William Stoughton was a colonial magistrate for the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Chief Magistrate of Court of Oyer and Terminer during the Salem Witch Trials. Early Life: William Stoughton was born in 1631 to Israel and Elizabeth (Knight) Stoughton. It is not known if Stoughton was born in England…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The Dominion of New England was a merging of British colonies in New England in the 17th century. The Dominion was formed in 1686 and merged the colonies of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island together into one large colony. In 1688, the Dominion was expanded to include New…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Samuel Sewall was a judge in the Salem Witch Trials and the only judge to apologize for his role in the trials. Sewall was born in Bishopstoke, England on March 28, 1652. His family had previously lived in the settlement of Newbury in the Massachusetts Bay Colony but temporarily returned…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The Salem Witch Trials judges were several men who served as judges during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. On May 27, 1692, Sir William Phips appointed nine of the colony's magistrates to serve as judges on the newly created Court of Oyer and Terminer. The court was created specifically…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The Salem Witch Trials accusers were a group of people who accused the Salem Witch Trials victims of witchcraft 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…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Reverend John Hale was a minister from Beverly, Massachusetts, best known for his role in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Born in Charlestown in 1636 to local blacksmith Robert Hale, as a child Hale witnessed Massachusetts' first execution of a convicted witch, in 1648, with the hanging of Margaret…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Established in 1637, the Old Burying Point Cemetery, also known as the Charter Street Cemetery, is the oldest cemetery in Salem, Massachusetts. It is one of eight historic cemeteries in Salem and is a stop on the Salem Heritage Trail. The cemetery is 1.47 acres in size and contains 700…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Jonathan Corwin was a judge in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. He was also Judge John Hathorne's brother-in-law and Sheriff George Corwin's uncle. The Corwin Family: Jonathan Corwin was born on November 14, 1640, in Salem, Massachusetts, to Captain George Corwin and Elizabeth Herbert. The Corwins (or Curwen, as…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Captain John Alden Jr, the son of Mayflower pilgrim John Alden, was a merchant from Boston who was accused of witchcraft by a local child during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Alden had stopped at Salem in May on his way home from Quebec, where he had arranged the…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Beverly is a historic town located in Essex County in Massachusetts. Beverly was once a part of Salem but later separated from it in the mid 17th-century when it was incorporated as its own town in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The following is a timeline of the history of Beverly:…| History of Massachusetts Blog
King Philip's War, also known as Metacom's War or the First Indian War, was an armed conflict between English colonists and the American Indians of New England in the 17th century. It was the Native-American's last major effort to drive the English colonists out of New England. The war took…| History of Massachusetts Blog
King William's War, also known as the Second Indian War and the First French and Indian War, was an armed conflict between England and France in North America in the 17th century. The war was a battle over control of North America, particularly over the fur trade in North America.…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a dark time in American history. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed during the hysteria. Ever since those dark days ended, the trials have become synonymous with mass hysteria and scapegoating. The following are some facts…| History of Massachusetts Blog