What are your theories and comments about the museum and the trials of 1692?

Kismit already has a lengthy thread on this. Use the search feature. Here is the link to his thread with many theories:

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum...topic=38063&hl=

Her's was more of the mideavil burnings then the trials in Salem.

Honestly, the trials was nothing more then mass histeria braught on by one little girl because she couldn't face rejection by the married man she had fallen inlove with.

Might have been some bad grain, too.

That's it in a nutshell SilverCougar. I just couldn't find a way to make a long story short!

Na... not this time. I had a chance to study it more closely while I was in the immediat area for a year. Abigail Williams was basicaly the "ring leader" of the troop of little "afflicted girls" that went arround crying "WITCH"

It started with Goody Goodwin because she and Goodwin's husband were having a little.. barnyard fling... and when he pushed her away... she wanted revenge...

Atfirst they wanted to blame it on the slave, Tituba, because she knew the african "witch arts" as it were... But then Goodwin was named and it went all downhill from there. All ove them were hanged, save Giles Corey.. he was crushed by stones. Tituba, though was released and sold to a new master.

Hi all

You can find the actual Salem Trial Transcripts HERE If your interested, some of it is hard to read, as they never spoke the same English as we do today, but you can get the gist of there attitudes towards witches in them times, and towards women. I felt chills when reading the transcripts knowing it was the actual words that where spoken to the accused, I felt uncomfortable reading them.

Here is an example of one of the transcripts….

(Death Warrant v. Bridget Bishop)

To George Corwin Gent'm high Sherriffe of the County of
Essex Greeting

Whereas Bridgett Bishop als
Olliver the wife of Edward Bishop
of [Salem] in the County of Essex Sawyer at a speciall Court of
Oyer and Termin[er held at] Salem the second Day of this instant
month of June for the Countyes of Esse[x] Middlesex and Suffolk
before William Stoughton Esq'r and his Associates J[ustices] of the



-109-


said Court was Indicted and arraigned upon five severall
[Seal]I[ndictments] for useing practiseing and exercisein[g] [on
the Nyneteenth day of April] last past and divers other dayes
and times [before and after certain acts of] Witchcraft in and upon
the bodyes of Abigial Williams, Ann puttnam J[un'r] Mercy Lewis,
Mary Walcott and Elizabeth Hubbard of Salem village singlewomen,
whereby their bodyes were hurt, afflicted pined, consu[med] Wasted
and tormented contrary to the forme of the Statute in that Case
[made and] provided To which Indictm'ts the said Bridgett Bishop
pleaded no[t guilty] and for Tryall thereof put her selfe upon God
and her Country, where[upon] she was found guilty of the felo-
nyes and Witchcrafts whereof she stood Indicted and sentence of
Death accordingly passed ag't her as the Law directs, Execution
whereof yet remaines to be done These are theref[ore] in the Name
of their Maj'ties William and Mary now King & Queen [over] Eng-
land &c to will and Comand you That upon fryday next being the
Tenth day of this instant month of June between the houres of
Eight and twelve in the afternoon of the same day You safely con-
duct the s'd Bridgett Bishop als
Olliver from their Maj'ties Gaol in
Salem afores'd to the place of Execution and there cause her to
be hanged by the neck untill she be de[ad] and of your doings here-
in make returne to the Clerk of the s'd Court and pr'cept And here-
of you are not to faile at your peril And this shall be [your] Suffi-
cient Warrant Given under my hand & Seal at Boston. the Eig[hth
day] of June in the fourth Year of the Reigne of our Sovereigne
Lord and [Lady] William & mary now King & Queen over England
&c Annoq'e Dm 1692;

*Wm Stoughton

June 10th -- 1692
According to the Within Written precept I have taken the body
of the within named Brigett Bishop of their Majes'ts Goale in Salem
and Safely Conveighd her to the place provided for her Execu-
tion and Caused the s'd Brigett to be hanged by the neck untill
Shee was dead # [an d b uried in the pla] all which was according
to the time within Required and So I make Returne by me

George Corwin Sheriff

( Essex County Archives, Salem -- Witchcraft Vol. 1 p. 20 )


all the best
Faeden

I heard somewhere that the Salem Witch Trials were brought on by ergot, some disease that got into the grain and caused women to have convulsions and hallucinations, etc. etc. Although, it's strange how men were never accused of anything, seeing as how they probably ate the same infected grain.

