On 10 August 1692, 22-year-old Elizabeth Johnson Jr. of Andover, Massachusetts, was arrested for witchcraft. Probably influenced by 7-year-old Sarah and 10-year-old Thomas Carrier’s confessions, she told Justice Dudley Bradstreet that she too was baptized by Martha Carrier and participated …
Civics in action: Exonerating Elizabeth Johnson Jr. Read more »
After the major restoration work on headstones, box tombs, and landscaping at the Charter Street Cemetery, Salem, Massachusetts, let’s look back at this historic burying ground through the photos of Frank Cousins, circa 1890-1920.
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 …
A conversation between Tony Fels and Margo Burns about the confessions during the Salem witch trials. Read the original post, part 1, and part 2. Tony Fels responds. Margo, I’m afraid you have posited a straw argument concerning the confessors …
A conversation between Tony Fels and Margo Burns about the confessions during the Salem witch trials. Read the original post and part 1. Margo Burns responds. Tony, respectfully, it’s necessary to look at the historical data more closely—per case and …
Tony Fels and Margo Burns discuss the meaning of the 1692 Salem witch-hunt confessions.
By Tony Fels On June 7, 2021, the NPR show, “Here and Now,” aired a segment on the 400th birthday of Rebecca Nurse, broadcast from the Rebecca Nurse Homestead in Danvers (formerly Salem Village), Massachusetts. Readers of Witches of Massachusetts …
Giles Corey’s punishment during the Salem witch trials.
No doubt Samuel Sewall never anticipated his private diaries would be widely read and quoted by historians and others interested in the minutiae of his life. As a family man, merchant, and part-time judge, Sewall faced common challenges that rocked …
Richard Francis: From Sewall biographer to Salem witch trials storyteller Read more »
Massachusetts Bay Colony had numerous issues with pirates, from Dixey Bull to Blackbeard. During the interim (post-Andros, pre-Phips) government, the Court of Assistants ruled on a piracy case involving several men from Salem. The final verdicts would reverberate throughout the …