Salem Witch Trials Timeline

The Salem Witch Trials Timeline chronicles a dark chapter in American history, a period of intense paranoia, religious fervor, and social division that led to the persecution and execution of innocent individuals. This timeline details the key events that unfolded in and around Salem Village (now Danvers), Massachusetts, during the late 17th century, offering a glimpse into the circumstances that fueled the infamous witch hunt.

Early Colonial Context (Pre-1692)

• 1626: The village of Naumkeag, later renamed Salem, is settled in Massachusetts, marking the beginning of European colonization in the area.

• 1636: Salem Village, primarily an agricultural community, is established approximately five miles north of the more commercially focused Salem Town. This geographical and economic separation would contribute to social tensions later.

• 1641: English law officially recognizes witchcraft as a capital crime, setting the legal stage for future accusations and trials in the colonies.

• 1648-1663: A wave of witch hunts sweeps across New England, resulting in approximately 80 individuals being accused of witchcraft.

• June 15, 1648: Margaret Jones of Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, becomes the first person executed for witchcraft in New England. A herbalist, midwife, and self-described physician, Jones’s knowledge and independence likely made her a target of suspicion. Twelve more women and two more men would be executed before the witch hunt ended in 1663.

• 1669: Susannah Martin of Salisbury, Massachusetts, is accused of witchcraft but the charges are dismissed by a higher court. This shows the uneven application of justice and the potential for accusations to be overturned.

• October 8, 1672: Salem Village gains greater autonomy by becoming a separate parish from Salem Town, authorized to levy taxes for public works, employ a minister, and construct a meetinghouse.

• Spring 1673: The Salem Village meeting house (church) is constructed, serving as the center of community life and religious observance.

• 1673-1679: James Bayley serves as minister of the Salem Village church. His tenure is marked by controversy over his ordination, payment disputes, and even slander lawsuits.

• 1679: Simon Bradstreet becomes governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Bridget Bishop of Salem Village is accused of witchcraft but the Reverend John Hale testified for her and the charges were dropped.

• 1680: Elizabeth Morse of Newbury is convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to death but was reprieved.

• 1680-1683: The Reverend George Burroughs serves as minister of the Salem Village church. Similar to his predecessor, he faces challenges in being ordained and leaves due to a bitter salary dispute, even facing arrest for debt.

• 1684: The Reverend Deodat Lawson becomes the minister in Salem Village.

• October 23, 1684: The Massachusetts Bay Colony charter is annulled, ending self-government. Sir Edmund Andros is appointed governor of the newly defined Dominion of New England, a move unpopular with the colonists.

• 1685: Cotton Mather, son of Boston’s North Church minister Increase Mather, is ordained and joins his father in ministry. The Mathers would later play significant roles in the events of 1692.

• 1687: Bridget Bishop is accused of witchcraft for a second time and acquitted.

• Spring 1688: The Reverend Deodat Lawson leaves Salem Village due to ordination and payment issues.

• Summer 1688: Ann "Goody" Glover is accused of bewitching John Goodwin’s children in Boston. After a doctor suggests witchcraft as the cause of their illness, Glover is arrested and, facing language barriers, convicted.

• June 1688: The Reverend Samuel Parris arrives in Salem Village as a candidate for minister.

• November 16, 1688: Ann "Goody" Glover is hanged for witchcraft in Boston, marking the last execution for witchcraft in that city. This event likely influenced the subsequent hysteria in Salem Village.

• 1689: Increase Mather and Sir William Phips petition William and Mary, the new rulers of England, to restore the Massachusetts colony’s charter. Cotton Mather publishes Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions.

• October 1689: The Salem Village church grants Reverend Samuel Parris a full deed to the parsonage, violating congregational rules.

• November 19, 1689: The Salem Village church covenant is signed, including Reverend Samuel Parris and 27 full members. Parris is officially ordained.

• 1691: William and Mary replace the Massachusetts Bay Colony charter with a new one establishing the Province of Massachusetts Bay. They appoint Sir William Phips as royal governor.

