John Proctor
Born: c. 1632
Died: 19 August 1692 (execution by hanging)
Birthplace: England
Best known as: The first man executed in the Salem witch
hunts
John Proctor was the real person who inspired a
character of the same name in The Crucible, Arthur Miller's 1953 play about
witch trials in Massachusetts. In 1692, doctors and ministers in Salem blamed
Satan for a coma-like sickness affecting two
village girls. More reported "afflictions" resulted in a trial of some two
dozen citizens for witchcraft, largely based on the testimony of pre-teen
girls. Proctor, a tavern keeper on nearby farmland, publicly criticized the
hysteria and found himself accused. He was among 20 people executed for
refusing to confess. Portrayed as 30 years old in The
Crucible, he was really about 60. He had 18 children by three wives:
Martha (died 1659), Elizabeth Thorndike (died 1672), and Elizabeth Bassett,
also accused of witchcraft but spared execution because she was
pregnant.
Read more: John
Proctor Biography (Witch Trial Defendant) — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/johnproctor.html#ixzz29TPy51pU
Died: 19 August 1692 (execution by hanging)
Birthplace: England
Best known as: The first man executed in the Salem witch
hunts
John Proctor was the real person who inspired a
character of the same name in The Crucible, Arthur Miller's 1953 play about
witch trials in Massachusetts. In 1692, doctors and ministers in Salem blamed
Satan for a coma-like sickness affecting two
village girls. More reported "afflictions" resulted in a trial of some two
dozen citizens for witchcraft, largely based on the testimony of pre-teen
girls. Proctor, a tavern keeper on nearby farmland, publicly criticized the
hysteria and found himself accused. He was among 20 people executed for
refusing to confess. Portrayed as 30 years old in The
Crucible, he was really about 60. He had 18 children by three wives:
Martha (died 1659), Elizabeth Thorndike (died 1672), and Elizabeth Bassett,
also accused of witchcraft but spared execution because she was
pregnant.
Read more: John
Proctor Biography (Witch Trial Defendant) — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/johnproctor.html#ixzz29TPy51pU
Abigail Williams
Abigail Williams
Written by Melissa M. Yost, 2002
Salem Witch Trials in History and Literature
An Undergraduate Course, University of Virginia
Spring Semester 2002
Abigail Williams, aged 11 or 12 in 1692, played a
major role in the Salem Witch trials as one of the prominent
accusers. She lived with her uncle, the Rev. Samuel Parris, Salem Village's
minister. Although it was ordinary practice for young girls to
live with relatives to learn about housewifery, we know very
little about Abigail, including where she was born and who her parents
were.
The traditional story about the beginning of the
Salem Witch trials tells of a "circle of young girls"
practicing voodoo and fortune telling under the direction of Samuel Parris'
Indian slave, Tituba. It is commonly suggested that the
girls were interested in fortune telling because they wanted
to know the occupation of their future husbands. Even though this version is
perpetrated in historical works and literature, there is no
record of any sort of group fortune telling in Parris's
household or linkage between Tituba, voodoo, and the girls. Reverend Hale, a
local minister, revealed in his 1702 work, Modest Enquiry
into the Nature of Witchcraft, that he knew one of the
afflicted girls had experimented with fortune-telling in order to find out her
future husband's profession, but Reverend Hale fails to name
the girl in question.
Mary Beth Norton's work, In the Devil's Snare
extinguished the myth surrounding the beginning of the Salem
Witch trials. According to historical fact, both Abigail and her 9-year-old
cousin Betty began showing signs of illness in mid-January
1692. When their behavior turned erratic, Samuel Parris
called neighboring Reverend John Hale of Beverly to observe the two girls and
their afflictions. Reverend Hale writes that the girls,
"were bitten and pinched by invisible agents; their arms,
necks and backs turned this way and that way and returned back again so as it
was impossible for them to do of themselves and beyond the
power of any Epileptic Fits or natural Disease to effects."
Parris and other local ministers turned to prayer and fasting in hopes that
Abigail and Betty would return to health. When the girls' strange
behavior continued, Parris summoned Dr. William Griggs to
examine them. Dr. Griggs determined that the girls were under the
influence of an "Evil Hand."
