Sarah Good, a beggar and mother, Sarah Osborne, a woman who hadnt attended church in some time, and Tituba, Parriss Indian slave, were all charged with witchcraft. 2. After their trial their son, Samuel Bishop recovered their property. 19 1/2 Washington Square North Website designed and developed by Sperling Interactive. Picture Information. The city of Salem attracts visitors today as the harbor and rivers and fields of Naumkeag drew Roger Conant over 300 years ago. The events have also inspired countless TV shows, films, and even musical genres. Presided over by judges including Hathorne, Samuel Sewall and William Stoughton, the court handed down its first conviction, against Bridget Bishop, on June 2; she was hanged eight days later on what would become known as Gallows Hill in Salem Town. Thirteen womenand five men from all stations of life followed her to the gallows onthree successive hanging daysbefore the court was disbanded by Governor William Phipps in October of that year. Little Elizabeth had been fine just days before when she returned home with a neighbor, Goodwife Ayres. In additionone man was pressed to death; several others died in prison, and the lives of many were irrevocably changed. Five more were hanged in August and eight in September. https://www.historicbeverly.net/visit/our-locations/balch-house/. at a time when America was convulsed by a new epidemic of witchhunting, The Crucible brilliantly explores the threshold between individual guilt and mass hysteria, personal spite and collective evil." The Scottish Ballet performs Helen Picketts ballet version of The Crucible, Arthur Millers play based on the Salem witch trials of 1692. Edward and Sarah were jailed in Salem and then in Boston, and their property was seized. of the sufferings of his family upon the account of supposed Witchcraft. The 12-year-old daughter of Thomas Putnam and his wife, Ann Carr Putnam, became one of the most prolific accusers of the trials, naming and/or testifying against more than 60 people. After Conants death, the colony suffered through the witch trials of 1692. Though adult womenand a few menaccused their neighbors of witchcraft in 1692, the core group of accusers were girls. Two Salem Village church members, Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse, five ministers, and four ministers' wives stood accused, as well as other leading members of the colony. ), 1:75, Los Angeles Public Library, 929.2 D269. Abigail, age eleven, and Betty, age nine, were telling their fortunes by the light of the fire. But the damage was done, and it was devastating. All Rights Reserved. Salem Witch Museum This page was last modified on 26 February 2015, at 13:35. According to Historic Beverly, the forest was considered "not safe to cross due to marauding Indians and witches." The Salem Witch Museum examines one of the most enduring and emotional events in American History, the Salem witch trials of 1692. Trouble in the tiny Puritan village started in February 1692, when eleven-year-old Abigail Williams and nine-year-old Elizabeth Parris, daughter of Reverend Samuel Parris, began acting strangely. If it had been another time, it might just have stopped there. In addition, seven other accused witches died in jail, while the elderly Giles Corey (Marthas husband) was pressed to death by stones after he refused to enter a plea at his arraignment. He died at the age of 18 in 1690. ), p. 34, Los Angeles Public Library, Gen 974 T694. Visitors can choose to mask or not. The girls were having a type of epileptic fit and would scream out . 164 F vi. Elizabeth Balch, along with her sister Abigail Walden, made testimony against Sarah Bishop and both signed their testimonies with the first letter of their first names. They were accused of witchcraft based on spectral evidence, which meant the court accepted testimony that disembodied spirits, or specters, were sent through dreams or visions by the accused with the help of Satan to harm the victims by stabbing, choking, biting, and jabbing them with pins. Did you know? Inscribed in the stone threshold entering the memorial are the victims' protests of innocence. Children from this marriage were: + 159 F i. The new court released those awaiting trial and pardoned those awaiting execution. It was not exactly known as a bastion of tranquillity in New England. READ MORE: Before America Had Witch Trials, Europe Had Werewolf Trials. Most of the accused in the Salem witch trials lived in nearby "Salem Village", now known as Danvers, although a few lived on the outskirts of Salem. Mercy Lewis survived a bloody raid in 1689 by Wabanaki Native Americans in Casco Bay (present-day Portland, Maine), during which both of her parents were killed. Free shipping . Soon after that, Warren herself was accused of witchcraft. Visitors experience the drama of that dark time though thirteen life-size stage sets, figures, lighting and narration as they are witness to the web of lies and intrigue of the Salem witch-hunt. You know a witch was arrested in Chelmsford and another up in Ipswich. A period of less than a year caused such turmoil that Salem, Massachusetts, is still widely known for the trials. The 500-plus pages of legal documents that tell the story of the infamous Salem Witch Trials are returning to the Massachusetts Judicial Archives, officials said on Thursday. ), pp. The tradition was English superstition: crack an egg into a glass of water, then wait for it to settle into shape. Geni requires JavaScript! 2023 Copyright To understand the events of theSalem Witch Trials, it is necessary to examine the times in which accusations of witchcraft occurred. Aug 15 1654 - Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America, 1698 - Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, Anna Balch, Joseph Balch, Ebenezer Balch, Abigail Rainsford (born Balch), Elizabeth Balch, Ruth Wood (born Balch). They were during the Colonial times. The big discussion was whether the devil could impersonate somebody with or without their permission. The museum consists of two presentations. Before America Had Witch Trials, Europe Had Werewolf Trials, Women Weren't the Only Victims of the Salem Witch Trials. The New York Post explains about The Crucible play that ". October 19, 2021. Paranoia was sweeping Salem, and Elizabeth wasbeing examined by a local judge on suspicion of witchcraft. We will continue to monitor city, state and CDC guidelines and may make changes to this policy as needed. Historian Carol Karlsen has argued that Hubbard and some of the other accusers in similar circumstances may have wanted to "focus the communities' concern on their difficulties." A witchcraft trial where Mary Walcott is shown as a witness. Source: http://www.cyberancestors.com/cummins/ps56/ps56_288.htm, http://www.cyberancestors.com/cummins/ps56/ps56_288.htm, http://www.familylore.org/index.php?title=Elizabeth_Woodbury&oldid=2983. The Archive also contains educational information, such as biographical profiles, a collection of images containing portraits of notable people involved in the trials, pictures of important historic sites, historical paintings and published illustrations taken from 19th and early 20th century literary and historical works. Based on twenty-seven years of original archival research, including the discovery of previously unknown documents, this day-by-day narrative of the hysteria that swept through Salem Village in 1692 and 1693 reveals new connections behind the events, and shows how rapidly a community can descend into bloodthirsty madness. One of the most fascinating and frightening episodes in American history, the Salem Witch Trials have inspired innumerable books, movies, and televisions shows, and continue to live large in our . I, myself, have come across the Salem Witch Trail mentions of our Balch family. 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