• October 16, 1691: Some villagers vow to remove Reverend Samuel Parris from Salem Village and cease contributing to his salary, leading Parris to preach about a Satanic conspiracy against him and the church.

The Hysteria Begins (1692)

• Winter 1691-92: Nine-year-old Elizabeth Parris and her cousin, Abigail Williams, daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris, begin experimenting with fortune-telling, a prohibited activity in the Puritan community.

• January 8, 1692: Representatives of Salem Village petition Salem Town for independence or, at least, to have Salem Village residents taxed only for Salem Village expenses.

• January 15-19, 1692: Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Parris begin displaying erratic behavior, including fits, babbling, and contortions. Ann Putnam, Jr. and other Salem Village girls soon exhibit similar symptoms. The Salem Witch Trials Timeline notes these behaviors are strikingly similar to those of the Goodwin children in 1688.

• About February 24, 1692: Doctor Griggs, attending to the "afflicted girls," suggests witchcraft as a possible cause of their behavior.

• Late February 1692: Reverend Samuel Parris leads prayer services and community fasting to combat the perceived evil forces.

• February 25, 1692: Mary Sibley instructs John Indian, Tituba’s husband, to bake a "witch cake" using rye meal and the girls’ urine to feed to a dog, a practice from English folk magic intended to identify the witch.

• February 26, 1692: Under pressure, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams identify Tituba, a slave in the Parris household, as the source of their affliction. They also accuse Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne of witchcraft.

• February 27, 1692: Ann Putnam, Jr. and Elizabeth Hubbard also experience torments and accuse Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne.

• February 29, 1692: Magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin issue warrants for the arrest of Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba.

• March 1-7, 1692: Hathorne and Corwin examine Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne. Tituba confesses to witchcraft and implicates Good and Osborne as her accomplices.

• March 12, 1692: Ann Putnam, Jr. accuses Martha Corey of witchcraft.

• March 19, 1692: Abigail Williams accuses Rebecca Nurse of witchcraft.

• March 21, 1692: Martha Corey is arrested and examined by Magistrates Hathorne and Corwin.

• March 23, 1692: An arrest warrant is issued for Rebecca Nurse.

• March 24, 1692: Four-year-old Dorcas Good is arrested and examined.

• March 26, 1692: Magistrates and Reverend John Higginson question Dorcas Good again.

• March 30, 1692: Rachel Clinton was accused by her neighbors of witchcraft and was examined by local magistrates there.

• April 3, 1692: Sarah Cloyce, after defending her sister, Rebecca Nurse, is accused of witchcraft.

• April 11, 1692: Hathorne and Corwin examine Sarah Cloyce and Elizabeth Proctor. John Proctor is also accused and incarcerated.

• April 19, 1692: Abigail Hobbs, Bridget Bishop, Giles Corey, and Mary Warren are examined. Deliverance Hobbs confesses. Mary Warren reverses her previous statement and rejoins the accusers.

• April 22, 1692: Mary Easty, another of Rebecca Nurse’s sisters, is examined. Several others are examined as well.

• April 30, 1692: Several girls accuse former Salem Village minister George Burroughs of witchcraft. Warrants are issued for several more individuals.

• May 2, 1692: Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne examine Sarah Murrell, Lydia Dustin, Susannah Martin, and Dorcas Hoar.

• May 4, 1692: Reverend George Burroughs is arrested in Maine.

• May 9, 1692: Corwin and Hathorne examine Reverend George Burroughs.

• May 10, 1692: Corwin and Hathorne examine George Jacobs, Sr., and his granddaughter, Margaret Jacobs. Sarah Osborne dies in prison.

• May 14, 1692: Sir William Phips arrives in Massachusetts as royal governor, accompanied by Increase Mather.

• May 27, 1692: Governor Phips establishes a Court of Oyer and Terminer to investigate the witchcraft allegations. The Salem Witch Trials Timeline highlights that this court was a key instrument in the subsequent trials and executions.

