Betty Parris
Betty Parris is one of the girls who sparked the Salem Witch Trials. Her real name is Elizabeth and she was the second child of Samuel and Elizabeth Parris. Betty and her cousin began practicing fortune telling. Around February 1692, Betty started having random outbursts. She would start speaking gibberish and would run around like an animal and then hide. Worried about her daughter's health, Elizabeth Parris sent Betty to go live with her aunt. Professors say that Betty might have actually been sick with what scholars think is Convulsive Ergotism, and she did get better living with her aunt.
Abigail Williams
Abigail Williams was Samuel Parris's orphaned niece. Tituba taught the girls about fortune telling, so the girls tried it. She too may have been sick and played a major role accusing witches. After the trials, Abigail disappeared and not much is known about her. Though research says that she died around 1697 at age seventeen. She was never married.
Samuel Parris
Samuel Parris started off as a merchant. He moved from England to Barbados, and then to Boston. While in Boston, he met Elizabeth Eldridge and together they had three children, Thomas, Susannah, and Betty, the afflicted girl. He came to Salem to be a minister and was promised a lot of things. Samuel never got any of the things he was promised. When the Salem Witch Trials ended he promised to give some of his paycheck, which he never got, to the victims and victims' families. People began to try and get rid of him, but he stayed there until he got another preaching job. His wife soon died and he went on to marry Dorothy Noyes and had four children with her. Samuel got several other jobs, but eventually died in poverty.
Tituba
Tituba is an Indian slave of Samuel Parris. She was the nanny of the girls and told them island stories that involved witchcraft and voodoo. She even taught them fortune telling. Tituba was the first witch to confess, but later claim that Samuel Parris beat her onto confessing. So she told the story of being forced by the devil himself into signing his book. That sparked the witch hunts. She was never hanged for witchcraft though. It was believed that if you confess and then repent for the crime, you would not get into trouble. So Tituba was used for telling the people of other witches.
Ann Putnam Jr.
Ann Putnam Jr. was the leader of the circle of girls who were afflicted. She accused witches who were enemies of the family, but never admitted that it was on purpose. After the trials, Ann had a bad life. Her parent died a few weeks after the trials and Ann was stuck raising all of her younger siblings. Ann did held a public apology, but never admitted to not being bewitched.
Sarah Good
Sarah Good was a homeless and pregnant beggar. She would go door to door asking for scrapes of food while her husband worked as a day laborer. Sarah Good never confess to being a witch, even to the noose where she would die. Reverend Nicholas Noyes begged Sarah to confess. She told him, "You are a liar. I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you let me die God will make you drink blood." Ironically, Reverend Noyes suffered from internal hemorrhage, which caused him to die choking on his own blood.
Dorcas Good
Dorcas Good is Sarah Good's daughter. Dorcas was only four years-old when she was accused of witchcraft. Scared, Dorcas did confess to witchcraft.
Sarah Osborne
Sarah Osborne was an old, sickly lady who married her own servant. She hadn't attended church for over a year due to being sick. That made her a target for being accused of witchcraft. Sarah died in prison of old age.
Rebecca Nurse
Rebecca Nurse was a highly respected member of the church. She raised her children to also become well respected and educated. But their had been a long time quarrel between the Putnam family and her over a piece of land. They took it to court and Rebecca won. That made her an enemy of the Putnam family. So it was almost expected for both Ann Putnam to accuse her. Rebecca's family did come up with evidence to save her, and it worked. But as soon as it was known that she was innocent, Ann wailed and screamed a horrific scream. The jury was asked to reconsider and Rebecca was found guilty. She was hanged in Gallows Hill. Her family did came back and buried her in a cemetery.
Mary Easty
Mary Easty was another respected member of the church. She was the sister of Rebecca Nurse and was also a great role model. Mary Easty gave a wonderful speech that told everyone of her guilt only to have the afflicted girls convince the jury to reconsider. Mary Easty was hanged in Gallows hill.
Mary Easty's Speech: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASA_EASX.HTM
Mary Easty's Speech: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASA_EASX.HTM
Bridget Bishop
Bridget Bishop was a tavern owner. Her tavern owner allowed alcohol that was frown upon by the Puritans, and the evil game of shuffle board. That is the biggest reason why Bridget was the first witch to be tried. Bridget was already determine guilty even before her trial, so it went fast. She was the first witch to be hanged in Gallows Hill.
George Burroughs
George went from a hero to being called the 'King of Hell' during the trials. He was a hero during the Indian war and great pastor. Everyone considered him to be a good man. George use to be the reverend in Salem Village before Samuel Parris, then he went to Maine saying that the church in Salem was bad. That made him have a lot of enemies. Then one day the afflicted girls accused him, so the people went all the way to Maine and took this man to Salem. He was found guilty and hanged. Right before he was strangled to death, he said the Lord's prayer perfectly. Everyone was astonish and he was almost going to not get hanged. Witches were believed to not be able to say the Lord's prayer. Then Cotton Mather told the crowd that the Devil could do this and George was still hanged,
Samuel Sewall
Samuel Sewall was a judge for the Court of Oyer and Terminer. He later quit the court because he believed that it was wrong. Samuel did write a dairy during the trials, and it contains many entries about the Salem Witch Trials.
Samuel Sewall's Diary: http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/diaries/sewall_diary.html
Samuel Sewall's Diary: http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/diaries/sewall_diary.html
William Stoughton
William Stoughton was the Chief Justice of the Court of Oyer and Terminer. Stoughton had little training in politics and the could be a major factor in why he let most rules go during the trials. When the trials were starting to end, Stoughton tried to keep them going. He still believed that witches were out there. Even though many did not like him after the trials, Stoughton remained the Chief Justice of Massachusetts even close to his death.
John Proctor
John Proctor was also a Tavern owner. He believed the trials were a hoax witch is why he became accused of witchcraft. Not only was he accused, but his whole family was too. John is the only one who was hanged. His wife Elizabeth, escaped being hanged by being pregnant.
Mercy Lewis
Mercy Lewis was also apart of the circle of girls that were afflicted. She was Ann Putnam's servant and a refugee from the Indian wars. Her family was killed during one of the Indian raids. Many of the accused witches were apart of the Indian wars like George Burroughs. She played a major role in the trials and was known for her vivid stories of the accused witches. Mercy Eventually confessed that they were all lies and this was a sport between the girls.
Giles Corey
Giles Corey was eighty years old and accused by Ann Putnam Jr., Mercy Lewis, and Abigail Williams. Giles refused to stand trials and the punishment for that was to be pressed to death. Giles asked for more weight to be added on him so that he would die faster. Three days after his death, his wife Martha was hanged in Gallows hill.
Cotton Mather
Cotton was the son of Increase Mather and was a firm believer in witchcraft. He wrote a scary book about four kids in Boston that were bewitched. His book was extremely popular and played a major role in the trials. He even convinced the judges to allow spectral evidence in the court.
Increase Mather
Increase, unlike his son, was not a firm believer in witchcraft. He did believe that Satan exist though and the witches could be a possibility, but not as much as his son. Increase eventually help end the witch trials and wrote more books relating to the topic.