Whom Did The Putnams Allege To Be A Witch?

In January 1692, Reverend Samuel Parris, the Puritan minister of Salem Village, Massachusetts, was visited by a doctor after his nine-year-old daughter, Betty, and her mother, Abigail, were accused of witchcraft. Thomas Putnam, the father of afflicted girl Ann Putnam, Jr., is considered a major influence in the Salem Witch Trials. The trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693.

Thirty people were accused, including Nathaniel Putnam, a lieutenant in the local militia who lived in Salem Village. Putnam accused Elizabeth Fosdick and Elizabeth Paine of afflicting the girls of Salem Village. Tituba, a female slave likely of Native South American ancestry owned by Parris, was the first to be accused of witchcraft by Betty and Abigail. Bridget Bishop, who had been accused and found innocent of witchery 12 years earlier, was the first defendant to be convicted.

The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692 when young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women. The Thomas Putnam family, who were principal accusers during the witchcraft hysteria, lived on the southwest side of Hathorne Hill. They levied accusations of witchcraft, many of them against extended members of the Porter family.

Another mystery surrounding the trials is the accusation of Rebecca Nurse of witchcraft by Ann Putnam and her husband, Thomas. Ann was jealous of Rebecca and felt that her healthy children were being harmed by witches. George Burroughs is marked in history as the only minister of God executed as a minister of Satan during the witchcraft hysteria of 1692.

Who accused Rebecca Nurse of witchcraft?

Ann Putnam developed suspicions of Rebecca Nurse, who had not lost any of her children to death, and accused her of witchcraft. This resulted in her being hanged for her actions.

Why was Sarah Good accused of witchcraft?

On March 6, 1692, Sarah Good was accused of witchcraft by Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Parris, who claimed to have been bewitched under her hand. The girls claimed they had been bitten, pinched, and otherwise abused, with fits appearing involuntarily convulsing their bodies. They eventually shouted out the names of three townspeople: Tituba, Sarah Osborne, and Sarah Good.

Good was of a lower economic status, reduced to poverty due to inheritance customs and the debt of her first husband, Daniel Poole. Accusers at the trials often cited jealousy and envy as explanations for witches’ discontent and anger. Her dependency on neighbors and others perpetuated suspicions of Good, and other dependent women like her were practicing witchcraft. Another theory behind the accusations was explained by her relationship with her husband and neighbors. William Good claimed he feared that his wife was a witch due to “her bad carriage to him”, indicating he disliked her demeanor or how well she met his expectations for a wife.

On March 25, 1692, Good was tried for witchcraft, accused of rejecting puritanical expectations of self-control and discipline when she chose to torment and “scorn” children instead of leading them towards the path of salvation. When she was brought in, the accusers began to rock back and forth and moan, seemingly in response to Good’s presence. Later in the trial, a young townsman told the court that the piece had broken off his own knife the day before, and the girl had witnessed it. Judge William Stoughton scolded the girl for exaggerating what he believed to be the truth.

Who was accused of witchcraft in Salem?

Three women were arrested on March 1 for witchcraft, including Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, Parris’s Indian slave. Tituba confessed and identified more witches from Salem. The suspects were marked for class and race, and local magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin coerced a false confession from Tituba. The next two defendants were Rebecca Nurse and Martha Cory, both fully covenanted church members and of high social standing. They were accused of witchcraft based on “spectral evidence”, which meant disembodied spirits were sent through dreams or visions with the help of Satan to harm victims.

The accused were interrogated in public, and during questioning, the purported victims exhibited dramatic reactions while townspeople watched. The case highlights the difficulty in defending individuals accused of witchcraft and the potential consequences of such accusations.

Who do the Putnams accuse of witchcraft?

In a written statement, Thomas Putnam accused George Burroughs of witchcraft and warned magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin of the developing case against him. The letter was considered to be overly dramatic and laden with hyperbole.

What does Corey accuse Putnam of?

