The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials

Enjoy this author interview with New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Kent. Kathleen shares how she discovered her descent from Salem Witch Trials victim Martha Carrier and transformed that family history into her acclaimed debut novel, The Heretic's Daughter.

Martha Carrier was executed on August 19, 1692, after refusing to confess to witchcraft. Accused of causing a deadly smallpox epidemic in Andover, Massachusetts, she stood her ground even when her own children were tortured into testifying against her. Today she's remembered as a woman who wouldn't confess to something she didn't do.

In this conversation, Kathleen discusses her writing process, the challenges of bringing historical figures to life, and offers invaluable insights for aspiring historical fiction writers.

Kathleen Kent is a New York Times bestselling author whose books include The Heretic's Daughter (winner of the David J. Langum Sr. Award for American Historical Fiction), The Traitor's Wife, The Outcasts, and her Edgar Award-nominated crime trilogy. She is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and teaches writing workshops for aspiring novelists.

• How Kathleen discovered her connection to Martha Carrier

• The research process behind The Heretic's Daughter

• Martha Carrier's story

• Advice for aspiring historical fiction writers

• Balancing historical accuracy with compelling storytelling

Salem Witch Trials, Martha Carrier, Kathleen Kent, The Heretic's Daughter, historical fiction writing, Andover witch trials, Salem history, writing advice, Colonial America

#SalemWitchTrials #HistoricalFiction #WritingPodcast #MarthaCarrier #KathleenKent

Kathleen Kent Website

Purchase the novel: The Heretics Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Support our Podcast by purchasing books through our affiliate link to End Witch Hunts Bookshop

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More than 150 people were accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Had the Court of Oyer and Terminer tried them all, they may all have been hanged.

They sat chained in dungeons to prevent their specters from roaming. They watched as friends and neighbors were dragged to the gallows. As the body count rose, the terror must have reached unimaginable levels. And yet the accusations kept coming.

How did an entire community participate in its own destruction?

In this essential introduction to The Thing About Salem, hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack explore what made Salem different from every other witch hunt in American history. The mystery isn’t what ailed the afflicted girls. Why were people at the highest levels of society accused right alongside the usual suspects?

This episode reveals the forces that turned Salem Village into America’s deadliest witch hunt: warfare closing in on Massachusetts settlements, economic devastation, the collapse of political and religious certainty, and the kind of existential terror that makes the unthinkable seem reasonable.

**Length:** 15 minutes

## What You’ll Learn

• Why 150+ people faced execution when typical New England witch hunts involved 2 to 3 accusations

• What conditions make rational people accept supernatural explanations for their suffering

• How fear and crisis override legal safeguards and community bonds

• Why focusing on the accusers matters more than diagnosing the afflicted

## Key Stats

• 150+ people accused in Salem

• 30 convictions (vs. 4 in Hartford’s 1662 witch panic)

• Only 1 witch hanged in Massachusetts in the 36 years before Salem

• People at the highest levels of society were named as witches

## Topics Covered

• The terror of Salem’s dungeons and the rising panic

• What made Salem different from other colonial witch hunts

• The perfect storm: war, disease, political collapse, and religious crisis

• Why popular theories like ergotism miss the point

• What Salem reveals about fear, judgment, and human nature

The Thing About Salem on YouTube

The Thing About Witch Hunts Website

Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project

Massachusetts Court of Oyer and Terminer Documents, ⁠The Salem Witch Trials Collection, Peabody Essex Museum

Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt

Sign the Petition: MA Witch Hunt Justice Project

Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project

When a seventh grader reached out with questions for their National History Day documentary, podcast hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack knew they'd been asked something special. The student's thoughtful inquiries became the foundation for this episode of The Thing About Salem.

This wasn't just another school assignment. The questions this student asked revealed a depth of engagement that many adults never reach when studying 1692. They saw past the surface story to the human complexity underneath, the kind of questions that don't have easy answers but force you to truly reckon with what happened in Salem.

We knew immediately these questions needed to be shared. They're the kind that make history stop being about memorizing events and start being about understanding people, choices, and consequences that still echo today.