As I said earlier... *wonders if people bothered to read through all the posts first*

It was mass hysteria brought on by a girl who couldn't take rejection and desided to seek attention and revenge by crying Witch.

Actually the erogot is a fungus that is poisionus to humans and plenty of men got accused the most famous one in salem would be Giles Corey whoy was pressed to death every one would have been affected but some more' that others depening on thier immunity there is actually evidance of ergot poisioning in all the witch trials in salem as well as across europe but if you where to check records you would see the highest "concentraion" in areas where rye would have been a staple food this is beacause ergot is most common in rye crops also if you where to check theyears against a farmers almanac for instance the trials happend in years with the most rain beacause ergot thrives in moisture the reason that people never noticied that ergot is beacause that main way to detect it is the fact that bread would have turned purple in its presence but it went unnoticed beacause the bread was already black also these patterns also emerge in the werewolf trials around the same time
Hope this helps,
fadinginnocence

* Sorry for the really bad punctuation and spelling

That's from The Crucible and the author made that part up. The main factors that started the trials were politics, religion, family feuds, economics, and the imaginations and fears of the people. Small pox outbreak, the constant fear of Indian attacks helped in create tensions that God was punishing them. Witch craft could then be slipped in their easily. Add to that the hatred towards neighbors and their wanting of their neighbor's land.

*sighs* The Cruisible was taken from accual events.

And as I've stated, I've been to Salem. Spent a year there.. got to see the innies and outies of that place. Saw historical records.. and you know what? They all pointed to the same thing, Abigale couldn't handle being rejected by Goodwin. She still coerced her little troop of friends into screaming WITCH for attention...

Hell, Abigale ended up being a prostetute in Bosten when it was all done and over.

It was mass hysteria and yes.. alot of those stress factors in as well.. nothing to do with rot.

....

How was it in Salem? The author said that Abigail being in Love was made up so it can give the story some suspense and drama. She was much younger than portrayed in the Crucible.

Yes I know it was Salem Village.

First of.. The trials was in Salam Village, whish is now known as Danvers.

Second, I don't know.. there was a time when girls were married as young as 8 or 9... So it would stand to reason that even at a young age she had a fling with the guy. But even if she didn't, there is still evidance pointing to how she and her little group of friends were striving for attention, and got it.. by starting the whole witch scare.

WHICH is more of the point of how it was and not som GRAIN ROT which I was trying to correct in the first place. So even with that, we're arguing the same fricken side of the fence which makes this POINTLESS! (I hate when it's arguing for arguing's sake..)

Yes hi there! I heard same thing. I even went there myslef. For I never got deep and really into searching for stuff, cuz I didn't spend my stay doing it for one. And I was told same thing by everyone that it was made up. I even spoke to I think it was Abagails living relatives and they told me same thing. So ya none of us really know what is the truth.

ok so a couple of things here cougar firstly in these times girls where only ever married around 13 or 14 beacause that was considered the right time for them to start having children second Abigail Williams was 11 years old she was in salem village to look after her cousin Elizabeth Parrish who was ill with what is now know to be symptoms of Ergot poisioing the girls stories where fulled by the slave Tibitua who had told them stories about voodoo from her homeland of barbados. also it would have been considered VERY innappropriate for her to be in the company of a man without a chaperone and even if she was the chances of her having a "fling" as you put it are highly unlikely you seem to forget that in the time of the trials the fear of God and Sin was ingrained into people from birth so its not possible. the GRAIN ROT theroy has been very documented in recent years as the main scientific cause. and lastly the Trials originated in the uk

sorry to post again here are some articles that support my last two posts:

Erogot poisiong
poisions of the past

I have to say the Ergot poisoning theory is one of the best reasons for why the cases of Witch burning didn't seem to follow any patterns. After all they where all over Europe and America and they spand over a thousand years.

