Salem Witch Trials Timeline (15 jan 1692 the first reports of illness, strange behaviour)

[niyad]

(a fascinating brief overview of that bizarre series of events)

Step 1 of 14
Salem Witch Trials Timeline

The events of 1692 in Salem Village, resulting in 185 accused of witchcraft, 156 formally charged, 47 confessions and 19 executed by hanging, remain one of the most studied phenomena in colonial American history. Far more women than men were among the accused, convicted and executed. Before 1692, the British colonists had only executed 12 people in all of New England for witchcraft.

This timeline shows the major events leading up to, during and following the Salem witch accusations and trials. If you want to skip to the first strange behavior of the girls involved, start with January 1692. If you want to skip to the first accusations of witches, start with February 1692. The first examination by judges began in March 1692, the first actual trials were in May 1692 and the first execution was in June 1692. The page below gives a rich introduction to the environment which may have fostered the accusations and executions.


The chronology includes a representative sampling of the events, and is not meant to be complete or include every detail. Note that some dates are given differently in different sources, and that names are given differently (even in contemporary sources, a time when the spelling of names was often inconsistent). Consult the bibliography for a variety of sources used in developing this timeline and for additional reading: Salem Witch Trials Bibliography

Timeline: Before 1692 | January 1692 | February 1692 | March 1692 | April 1692 | May 1692 | June 1692 | July 1692 | August 1692 | September 1692 | October 1692 | November/December 1692 | 1693 | The Aftermath

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/witchesamerica/ss/Salem-Witch-Trials-Timeline_2.htm#step-heading

[niyad]

1. "who were the witches?"

Who Were The Witches? return to top

by Bonnie Lockhart
Ó2002 Bonnie Lockhart

chorus:
Who were the witches?
Where did they come from?
Maybe your great, great grandmother was one.
Witches were wise, wise women they say.
And there’s a little witch in every woman today!

Witches knew all about flowers and weeds.
How to use all their roots and their leaves and
their seeds.
When people grew weary from hard-workin’ days,
They made ’em feel better in so many ways.
(chorus)

When women had babies the witches were there
To hold them and help them and give them care.
Witches knew stories of how life began.
Don’t you wish you could be one? Well, maybe
you can!
(chorus)

Some people thought that the witches were bad.
Some people were scared of the power they had.
But power to help and to heal and to care
Isn’t something to fear, it’s a pleasure to share.
(chorus)