Sometimes the best teachers are the ones still in school.

Keywords: Salem Witch Trials, National History Day, student history project, Rebecca Nurse, Joseph Hutchinson, Bridget Bishop, family history research, witch trial education, historical questions, Salem descendants, Tituba, Abigail Williams

National History Day Website

Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project

Massachusetts Court of Oyer and Terminer Documents, ⁠The Salem Witch Trials Collection, Peabody Essex Museum

Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt

The Thing About Salem Website

⁠The Thing About Salem YouTube

⁠The Thing About Salem Patreon

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts YouTube⁠

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts Website

Sign the Petition: MA Witch Hunt Justice Project

www.massachusettswitchtrials.org
Support the nonprofit End Witch Hunts Podcasts and Projects

In May 1692, one of Boston's most respected citizens walked into a Salem courtroom—and the accusers couldn't even identify him. Captain John Alden Jr., son of Mayflower passengers and decorated war hero, seemed an unlikely target for witchcraft accusations. But his connections to Native Americans and the French made him dangerous in the eyes of wartime Massachusetts.

What happened when Salem's witch hunt reached beyond the village to pull in a prominent Bostonian with impeccable colonial credentials? This episode examines how Captain Alden's examination revealed the absurdity and danger of the spectral evidence system and how his escape became one of the trial period's most dramatic moments.

From his parents' legendary Plymouth courtship to his own flight from justice, Captain Alden's story shows us who could be accused, who could survive, and what it took to navigate Salem's machinery of suspicion.

Episode Highlights:

• John Alden Sr. and Priscilla: The last surviving Mayflower passenger and the marriage that inspired Longfellow

• Captain Alden's controversial fur trading and the rumors that made him a target

• The chaotic May 31st examination where accusers needed prompting

• The touch test, the sword, and the claims of "Indian Papooses"

• His September escape to Duxbury and surprising return

Key Figures: Captain John Alden Jr., John & Priscilla Alden, Judges Bartholomew Gedney and John Richards, Rev. Samuel Willard, Robert Calef

The Thing About Salem examines the people, places, and events of the 1692 Salem witch trials. New episodes weekly.

Links

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts YouTube⁠

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts

The Thing About Salem website

Episode Description:

When you think "Massachusetts witch trials," you think Salem, 1692. But what if we told you that 44 years before Salem, Massachusetts was already executing people for witchcraft in Boston?

Between 1648 and 1693, more than 200 people were formally charged with witchcraft across Massachusetts. In 1957, the state cleared 31 Salem victims. But Boston's victims have been forgotten.

On November 25, 2025, Bill H.1927 goes before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary to finally exonerate 8 individuals convicted of witchcraft in Boston and recognize everyone else who suffered accusations across Massachusetts.

Co-hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack, descendants of Salem witch trial victims and co-founders of the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project, explain why Salem's story is incomplete without Boston—and how YOU can help Massachusetts finish the job.

Before Salem: Boston's Forgotten VictimsFive women were executed in Boston:

• Margaret Jones (1648) - First person executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts, 44 years before Salem

• Elizabeth Kendall (1651)

• Alice Lake (1651)

• Ann Hibbins (1656)

• Goody Glover (1688) - Executed just 4 years before Salem, her case influenced Cotton Mather

Three others were convicted but not executed:

• Hugh Parsons (1651)

• Eunice Cole (1656-1680) Eunice was brought to court on witchcraft accusations over and over!

• Elizabeth Morse (1680)

Cotton Mather was deeply involved in Goody Glover's 1688 trial in Boston. Her execution influenced his thinking about witchcraft—thinking he brought to Salem just four years later.

The same fears, the same accusations, the same injustice—Boston laid the groundwork for what happened in Salem.

When Massachusetts cleared Salem's victims in 1957, they left Boston's victims behind.

