"What a Witch" my friend as he slammed down the phone in disgust. Apparently the customer service representative from his mobile operator he had spoken with was having a bad day! His comment got the wheels of my genealogical mind a turning however, and I thought; "What if one of my ancestors was a witch"? It is not as impossible or as far-fetched a possibility as one might think. In fact, anyone having ancestors from Europe or New England during the colonial period could easily have a "witch" as an ancestor. The belief in witchcraft during the seventeenth century was one of the greatest tragedies and delusions recorded in history, and many innocent people were accused of and imprisoned and executed because of it.

The Witches of Salem

The most famous incidents occurred in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, where the inhabitants became incensed with the idea that there ere witches among them. A number of people were hanged who were suspected of practicing the black art, in Salem alone twenty were put to death, and more than fifty imprisoned and tortured before the craze died out. Unfortunately some unscrupulous individuals use the fear-mongering to rid themselves of their love rivals, enemies and creditors, and some very genteel and irreproachable persons suffered the most horrible of deaths. People of otherwise high intelligence such as magistrates and judges became caught up in the craze, and the accusations were made towards people of high standing such as Captain John Alden, who was accused of witchcraft by a group of six women. Here is an extract from the warrant for his arrest, courtesy of the University of Virginia Library:

To the Constable of Salem

Essex Ss Whereas Complaint hath been made unto us John Ha-
thorne & Jonathan Corwin Esq’rs by severall persons of Salem Vil-
lage that Cap’t John Alden of Boston Marrin’r # [that he] is guilty
of Witchcraft in cruelly tortureing & afflicting several of their Chil-
dren & others these are therefore in their Maj’ties King William
& Queen Maryes name to Authorize & Comand you forwith to Appre-
hend the body of the said John Alden and imediately bring him
before us to answer what shall be objected ag’t him in that behalfe
and this shall be yo’r sufficient warrant Given under our hands the
31st day of May 1692 And in the fourth year of the Reigne of our
Sovereigne Lord and Lady William & Mary now King and Queen
over England &c

But the frenzy over witches wasn’t limited to New England by any means. The same ungodly fear of witches began to sweep Europe in the 15th century, where strict laws were implemented against witchcraft. In England it is estimated that over a thousand people were hanged fro witchcraft over a two hundred year period, while in Germany it is said that over twenty thousand were burned at the stake between 1610 and 1840. Scotland saw between 3,000 and 5,000 executed for the "abominable offence".

Genealogical Records of "Witches"

Fortunately for genealogists, historians and scholars, there are many records regarding the trials of witches and their accusers. The following websites all contain records that may be used for genealogical research:

The University of Virginia’s Electronic Text Institute

This is an amazing site from where the above extract of John Alden’s warrant was obtained. They have compiled a collection of original documents, regarding the trials, deaths and arrests of those accused of witchcraft in 1692. You can also find the names of jurors, magistrates, ministers, and solicitors who participated in the fiasco.

The Associated Daughters of Early American Witches

This is a society dedicated to preserving the names of people accused of witchcraft in Colonial America before 1699 and to locating their living female descendents. They have an extensive listing of accused witches.

King’s College – The Witch Hunts

Beginning in the fifteenth century and continuing into the eighteenth, many Europeans developed a crazed obsession with the idea of witchcraft, and as such organized “hunts” for the adduced witches. They accused, tortured, and executing thousands of people, especially women, with intensity and viciousness. This site examines that craze through theories, bibliographies and myths, and even provide for you to experience a with hunt first hand through a simulation.

As you can see, it is not so unrealistic to consider that your ancestor may have been a witch. Hopefully they weren’t, as they would have been subjected to malicious and cruel persecution at the hands of crazed and ignorant individuals. If they were though, you can be assured that the majority of people would consider them a martyr, and that indeed is a much more fitting and honourable title for those unjustly executed during what must surely be one of society’s darkest periods.