With talk of witchcraft spreading in the Village,
the girls were questioned about who was afflicting them. On
February 29th 1692, a formal complaint was issued against Tituba, Sarah
Osborne, and Sarah Good for afflicting Betty, Abigail, and other
local girls such as Ann Putnam, Jr. who had began to suffer
fits. Abigail Williams along with the other afflicted girls appeared
at the trial hearings. In the presence of Good, Tituba, and Osborne
Abigail suffered fits and outbursts. Abigail testified she
"saw the apparition of said Sarah Good at her examination pinch
Elizabeth Hubbard and set her into fits and also Elizabeth Parris and Ann
Putnam, Jr."
Abigail's accusations continued and included
complaints against Martha Cory, George Burroughs, Bridget
Bishop, Elizabeth and John Proctor, Mary Easty, John Willard, Mary Witheridge,
and Rebecca Nurse. Overall Abigail Williams made 41 legal
complaints and gave formal testimony in seven cases. Bernard
Rosenthal estimates she was involved in at least 17 capital cases. It is
important to remember, however, that without the legal complaints of
the adults the testimony of minors would have never been
heard in court, as unmarried women and minors had no legal standing.
During Elizabeth Proctor's examination, Abigail
revealed she witnessed Elizabeth's specter along with 40
other witches partake in a sacrament of blood drinking outside of the Parris
house. She even named Sarah Cloyce and Sarah Good as the
deacons presiding over the ceremony. Abigail went on to
accuse Elizabeth's husband John Proctor whose specter sat on her chest at night
and pinched her. She also accused Martha Cory's specter of
tempting her to put her hand on the Devil's book. In
addition, Rebecca Nurse's apparition tried to choke, pinch, and tempt Abigail
into the fire. Abigail also accused Nurse of attending the
Devil's sacrament.
It is not clear why Abigail suffered fits and went
on to accuse many respectable people. Historians Norton and
Roach speculate that it involved the attention she received. Young girls in
Puritan society did not receive much consideration and perhaps
Abigail, displaced from her immediate family, craved this
unusual attention and authority over adults. It appears that some
of her contemporaries were skeptical of Abigail's behavior. Joseph
Hutchinson of Salem Village attempted to discredit Abigail's
accusations and implicitly accused her of witchcraft. He
testified that Abigail told him that she could now talk to the devil as well as
she could converse with him.
Even though Abigail played a major role as an
accuser at the beginning of the trials, especially in March,
April, and May, she gave her last testimony on June 3rd 1692. There is no
historical documentation suggesting why Abigail virtually
disappeared from the court hearings. In addition, there are
no records indicating what happened to Abigail after the events of 1692. It
is suggested that she never married and died a single woman, but
without any evidence we will never be quite certain.
Written by Melissa M. Yost, 2002
Salem Witch Trials in History and Literature
An Undergraduate Course, University of Virginia
Spring Semester 2002
Abigail Williams, aged 11 or 12 in 1692, played a
major role in the Salem Witch trials as one of the prominent
accusers. She lived with her uncle, the Rev. Samuel Parris, Salem Village's
minister. Although it was ordinary practice for young girls to
live with relatives to learn about housewifery, we know very
little about Abigail, including where she was born and who her parents
were.
The traditional story about the beginning of the
Salem Witch trials tells of a "circle of young girls"
practicing voodoo and fortune telling under the direction of Samuel Parris'
Indian slave, Tituba. It is commonly suggested that the
girls were interested in fortune telling because they wanted
to know the occupation of their future husbands. Even though this version is
perpetrated in historical works and literature, there is no
record of any sort of group fortune telling in Parris's
household or linkage between Tituba, voodoo, and the girls. Reverend Hale, a
local minister, revealed in his 1702 work, Modest Enquiry
into the Nature of Witchcraft, that he knew one of the
afflicted girls had experimented with fortune-telling in order to find out her
future husband's profession, but Reverend Hale fails to name
the girl in question.
Mary Beth Norton's work, In the Devil's Snare
extinguished the myth surrounding the beginning of the Salem
Witch trials. According to historical fact, both Abigail and her 9-year-old
cousin Betty began showing signs of illness in mid-January
1692. When their behavior turned erratic, Samuel Parris
called neighboring Reverend John Hale of Beverly to observe the two girls and
their afflictions. Reverend Hale writes that the girls,
"were bitten and pinched by invisible agents; their arms,
necks and backs turned this way and that way and returned back again so as it
was impossible for them to do of themselves and beyond the
power of any Epileptic Fits or natural Disease to effects."
Parris and other local ministers turned to prayer and fasting in hopes that
Abigail and Betty would return to health. When the girls' strange
behavior continued, Parris summoned Dr. William Griggs to
examine them. Dr. Griggs determined that the girls were under the
influence of an "Evil Hand."