Corey asserts that Putnam is responsible for his daughter’s false accusation of witchcraft against George Jacobs. He further claims that Putnam’s objective is to have Jacobs executed, as anyone who is hanged loses their property rights.

Who was accused of witchcraft in The Crucible?

Abigail Williams levels accusations of witchcraft against Elizabeth Proctor, wife of John Proctor. Williams claims that removing Elizabeth from John’s life will result in a reconciliation between them.

How many people did the Putnams accuse?

Thomas Putnam, the son of a wealthy resident of Salem, was excluded from major inheritances by his father and father-in-law. His half-brother, Joseph, married into the Porter family, fueling ill will between the clans. Putnam, his wife Ann, and their daughter Ann Jr. all levied accusations of witchcraft, many of which were against extended members of the Porter family. Putnam was responsible for 43 people’s accusations, while his daughter was responsible for 62.

Both Putnam and his wife died in 1699, leaving their ten children orphans. In Arthur Miller’s 1953 play, The Crucible, Thomas Putnam is married to Ann Putnam and has a daughter, Ruth Putnam, who suffers from a grave illness similar to Betty Parris. They both have lost seven children in childbirth and point to witchcraft as the cause. Putnam manipulates Reverend Parris into supporting him, using the witch trials to get other villagers’ land, such as Giles Corey’s. Giles later takes Putnam to court regarding the issue.

Who was to blame for the Salem witch trials?

The Salem Witch Trials involved several accusers, including Samuel Parris, a pastor who preached about the Devil’s work. Parris was driven out of the village and replaced a few years later. Elizabeth “Betty” Parris and Abigail Williams, the first “afflicted” girls, began having unexplained fits in January 1692 after experimenting with fortune-telling. They were diagnosed as possessed and remained the main accusers throughout the trials. Tituba, a female slave likely of Native South American ancestry owned by Parris, was the first to be accused of witchcraft by Betty and Abigail.

She also confessed and accused others, first naming Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. Tituba told elaborate stories about rituals and animal familiars, leading to further accusations. Parris refused to pay her jailing costs, so she spent thirteen months in jail before someone else paid the costs for her. Her fate after being released is unknown.

Why was Tituba accused of witchcraft?

In accordance with the directives of a church member, Tituba prepared a cake by combining urine from female members of the congregation with rye meal and feeding it to the family dog. This action resulted in allegations of witchcraft and an interrogation by Samuel and his advisors.

Who accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft?

Elizabeth Proctor is accused of witchcraft by Abigail Williams, who wants to marry her husband John, whom she had an affair with while serving in the Proctor household. Abigail makes it look like Elizabeth is practicing witchcraft by claiming that Elizabeth sticks needles in a poppet to cause Abigail pain. However, readers know that Abigail sticks herself with needles to provide evidence of Elizabeth’s “crime”.

John Proctor rarely attends church due to his dissatisfaction with Reverend Parris, who he believes is too concerned with his own wealth and preaching only golden candlesticks. John also explains to Reverend Hale that he stayed home on Sundays during the winter due to his wife’s illness. Mary Warren tells the court the truth about the girls acting bewitched.

Who did Tituba accuse?

Tituba, an Indian woman, was enslaved by Samuel Parris, the minister of Salem Village in Massachusetts Bay. She was crucial in the Salem witch trials, confessing to witchcraft and accusing two other women, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne, of the same crime. She was imprisoned for over a year but never tried. The only records of Tituba pertain to her central position in the trials.

Tituba’s birthplace is not known, but Thomas Hutchinson wrote in 1764 that she was brought into the Country from New Spain. Later historians have taken this to mean the Caribbean or Barbados, but this is speculation. Elaine G. Breslaw identified her with a “Tattuba” born circa 1662-1666, who was documented as enslaved to Samuel Thompson in Barbados in 1674. Other historians have suggested that Tituba was born in Africa.

Bernard Rosenthal objected to both lines of argument as compounded speculation, stating that Barbadian slaves were generally African, but Tituba was universally described as Indian in Puritan sources.