However, I feel the problem here is that it was 'Witch' that was cried. Sometimes sure it was 'Heretic' but it was for the most part people who did not follow the word of God as stated by the church who were persecuted. Or at least it was claimed that the victims where witches, when they could just have easily been called leprechauns, billygoats or fairies and had the same effect. But in most cases there was an underlying need to make the church look like the good guy defending its flock against the evil of satan. Control the people and you control the country.

These trials not just in Salem but all over are responsible for the way most people view witches even still today. Witches had there books (equivalent to bibles) stolen and burnt in a time when printing was not available to everyone. Most of these books would have been one offs and would have contained medical advice, scientific experiments and just general observations of mental ability that could have been very useful in todays society. They could have been used as evidence to defend the witches cases. But sadly they stood in the way of the religious revolution that was taking place and were destroyed.

The trials where the same thing in essence as the rise of Hitler. A group of people who did not fit into the new revolution were targeted and persecuted to fulfill the needs of the invading forces. The ergot just helped.

Just watch the movie with Winona Ryder, it's the actual footage.

The actual footage of what?

hey, i am new to this site i was just wondering if anyone may be able to help me with a question i want to know Why where poeple burned as witches and was it just ladies?

No, burnings where actually very rare. People were more likely to be hung and one ( a man) was even crushed under a rock, which took several days, sadly enough.
Not all of the victims where woman but a huge percentage which I believe is 70% were.

The original burning of Witches was actually much earlier in the days of the trials which lasted over 600 years, and did not just take place in Salem but mostly through out Europe. Burning was considered back then an apropriate method for disposing of witches becuase fire is a natural element and there for was believed to be created by God. Just like dunking a witch in God's waters.

what is the dunking in gods water involve?

dunking consisted of tying the poor woman to a chair and drowning her. supposedly a witch couldn't drown. if she did, she was not guilty and the magistrate apologized and confiscated her land, which was prob the real motive, anyway. if she didn't drown, then she was a witch, and was executed, and her land was confiscated by the magistrate. usually, but not always, of course, but especially in germany and nearby countries, a "witch" was a widow who owned valuable land. a rumor would be started that she was a witch, and she would be convicted and executed. the same magistrate who tried the case would confiscate the victim's land which became property of the state (the judge himself, really). the rich get richer, etc.

hey thanks for that information. i have to go now as it is change of lesson. cya

hey i was just wondering what is the name of the movie that has the real fottage in it

What I think happened is a lot simpler then eregot poisoning. It most likely started becuase the kids got spooked by the fortune telling of Tibhuta(the black slave woman who was probably the only person actually guilty of practicing magic). The parents probably then took advantage of there childrens being caught at a forbidden activity combined with the mass fear of witches common in that era to make some land grabs. If you trace a lot of the original accusations back you can find land disputes between the families doing the accusing and the people who got hanged. In the end it most likely spiraled beyond the parents controll when the kids realized just how much power they had.

i never understood this.. so basically, if you admitted that you were possessed by evil, even if you weren't then they would let you live right?? but if you deny it... your done for?

No if you confessed that you were a witch and repented you could be let free (christian belief in forgiveness). Being possessed is not the same thing as witch craft. Basicly when a person if possessed an evil spirit has controll of there body. While(generally speaking) there actions usually bring about this event they are not responsible for what the spirit does. Its some thing like being tied up in the passenger seat of your car. You may be aware of whats happening (depends) but you would not be able to influence it. A witch (in the midevil sense of the word) who makes deals with demons to gain power. Where a possessed person is at the mercy of a demon a witch has some controll.

I have a great knowledge of the Salem witch trials and would like to brag about it here.

