The Salem witchcraft outbreak of 1692 is one of the most notorious incidents of colonial American history. Historian Richard B. Trask has re-examined, newly transcribed and arranged in chronological order all the legal, ecclesiastical and other surviving documentary sources relating to the beginnings of the witchcraft hysteria during the initial and critical month of March 1692.
Also included for the first time since its limited publication in 1704 is the important witchcraft sermon Christ's Fidelity, delivered in Salem Village by former village minister, Rev. Deodat Lawson.
The important characters of the witch outbreak come alive to the reader, who learns what the accused witches and their accusers said and did, and how this local incident evolved into the largest "witch hunt" in American history. Cases represented include those of Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn, Tituba, Martha Cory and Rebecca Nurse. To help the reader capture an inclusive picture of 1692, the author begins with a highly readable introduction, and appends sections revealing population demographics of the 1692 village, biographies of scores of the chief characters, excerpts from English witchcraft volumes used by the Salem inquisitors, and narratives of the March events recorded by 17th century writers. Among the 10 illustrations are an early map of the center of Salem Village, a portrait of Rev. Samuel Parris, artifacts excavated from the Salem Village parsonage in 1970, and pictures of sites, houses and documents.
This new and enlarged edition appends nineteen witchcraft documents, previously thought to be lost forever, which have been discovered and gathered by the author and are reproduced here together for the first time! Dating between April and September 1692, these documents include examinations, indictments, and depositions relating to accused witches Giles Cory of Salem Farmes, Mary English of Salem, Margaret Scott of Rowley, Rachel Clinton of Ipswich, Mary Lacey, Sr. and Jr., Richard Carrier and Rev. Francis Dane of Andover, Margaret Prince and Joanna Penny of Gloucester, Mary Green and Hannah Bromage of Haverhill, and Rev. George Burroughs of Wells, Maine. The preliminary examination of Cory, who was later tortured to death, is the only record of his words to the court in 1692; while the six documents relating to Margaret Scott, who was executed on September 22,1692, adds significant information to the only two previously known manuscripts concerning her case.
This volume is a soft-cover, 196 page volume printed on acid-free paper and includes 10 illustrations. It reveals, through a chronological use of primary sources, the beginnings of the infamous 1692 Salem witchcraft events.