✅ Exonerates the 8 individuals convicted of witchcraft in Boston between 1647-1688

✅ Recognizes all others who suffered accusations across Massachusetts

✅ Completes the work Massachusetts started in 1957 when they cleared Salem's victims

✅ Acknowledges that Salem wasn't the beginning—Boston was

✅ Costs nothing - zero fiscal impact

1. Sign the Petition: Change.org/witchtrials - Over 14,000 signatures and growing

2. Contact Massachusetts Representatives: Email or call members of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary before November 25th

3. Submit Written Testimony: Even if you can't attend in person, your voice matters

4. Share This Episode: Help spread the word before the November 25th hearing

For decades, we've told the story of Salem 1692 as if it appeared out of nowhere. But Massachusetts had been executing people for witchcraft since 1648.

The fears, the evidence, the methods—all of it was already established in Boston before it exploded in Salem.

You can't understand Salem without understanding Boston.

Josh and Sarah co-founded the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project and launched their podcast in 2022 to support the legislative effort. With help from listeners like you, Connecticut passed House Joint Resolution 34 in May 2023 with overwhelming bipartisan support, absolving 11 individuals and recognizing all others who suffered accusations.

You were part of Connecticut's success from the beginning. Now Massachusetts needs you to help finish what they started in 1957.

• Boston's first execution was in 1648—44 years before Salem

• Goody Glover's 1688 execution influenced Cotton Mather just 4 years before Salem

• More than 200 people were formally charged with witchcraft in Massachusetts (1648-1693)

• Massachusetts cleared 31 Salem victims in 1957, but left Boston's victims behind

• Massachusetts has already amended the 1957 Resolve twice (2001 and 2022)

• Bill H.1927 simply continues this established pattern with zero fiscal impact

In this episode of The Thing About Salem, co-hosts Sarah Jack and Josh Hutchinson examine one of the most invasive and degrading practices used during the Salem Witch Trials: the search for witch's marks and devil's teats. Discover how this invented "evidence" was used to convict innocent people—including the hosts' ancestors.

What You'll Learn:

The Origins of Witch Mark Theory

• How English legal writers like Michael Dalton (1618) and William Perkins created detailed instructions for finding "devil's marks"

• Why Richard Bernard claimed these marks appeared in "secretest parts" requiring invasive searches

• The shocking truth: none of this evidence appears in the Bible

Familiar Spirits in Salem

• Cotton Mather's definition of familiar spirits as "devils in bodily shapes"

• Strange creatures described in testimony: hairless cats with human ears, rooster-monkey hybrids, and hairy upright beings

• How these supposed demons were believed to feed from witch's teats

The Salem Examinations

• Documented searches of accused witches including Rebecca Nurse, Bridget Bishop, and Elizabeth Procter

• George Jacobs Sr.'s brutal examination with pins driven through his flesh

• Four-year-old Dorothy Good's traumatic examination and the "flea bite" used as evidence

• Why some marks disappeared between examinations—and what that tells us

Dehumanizing Practices

• The invasive nature of stripping and examining prisoners in their "most intimate areas"

• How postpartum scarring from childbirth was twisted into evidence of witchcraft

• Why the Court of Oyer and Terminer convicted all 27 people tried in 1692—whether marks were found or not

Modern Connections As Robert Calef pointed out in More Wonders of the Invisible World, witch marks weren't biblical—they were man-made tests designed to find guilt. This pattern continues in modern witch hunts worldwide, where accusers still decide what constitutes "evidence" against innocent victims.

Perfect for listeners interested in:

• Salem Witch Trials history

• Colonial American history

• Wrongful convictions and false evidence

• Women's history and bodily autonomy

• Modern witch hunts and human rights

• Historical witchcraft accusations

• Legal history and justice reform

Featured Historical Sources:

• William Perkins, A Discourse of the Damned Art of Witchcraft

• Michael Dalton, The Countrey Justice (1618)

• Richard Bernard, The Certainty of the World of Spirits

• Cotton Mather, Wonders of the Invisible World

• Robert Calef, More Wonders of the Invisible World

• Deodat Lawson, A Brief and True Narrative

• Original Salem Witch Trial examination records

About the Hosts: Sarah Jack and Josh Hutchinson are descendants of Salem witch trial victims and co-founders of End Witch Hunts, a nonprofit addressing modern witch hunts globally. Together, they co-host The Thing About Salem and The Thing About Witch Hunts (265+ episodes).