This is simply untrue. Aurthur Milliers 'The Crucible' was a dramatic represenation and in no way historically accurate. In truth Abbigale would have been around 12 at the time, and John Procotor well past hid mid-fourtys.

His work is, self-confessed, in no way historically accurate and not to be considored a source of information on the Salem witch trials.

its been so long since ive heard those names.... who was abbigal (adams) I think here last name was??? and john proctor.. what made them so important... i havent heard those names since junior year in high school.. its been a while!

They were the main characters in 'The crucible'.

In truth, John Procter was hung after being trialed for witch craft and refusing to confess.

Abbigail (Parris?) was mentioned as a witness or accuser in many trials.

hey i was just wondering how many men where accused of being witches in the salem witch trials? and how many of them where executed?

I think the figure was 21 executions overall, but am not completley sure. I'd hazard a guess that 5/6 of those were men.

20 exicuted... 5 died in jail.

Among those exicuted 6 were male... one was even a Rev. and one one pressed to death by stones... Giles Corey *will always remember that name*

Names of those exicuted:
Bridget Bishop — hanged June 10, 1692
The Rev. George Burroughs — hanged August 19, 1692
Martha Carrier — hanged August 19, 1692
Martha Corey — hanged September 22, 1692
Giles Corey — pressed to death September 19, 1692
Mary Easty — hanged September 22, 1692
Sarah Good — hanged June 19, 1692
Elizabeth Howe — hanged June 19, 1692
George Jacobs, Sr. — hanged August 19, 1692
Susannah Martin — hanged June 19, 1692
Rebecca Nurse — hanged June 19, 1692
Alice Parker — hanged September 22, 1692
Mary Parker — hanged September 22, 1692
John Proctor — hanged August 19, 1692
Ann Pudeator — hanged September 22, 1692
Wilmott Redd — hanged September 22, 1692
Margaret Scott — hanged September 22, 1692
Samuel Wardwell — hanged September 22, 1692
Sarah Wildes — hanged June 19, 1692
John Willard — hanged August 19, 1692

Names of those that died in jail:
Sarah Osborne
"Dr." Roger Toothaker
Ann Foster
Lydia Dustin
Dorcas Good (daughter of Sarah Good)

Partial list of those accussed:
Capt. John Alden Jr.
Daniel Andrew
Sarah Bassett
Edward Bishop
Sarah Bishop
Mary Black
Dudley Bradstreet
John Bradstreet
Sarah Buckley
Richard Carrier
Candy, a slave from Salem
Mary Clarke
Sarah Easty Cloyce
Sarah Cole
Giles Corey
Mary Bassett DeRich
Ann Dolliver
Rebecca Eames
Mary English
Philip English
Abigail Faulkner
Ann Foster
Dorcas Hoar
Abigail Hobbs
Deliverance Hobbs
Elizabeth Howe
Mary Ireson
George Jacobs, Jr.
Margaret Jacobs
Elizabeth Johnson
Mary Lacey, Sr.
Mary Lacey (also an afflicted child)
Sarah Osborne
Lady Phips, wife of Governor Phips
Susannah Post
Elizabeth Bassett Proctor
Mary (Woodrow) Sibley, wife of Samuel Sibley
Tituba and her husband John Indian
Job Tookey
Hezekiah Usher
Mary Withridge

There was accually comewhere between 150-300 people accussed... not all are listed..

Most of the books I've seen only claim 2 people died in jail. Its also interesting to note that the list at the Salem Witch Museum is in fact wrong by either count. It only lists 21 names. As I recall from the books I've seen 19 were hanged, Giles Corey was pressed to death and 2 died in jail.

*shrugs* Taken from a book I got while I spent a year in that area.

You did put Martha Corey twice, but you listed two differnt dates, so I'm thinking maybe you listed it twice by mistake, over another name, or did the two share a name?

Go up and read thier lastnames again.

They have the same first name and thier lastnames start with the same letter...

Martha Carrier — hanged August 19, 1692
Martha Corey — hanged September 22, 1692

Oh yes, so they do - Thanks