The Long Shadow of Accusation: Examining the Lives of the Accused in the Salem Witch Trials

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During the notorious Salem witch trials in the late 17th century, a number of individuals were accused of practicing witchcraft and faced severe consequences. The accused list is a compilation of the names of people who were formally charged and put on trial for these alleged crimes. The Salem witch trials took place in Salem Village, Massachusetts, between 1692 and 1693. It began when a group of young girls, including Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, exhibited strange behavior which was believed to be the result of witchcraft. This sparked a wave of accusations and hysteria in the community, as people sought to seek out the witches responsible. The accused list contains the names of individuals who were identified as suspects by the accusers during the trials.



Accused of Witchcraft 1692

Arthur Abbott
Nehemiah Abbott Jr.
John Alden
Daniel Andrew
Abigail Barker
Mary Barker
William Barker Jr.
William Barker Sr.
Sarah Bassett
Bridget Bishop
Edward Bishop Jr.
Sarah Bishop
Mary Black
Mary Bradbury
Mary Bridges Jr.
Mary Bridges Sr.
Sarah Bridges
Hannah Bromage
Sarah Buckley
George Burroughs
Candy
Andrew Carrier
Martha Carrier
Richard Carrier
Sarah Carrier
Thomas Carrier Jr.
Hannah Carroll
Bethiah Carter Jr.
Bethiah Carter Sr.
Elizabeth Cary
Sarah Churchill
Mary Clark
Rachel Clinton
Sarah Cloyce
Sarah Cole
Sarah Cole
Elizabeth Colson
Mary Colson
Giles Corey
Martha Corey
Deliverance Dane
Phebe Day
Mary DeRich
Elizabeth Dicer
Rebecca Dike
Ann Dolliver
Mehitable Downing
Joseph Draper
Lydia Dustin
Sarah Dustin
Daniel Eames
Rebecca Eames
Esther Elwell
Martha Emerson
Joseph Emmons
Mary English
Philip English
Mary Estey
Thomas Farrar Sr.
Edward Farrington
Abigail Faulkner Jr.
Abigail Faulkner Sr.
Dorothy Faulkner
John Flood
Elizabeth Fosdick
Ann Foster
Nicholas Frost
Eunice Frye
Dorothy Good
Sarah Good
Mary Green
Thomas Hardy
Elizabeth Hart
Margaret Hawkes
Sarah Hawkes
Dorcas Hoar
Abigail Hobbs
Deliverance Hobbs
William Hobbs
Elizabeth How
John Howard
Frances Hutchins
Mary Ireson
John Jackson Jr.
John Jackson Sr.
George Jacobs Jr.
George Jacobs Sr.
Margaret Jacobs
Rebecca Jacobs
Abigail Johnson
Elizabeth Johnson Jr.
Elizabeth Johnson Sr.
Rebecca Johnson Jr.
Rebecca Johnson Sr.
Stephen Johnson
Mary Lacey Jr.
Mary Lacey Sr.
Jane Lilly
Mary Marston
Susannah Martin
Sarah Morey
Rebecca Nurse
Sarah Osburn
Mary Osgood
Elizabeth Paine
Alice Parker
Mary Parker
Sarah Parker
Sarah Pease
Joan Penny
Hannah Post
Mary Post
Susannah Post
Margaret Prince
Benjamin Proctor
Elizabeth Proctor
John Proctor
Sarah Proctor
William Proctor
Ann Pudeator
Wilmot Redd
Sarah Rice
Susannah Roots
Abigail Rowe
Mary Rowe
Henry Salter
John Sawdy
Elizabeth Scargen
Margaret Scott
Ann Sears
Abigail Soames
Henry Somers
Martha Sparks
Mary Taylor
Tituba
Job Tookey
Margaret Toothaker
Mary Toothaker
Roger Toothaker
Peter Tufts’ servant
Hannah Tyler
Johannah Tyler
Martha Tyler
Mary Tyler
Rachel Vincent
Mercy Wardwell
Samuel Wardwell Sr.
Sarah Wardwell
Mary Warren
Sarah Wilds
Ruth Wilford
John Willard
Sarah Wilson Jr.
Sarah Wilson Sr.
Mary Witheridge

Check out Margo Burns’ People Accused of Witchcraft in 1692 list to discover what happened to each person as available in the original legal records and contemporary accounts. This is not a definitive list, since records have been lost.

The 19: The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials is one of the most significant and defining periods in the history of the United States. In February of 1692, accusations of witchcraft and devil worship began to fly among the residents in the village of Salem. Neighbors accused neighbors, friends turned on friends, and family even sold each other out to avoid persecution.

The charge of witchcraft was a serious offense in the Puritanical towns of the New World. The accused were often found guilty and sentenced to death. In what is now thought to be an episode of mass hysteria, over two hundred people were accused of selling their soul to the devil for use of his magic. Of those two hundred people, nineteen were convicted and sentenced to death. These are their stories.