With talk of witchcraft spreading in the Village,
the girls were questioned about who was afflicting them. On
February 29th 1692, a formal complaint was issued against Tituba, Sarah
Osborne, and Sarah Good for afflicting Betty, Abigail, and other
local girls such as Ann Putnam, Jr. who had began to suffer
fits. Abigail Williams along with the other afflicted girls appeared
at the trial hearings. In the presence of Good, Tituba, and Osborne
Abigail suffered fits and outbursts. Abigail testified she
"saw the apparition of said Sarah Good at her examination pinch
Elizabeth Hubbard and set her into fits and also Elizabeth Parris and Ann
Putnam, Jr."
Abigail's accusations continued and included
complaints against Martha Cory, George Burroughs, Bridget
Bishop, Elizabeth and John Proctor, Mary Easty, John Willard, Mary Witheridge,
and Rebecca Nurse. Overall Abigail Williams made 41 legal
complaints and gave formal testimony in seven cases. Bernard
Rosenthal estimates she was involved in at least 17 capital cases. It is
important to remember, however, that without the legal complaints of
the adults the testimony of minors would have never been
heard in court, as unmarried women and minors had no legal standing.
During Elizabeth Proctor's examination, Abigail
revealed she witnessed Elizabeth's specter along with 40
other witches partake in a sacrament of blood drinking outside of the Parris
house. She even named Sarah Cloyce and Sarah Good as the
deacons presiding over the ceremony. Abigail went on to
accuse Elizabeth's husband John Proctor whose specter sat on her chest at night
and pinched her. She also accused Martha Cory's specter of
tempting her to put her hand on the Devil's book. In
addition, Rebecca Nurse's apparition tried to choke, pinch, and tempt Abigail
into the fire. Abigail also accused Nurse of attending the
Devil's sacrament.
It is not clear why Abigail suffered fits and went
on to accuse many respectable people. Historians Norton and
Roach speculate that it involved the attention she received. Young girls in
Puritan society did not receive much consideration and perhaps
Abigail, displaced from her immediate family, craved this
unusual attention and authority over adults. It appears that some
of her contemporaries were skeptical of Abigail's behavior. Joseph
Hutchinson of Salem Village attempted to discredit Abigail's
accusations and implicitly accused her of witchcraft. He
testified that Abigail told him that she could now talk to the devil as well as
she could converse with him.
Even though Abigail played a major role as an
accuser at the beginning of the trials, especially in March,
April, and May, she gave her last testimony on June 3rd 1692. There is no
historical documentation suggesting why Abigail virtually
disappeared from the court hearings. In addition, there are
no records indicating what happened to Abigail after the events of 1692. It
is suggested that she never married and died a single woman, but
without any evidence we will never be quite certain.
Reverend Hale
-In 1692, John Hale was 56 years old.
-His parish was in Beverly on what is now Cabot Street.
-His wife, Sarah Noyes Hale was a cousin of Nicholas Noyes, minister of the
Salem Town church.
-In 1680, Hale had come to the defense of Bridget in the case in Boston
regarding her bewitchment of Thomas Oliver.
-On March 11, 1692 Hale, with the Reverend Noyes, was asked by The Reverend
Parris to observe the girl’s afflictions. Even though it appeared to them that
the girls were bewitched, they suggested that Parris fast and pray and wait
before crying out on anyone for witchcraft.
-Hale was the only eye-witness to the afflictions of the girls who recorded
them in writing.
-Betty Parris later confessed to Hale that it was the fortune-telling the
girls had participated in that began the trouble.
-In July, Hale testified against accused witch, Dorcas Hoar, with whom he had
had many conversations about her fortune telling. Hale’s (now-dead) daughter had
suspected that Hoar was trying to kill her—a fear which Hale had tried to
assuage. His testimony revealed that Hoar had continued to tell fortunes (many
of which had to do with healthy children dying) long after she had assured him
that she had “renounced or rejected all such practices”.
-In 1697, Hale wrote A Modest Inquiry into the
Nature of Witchcraft in which he processes the trials in hindsight. In it
he explains how his own experiences witnessing a witchcraft trial at the age of
12 affected his view of the 1692 trials. He comments on the judiciousness of the
magistrates, notes the power of the afflictions, yet suggest that wrongs may
have been done. He also lists the chief texts or precedents used by the
justices. They are Sir Mathew Hale’s (no relation) Trial of Witches,
Joseph Glanvill’s Collection of Sundry Trials in England and Ireland,
Richard Bernard’s Guide to Grand Jury Men, and Richard Baxter’s
Certainty of the World of Spirit’s.