Related Episodes: [Links to episodes about Rebecca Nurse, Mary Easty, familiar spirits, spectral evidence, etc.]

Support Our Work: Learn more about modern witch hunts and how to help at EndWitchHunts.org

Links

Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project

Massachusetts Court of Oyer and Terminer Documents, ⁠The Salem Witch Trials Collection, Peabody Essex Museum

Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt

The Thing About Salem Website

⁠The Thing About Salem and The Thing About Witch Hunts YouTube⁠

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts Website

Sign the Petition: MA Witch Hunt Justice Project

www.massachusettswitchtrials.org

Support the nonprofit End Witch Hunts Podcasts and Projects

Episode Description:

How does a town infamous for executing twenty people for alleged diabolical witchcraft rebrand itself as "Witch City"? Salem spent centuries trying to forget 1692, then something changed. Join descendants Sarah and Josh as they uncover the surprising story of how grief, guilt, and capitalism collided to transform Salem into America's Halloween capital. From the first witch-themed business to the controversy over memorializing victims, this is the untold story of who chose to remember, who profited, and what got lost along the way.

What You'll Discover:

Why did Salem stay silent about the trials for over 150 years, and what finally broke that silence? Who made the first move to capitalize on witch trial history (the answer might surprise you)? When the city had a chance to build a memorial in 1892, why did descendants of the accusers fight so hard against it? And how did a fish company, a souvenir spoon, and a Knights Templar march help pave the "yellow brick road" to Witch City?

Keywords: Salem witch trials | Witch City | Salem Massachusetts | Halloween tourism | dark tourism | historical memory | commercialization of tragedy | Salem history | 1692 witch hunt | American history | New England | modern witchcraft | Pagan community | tourism | memorialization | historical injustice | colonial America | Arthur Miller | The Crucible | Haunted Happenings

About The Thing About Salem: Sarah and Josh are descendants of Salem witch trial victims investigating how their ancestors' tragedy became a tourism empire, and what that transformation reveals about memory, commerce, and identity.

Links

HauntedHappenings.org

Salem Tourism Information

The Salem Witch Museum

Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project

Massachusetts Court of Oyer and Terminer Documents, ⁠The Salem Witch Trials Collection, Peabody Essex Museum

Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt

The Thing About Salem Website

⁠The Thing About Salem YouTube

⁠⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts YouTube

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts Website

Sign the Petition: MA Witch Hunt Justice Project

www.massachusettswitchtrials.org

Support the nonprofit End Witch Hunts Podcasts and Projects

What happens when an entire city becomes Halloween for a month?

Salem's Haunted Happenings started with the Salem Witch Museum as one weekend in 1982. Now it's a  month-long community event of costumes, crowds, street performers, and pure October magic.

This episode captures the spirit of it all—the performers who show up year after year, the locals that go ALL OUT, the Grand Parade that kicks it off, and the chaotic, joyful energy that makes October in Salem unlike anywhere else.

What to expect:

• How a single weekend became a month-long phenomenon

• The vibe, the crowds, the performers

• Costumes that stop you in your tracks

• Why "don't drive in Salem in October" is essential advice

• The magic (and reality) behind the Halloween capital of the world

Whether you're planning your first visit or you've been coming back every October, this one's about what makes Haunted Happenings unforgettable.

🎃 Ready for Salem's October?

Keywords: Haunted Happenings, October Salem, Salem Massachusetts Halloween, Salem October events, Haunted Happenings Grand Parade, Salem Halloween capital, The Thing About Salem podcast

Links:

HauntedHappenings.org

Salem Tourism Information

The Salem Witch Museum

Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project

Massachusetts Court of Oyer and Terminer Documents, ⁠The Salem Witch Trials Collection, Peabody Essex Museum

Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt

The Thing About Salem Website

⁠The Thing About Salem YouTube

⁠The Thing About Salem Patreon

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts YouTube

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts Website

Sign the Petition: MA Witch Hunt Justice Project

www.massachusettswitchtrials.org
Support the nonprofit End Witch Hunts Podcasts and Projects

Discover the shocking truth about ghosts in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. This isn’t your typical ghost story. These supernatural encounters were used as courtroom evidence that sent innocent people to the gallows. Join hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack as they explore the different types of apparitions that appeared in Salem testimony, from murdered wives seeking vengeance to protective angels revealing hidden crimes.