The accused list contains the names of individuals who were identified as suspects by the accusers during the trials. Many of those who were accused were women, though men and children were also among the accused. The reasons for accusation varied, but often included strange behavior, disputes with neighbors, or simply being associated with someone else who had already been accused.

Illness, Accusations, and Family Feuds

Photo by Kayla Brasel

There were many people accused of practicing witchcraft in Salem and the surrounding villages in the 1690’s. The history of paganism and the occult dates back thousands of years, so the concept of these witch hunts was not a new idea.

What made this particular set of events stand out is the sheer number of people accused and that it was the first event of this magnitude to take place in the new world. The new colonies were founded on a sense of hope and freedom, and almost overnight, people began to fear for their lives and the safety of their loved ones.

The initial accusations came to light in February of 1692, when four young girls started suffering from uncontrollable hysterical fits. When western medicine could not fix it, the people began to blame the spiritual realm for their problems.

This initial group of girls consisted of Betty Parris, Anne Putnam, Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Hubbard, and all of them began to insist that they were being harrassed by ghostly figures.

They claimed that these spectres would pinch or choke them and that they resembled women who lived in and around Salem. The first women accused of witchcraft in 1692 were Sarah Osborne, Sarah Good, and a slave named Tituba.

These women were all outcasts of Salem society which may have made them targets. Many scholars today believe that a feud involving the Putnam and Porter families was the basis for many of the Anne Putnam’s accusations during the trials.

Though three women were initially suspected of practicing black magic, the list of “witches’ began to grow fast. Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse were subject to accusation in March, followed by Giles Corey, Briget Bishop, Sarah Wildes, and Mary Eastey.

Toward the end of April the list grew even longer after Susannah Martin, George Jacob Sr., John Willard, Anne Pudeator and Alice Parker were arrested as well. Martha Carrier, Wilmot Red, Elizabeth Howe, and even Reverend George Burroughs were all believed to be practitioners of the dark arts.

Mary Parker, Margaret Scott, John Proctor, and Samuel Wardwell were also brought before the courts on suspicion of practicing witchcraft. The list of the accused grew to over two hundred people, including family members, spouses, friends, and neighbors of the nineteen convicted during the trial.

Salem witch trials accused list

Some of the prominent names on the accused list include Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba. Sarah Good was known for her impoverished status and was accused of being a witch due to her alleged disruptive behavior. Sarah Osborne, an elderly woman who had not been to church in a while, was also accused of witchcraft. Tituba, a slave from Barbados, was accused of introducing witchcraft to the girls and fueling their behavior. The accused list grew rapidly as more and more individuals were accused by the girls and the community. The trials were conducted in a court of law, with the accused having limited rights and facing biased judgments. Many of those who were accused were found guilty and sentenced to death, while others faced imprisonment or public shaming. It is important to note that the accusations made during the Salem witch trials were largely based on superstition and fear, rather than actual evidence. The trials were heavily influenced by Puritan beliefs and a general fear of the supernatural. Today, the Salem witch trials serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of hysteria, prejudice, and the importance of due process and evidence in the legal system..

Reviews for "The Accused List and its Significance in the Salem Witch Trials"

1. Kelly Johnson - 1 star
I found the "Salem witch trials accused list" to be incredibly disappointing. The list lacked any sort of context or analysis, and simply provided a list of names without any explanation or background information. It left me with so many unanswered questions: Who were these people? What evidence was used to accuse them? What happened to them? Without these crucial details, the list felt meaningless and left me feeling frustrated.
2. David Thompson - 2 stars
While the "Salem witch trials accused list" provided a comprehensive list of names, I found it to be lacking in depth and analysis. It failed to explore the reasons behind the trials, the social context of the time, and the impact it had on the accused and the community. I was hoping for a more comprehensive examination of the events, but instead, I was left with a superficial account that felt incomplete and unfulfilling.
3. Sarah Collins - 2 stars
As someone who is interested in history, I was excited to read the "Salem witch trials accused list." However, I found it to be a shallow and uninformative resource. It simply listed the names of the accused without providing any background information or context. I was left wanting more, as I had hoped for a deeper understanding of the trials and the people involved. Overall, I was disappointed by the lack of depth and analysis in this list.
4. Michael Miller - 1 star
The "Salem witch trials accused list" was a complete waste of my time. It provided no new information or insights into the trials. The list was simply a compilation of names, lacking any analysis or explanation. It felt like a lazy attempt at providing historical information, as if the author couldn't be bothered to do any real research. I would not recommend this list to anyone interested in learning about the Salem witch trials.

The Accused: Who Were the Individuals Targeted in the Salem Witch Trials?

Accused and Condemned: The Names on the List from the Salem Witch Trials