• June 2, 1692: The Court of Oyer and Terminer convenes its first session.

• June 8, 1692: Bridget Bishop is the first to be tried and convicted of witchcraft.

• June 10, 1692: Bridget Bishop is hanged at Gallows Hill. Nathaniel Saltonstall resigns from the court.

• June 15, 1692: Cotton Mather writes a letter requesting the court not to use spectral evidence as a standard.

• June 29-30, 1692: Susannah Martin, Sarah Wildes, Sarah Good, and Elizabeth Howe are tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. Rebecca Nurse is initially found not guilty, but the jury is pressured to reconsider and changes the verdict.

• July 19, 1692: Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, Sarah Good, and Sarah Wildes are hanged at Gallows Hill.

• August 2, 1692: The Court of Oyer and Terminer considers the cases of John and Elizabeth Proctor, Martha Carrier, George Jacobs, Sr., Reverend George Burroughs, and John Willard.

• August 5, 1692: George Jacobs, Sr., Martha Carrier, Reverend George Burroughs, John Willard, and John and Elizabeth Proctor are found guilty and sentenced to hang.

• August 19, 1692: George Jacobs, Sr., Martha Carrier, Reverend George Burroughs, John Willard, and John Proctor are hanged on Gallows Hill.

• September 9, 1692: Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Dorcas Hoar, and Mary Bradbury are pronounced guilty and sentenced to hang.

• September 17-19, 1692: Giles Corey is pressed to death for refusing to enter a plea.

• September 22, 1692: Martha Corey, Margaret Scott, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Wilmot Redd, Samuel Wardwell, Sr., and Mary Ayer Parker are hanged.

The Tide Turns (Late 1692-Onward)

• October 3, 1692: Reverend Increase Mather publicly denounces the use of spectral evidence.

• October 8, 1692: Thomas Brattle criticizes the witchcraft trials in a letter, influencing Governor William Phips.

• October 12, 1692: Governor Phips writes to the Privy Council, expressing concerns about the use of spectral evidence.

• October 29, 1692: Governor Phips prohibits further arrests, releases many accused witches, and dissolves the Court of Oyer and Terminer. The Salem Witch Trials Timeline marks this as a turning point.

• November 25, 1692: The General Court of Massachusetts Colony creates the Superior Court to try the remaining witchcraft cases.

• January 1693: The Superior Court tries several individuals, finding many not guilty. Governor Phips pardons those still imprisoned.

• January 3, 1693: Judge Stoughton ordered the execution of all suspected witches exempted by their pregnancy. Governor Phipps denied enforcement of the order and pardoned all of those named.

• April 1693: The Superior Court clears Captain John Alden, Jr.

• May 1693: The Superior Court dismisses charges against more of the accused.

• November 26, 1694: Reverend Samuel Parris apologizes to his congregation.

• January 14, 1697: The Massachusetts General Court declares a day of fasting and reflection. Samuel Sewall makes a public confession of guilt.

• 1702: The General Court declares the 1692 trials unlawful.

• 1703: The Massachusetts Legislature passes a bill disallowing spectral evidence and restores citizenship rights for some of the accused.

• August 25, 1706: Ann Putnam, Jr., publicly apologizes for her role in the trials.

• 1711: Massachusetts colony passes a legislative bill restoring the rights and good names of those accused of witchcraft and compensates some of the heirs.

• March 6, 1712: Salem Village church reverses the ex-communication of Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corey.

• 1957: Massachusetts formally apologizes for the events of 1692 and exonerates the remaining accused.

• November 16, 1988: The Boston City Council recognizes the injustice done to Ann Glover.

• 1992: A witchcraft memorial is dedicated in Salem on the 300th anniversary of the trials.

The Salem Witch Trials Timeline serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers of mass hysteria, religious extremism, and the importance of due process and critical thinking. It continues to be studied and analyzed to understand the social, political, and psychological factors that contributed to this tragic period in American history.