When Rebecca Nurse and Mary Esty wrote petitions from their jail cells in 1692, they couldn't have known their words would inspire descendants 333 years later to continue the fight for justice.

Sarah Jack has now testified twice for her ancestors' exonerations. In 2023, she stood before Connecticut's Joint Committee on Judiciary on behalf of her ancestor Winifred Benham, part of a successful effort to absolve all the accused witches in Connecticut. Then in November 2025, she testified in Massachusetts for another ancestor, Mary Hale, Winifred's mother, who was accused in the Boston Witch Trials.

While Massachusetts has systematically cleared names from the Salem trials over centuries, eight people convicted in Boston have been overlooked. House Bill 1927 seeks to finally exonerate these eight, including Mary Hale, and acknowledge hundreds more accused across the state whose lives were destroyed by accusations.

The act of speaking up spans generations. Family members in the 1600s risked being accused themselves by defending loved ones. Descendants petitioned through the 1700s and 1900s. In 2022, Elizabeth Johnson Jr. became the last Salem conviction cleared. Now it's time for Boston's victims to receive the same justice.

What's in This Episode:

• The power of petitions across 333 years of seeking justice • Sarah Jack's experiences testifying in Connecticut and Massachusetts • The history of witch trial exonerations from 1711 to 2022 • How Connecticut successfully cleared all their accused witches • Why eight Boston victims remain convicted while Salem cases were resolved • What you can do to support Massachusetts House Bill 1927 before the committee deadline

Key Topics:

Witch trial exonerations, Massachusetts House Bill 1927, Connecticut witch trials resolution, Boston Witch Trials, Winifred Benham, Mary Hale, Rebecca Nurse, Mary Esty, descendant testimony, historical justice, Joint Committee on Judiciary, Elizabeth Johnson Jr., Salem Witch Trials

Take Action:

The committee is still accepting written testimony through the end of January. Learn how you can add your voice at massachusettswitchtrials.org

Links:

The Thing About Salem Website

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts YouTube

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts Website

Sign the Petition: MA Witch Hunt Justice Project

Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project
Support the nonprofit End Witch Hunts Podcasts and Projects

Watertown News Article: Historian Backs Bill Exonerating People Accused of Witchcraft