-His parish was in Beverly on what is now Cabot Street.
-His wife, Sarah Noyes Hale was a cousin of Nicholas Noyes, minister of the
Salem Town church.
-In 1680, Hale had come to the defense of Bridget in the case in Boston
regarding her bewitchment of Thomas Oliver.
-On March 11, 1692 Hale, with the Reverend Noyes, was asked by The Reverend
Parris to observe the girl’s afflictions. Even though it appeared to them that
the girls were bewitched, they suggested that Parris fast and pray and wait
before crying out on anyone for witchcraft.
-Hale was the only eye-witness to the afflictions of the girls who recorded
them in writing.
-Betty Parris later confessed to Hale that it was the fortune-telling the
girls had participated in that began the trouble.
-In July, Hale testified against accused witch, Dorcas Hoar, with whom he had
had many conversations about her fortune telling. Hale’s (now-dead) daughter had
suspected that Hoar was trying to kill her—a fear which Hale had tried to
assuage. His testimony revealed that Hoar had continued to tell fortunes (many
of which had to do with healthy children dying) long after she had assured him
that she had “renounced or rejected all such practices”.
-In 1697, Hale wrote A Modest Inquiry into the
Nature of Witchcraft in which he processes the trials in hindsight. In it
he explains how his own experiences witnessing a witchcraft trial at the age of
12 affected his view of the 1692 trials. He comments on the judiciousness of the
magistrates, notes the power of the afflictions, yet suggest that wrongs may
have been done. He also lists the chief texts or precedents used by the
justices. They are Sir Mathew Hale’s (no relation) Trial of Witches,
Joseph Glanvill’s Collection of Sundry Trials in England and Ireland,
Richard Bernard’s Guide to Grand Jury Men, and Richard Baxter’s
Certainty of the World of Spirit’s.
Samuel Parris
Samuel Parris
One of the most notorious personalities in Salem,
the Rev. Samuel Parris represents to some the danger of
religious power when wielded by self-centered and deceptive
individuals. To others, his antipathy towards his opponents in
Salem Village was simply a small factor in the larger picture of the
Salem witch trials. In either case, the persecution of "witches" began
in his household, and through that point extended deeply into the
American psyche. One cannot help but question the amount of
responsibility that Parris, who began preaching about the work of
the Devil in his parish holds for the events of 1692.
One of the most notorious personalities in Salem,
the Rev. Samuel Parris represents to some the danger of
religious power when wielded by self-centered and deceptive
individuals. To others, his antipathy towards his opponents in
Salem Village was simply a small factor in the larger picture of the
Salem witch trials. In either case, the persecution of "witches" began
in his household, and through that point extended deeply into the
American psyche. One cannot help but question the amount of
responsibility that Parris, who began preaching about the work of
the Devil in his parish holds for the events of 1692.
Tituba
Tituba Indian holds one of the most infamous (yet still debated) places in the
history of the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Tituba was an Indian
slave in the service of Reverend Samuel Parris, in whose home
the diagnosis of witchcraft was first made. She was the first
accused (along with Sarah Osborne) and was also the first to
confess. Tituba's confession set a precedent and pattern that would run the
course of the trials -- accused witches confessed and then became
accusers themselves, thereby validating the previous
accusations and the need for continuing investigations and
trials, as the court desired. Though Tituba was not executed for her
participation as a "detestable Witch," she was forced to
languish in jail for thirteen months after Parris refused to
pay her imprisonment costs. She was finally freed from jail
when an unknown person redeemed her jail fees and took her from the
Village. Nothing is known about her life beyond Salem
Village.
history of the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Tituba was an Indian
slave in the service of Reverend Samuel Parris, in whose home
the diagnosis of witchcraft was first made. She was the first
accused (along with Sarah Osborne) and was also the first to
confess. Tituba's confession set a precedent and pattern that would run the
course of the trials -- accused witches confessed and then became
accusers themselves, thereby validating the previous
accusations and the need for continuing investigations and
trials, as the court desired. Though Tituba was not executed for her
participation as a "detestable Witch," she was forced to
languish in jail for thirteen months after Parris refused to
pay her imprisonment costs. She was finally freed from jail
when an unknown person redeemed her jail fees and took her from the
Village. Nothing is known about her life beyond Salem
Village.