Some Featured Historical Cases- George Burroughs. Former minister accused by ghostly wives appearing in winding sheets

- Ann Putnam Jr.’s Testimony: Multiple ghost sightings including murdered wives, children, and victims

- Martha Carrier’s Examination. Thirteen ghosts appearing as evidence against her

- Spectral Evidence. How ghost testimony became critical courtroom evidence leading to convictions

Learn how supernatural testimony functioned in 1692 trials.

Historical Figures Mentioned

George Burroughs, Ann Putnam Jr., Bridget Bishop, John Willard, Martha Carrier, Rebecca Nurse, Mary Bradbury, Giles Corey, Mary Easty, Susannah Sheldon, Mary Walcott, Elizabeth Hubbard

The ultimate twist: In 1692, innocent people were executed for supposedly appearing as ghosts. Today, tourists pay for ghost tours hoping to encounter those same spirits. Salem, Massachusetts—where historical tragedy became supernatural entertainment.

- Josh Hutchinson- Co-host, The Thing About Salem

- Sarah Jack - Co-host, The Thing About Salem

Salem Witch Trials, ghost evidence, spectral evidence, 1692 Salem, Ann Putnam Jr., George Burroughs, Salem ghosts, witchcraft trials, historical ghosts, Salem Massachusetts, witch trial testimony, supernatural evidence, colonial America, Salem history, ghost tours Salem

Keywords

#SalemWitchTrials #HistoryPodcast #TrueHistory #SalemMassachusetts #SpectralEvidence #ColonialAmerica #HistoricalGhosts #Halloween

Links

Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project

Massachusetts Court of Oyer and Terminer Documents, ⁠The Salem Witch Trials Collection, Peabody Essex Museum

Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt

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

www.massachusettswitchtrials.org

Support the nonprofit End Witch Hunts Podcasts and Projects

What connects a 2014 internet horror tragedy to the fear of 1692 Salem? In this captivating 15-minute clip from our full conversation, Josh and Sarah—along with Ain't it Scary with Sean and Carrie Podcast —draw haunting parallels between the young girls involved in the Slender Man stabbing case and the afflicted girls of the Salem witch trials.

How do fear, belief, and community pressure transform young people into actors in real-world tragedies? From oppressed accusers in colonial Massachusetts to pre-teens acting on digital folklore. A thought-provoking exploration of monsters, morality, and the girls who became part of history's shocking moments.

Episode Highlights

🔮 Girls Under Pressure - Comparing the afflicted girls of Salem to the Slender Man crime perpetrators

⚖️ Belief Gone Wrong - When fear of something unseen leads to tragedy

🎃 Monster or Victim? - Society's struggle to categorize young people who do terrible things

👻 The Power of Narrative - How stories—whether Puritan theology or internet creepypasta—drive real-world actions 🕯️ Panic Then and Now - What the Salem trials teach us about modern viral panic

About Our Returning Guests

Sean & Carrie host Ain't it Scary with Sean and Carrie, where a skeptic and a believer explore the unknown, unsolved, unbelievable, and just plain weird. With their passion for history and uncovering truth, they bring complementary perspectives to every mystery they tackle.

Keywords

Slender Man, Salem witch trials, afflicted girls, creepypasta, true crime, digital folklore, witch hunts, moral panic, paranormal podcast, horror podcast, Ain't it Scary, historical parallels, Salem Massachusetts, youth violence, folklore

Listen & Subscribe

Don't wander off the path—subscribe to The Thing About Salem and join us every episode as we explore the trials, mysteries, and untold stories of Salem and beyond.

Also check out: Ain't it Scary with Sean and Carrie wherever you listen to podcasts!

Keep the porch light on. 🎃

Links

Ain't It Scary With Sean and Carrie Podcast

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