My Salem Blog:

Between 1692 and 1693, the American colonial town of Salem Village was forever immortalized due to the frenzy of witch trials which occurred at this time. Its population of fervently religious Puritans wholeheartedly believed in such things as witchcraft and demonic possession and it is no wonder that fear quickly grew around the village when supernatural events were suspected.
Two local young girls, Betty Parris and Abigail Proctor sparked the hysteria of the witch craze which would account for over one hundred people being arrested and nineteen people convicted and hanged. Although this chronicled episode was short lived, it left an indelible mark on the regions history and remains an important tool in understanding themes of Puritan ideologies in early modern American witch trials.

Recently, new information has been discovered which provides critical insight into the mindset of some of the most important players during the trials. Excerpts from diaries written during the witch trials by Betty Parris, Abigail Williams and John Proctor allow the modern reader new knowledge about what life was life in the village and why the trials happened in the first place. While there has been substantial debate about the roles of the two girls and their reasons for their involvement, these diaries seem to prove that they were fully commited to causing turmoil due to boredom and being dangerous juvenile delinquents. The diaries were found this year in remarkably good condition and I have posted them on my new Salem blog. Please Enjoy!

[Pictures courtesy of Salem Witch Trials 1692- Famous American Trials. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_PHO.HTM Accessed April 7th 2011.]

Works Cited

Aronson, Marc. “Unholy Wars.” The School Library Journal (2001), Vol.47, Issue 11. Accessed March 20th, 2011. http://web.ebscohost.com


Hill, Francis. A delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials. New York: Doubleday, 1995.


Hoffer, Peter Charles. The Devil’s Disciples: Makers of the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996.


Procter, John. Petition of John Procter, July 23rd, 1692. Letter, From The Salem witchcraft papers, Volume 2 : verbatim transcripts of the legal documents of the Salem witchcraft outbreak of 1692 / edited and with an introduction and index by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum. http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccernew2id=BoySal2.sgm& images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/oldsalem&tag=public&part=51&division=div1 (accessed March 20th, 2011).


Ray, Benjamin C. “Satan's War against the Covenant in Salem Village, 1692.” The New England Quarterly Inc (2007): 69-95. Accessed March 20th, 2011. http://www.jstor.org%20/stable/20474511

Weisman, Richard. Witchcraft, Magic and Religion in 17th- Century Massachusetts. Massachusetts: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1984.

Diary of Betty Parris- September 1689:

Our family, including my cousin and best friend Abigail Williams and our slaves Tituba and John Indian, have moved to Salem Village where Father is to become the new minister.  We, the children, have become quite close to Tituba and she has been telling us the most interesting stories about her home in Barbados. She believes in magic and when my parents are not present, she speaks to us about how to ward off bad magic with counter-magic which we find a very exciting topic.  We are to live in the parsonage, a very grand two story clapboard house, which seems to me to be quite suitable. Our home has four rooms, four fireplaces, a lean-to kitchen and is surrounded by two acres of meadow which I intend to play games in with Abigail.  Although we have heard terrifying stories about savage Indians, I am not afraid.  I like our bedroom in the house the best and this is where Abigail and I can speak about things in private.  It is adjacent to our parent’s room on the second floor. We have discovered a very interesting thing! Through the cracks in the floor we can watch and listen in on conversations between father and visitors in his parlor downstairs.  This should make up for boring times when we are cooped up in the house.

Diary of Betty Parris- December 1689:

Father is very upset today. Since he became the minister in Salem, he has been quarreling with others in our community but about what, I don’t really know.  At night, he complains to mother that he feels the devil is at work here and is trying to stop his faithful flock from growing.  He sometimes says things that make me uneasy, yet I cannot talk to anyone about this because he believes he is speaking to mother in private during these times and I am supposed to be asleep. More and more people in our covenant are not attending which is troubling father.  During his sermon’s, Father tells our congregation that we are God’s chosen people and that outsiders that refuse to join us are wicked.  He told Mother that some of the villagers are refusing to pay taxes for Father’s salary.  Father has explained to me, and I agree, that we have come to Salem with a very important purpose and that is to combat the evilness that lurks in the hearts of many here.  I hope that his Godly undertaking will inspire these wicked ones to bear in mind the consequences of their corrupt ways because if they refuse to pay Father with currency, they will pay the Devil with their souls!

Diary of Betty Parris- December 1690:

Abigail and I have been spending much time with Tituba and she has been telling us about fortunetelling. Today, Abigail and I decided we would try fortune-telling for ourselves and so together we looked into a cup filled with milk and egg to find out who we might marry.  We were very startled when we saw an image of a coffin looking back at us.  My parents have spoken to us about death often and I know that death can come for anyone at any age, so when we saw this we were terrified. Abigail told me not to tell anyone what we saw.  We have decided to keep this discovery to ourselves as not to alarm my parents but I must confess, I find myself thinking of it often.

Diary of Betty Parris- January 1692:

Our fourth winter in the house has been very unsatisfactory due to unseasonably frigid weather.  Our home has been very chilly and damp and I am afraid that I am catching a cold.  I now have a fever, sore throat and cough but mother has been very good to me and has assisted me with much care.  I began to complain of an upset stomach which has accorded me much attention and so lately I have been behaving strangely by dashing about and diving under furniture.  It soon became a game as Abigail has joined in and is beginning to do the same.  Abigail and I have told the other girls who come to play with us what we have been up to and so they too are now acting afflicted which upsets the adults and makes it more fun.

Father has begun to think our behavior is being caused as a judgment upon him.  Maybe we should stop our little game?

Diary of Betty Parris- February 1692:

Dr. Griggs has come to our home to examine Abigail and me due to our strange fits.  He seems to think that we have been bewitched and is talking to Father in a hushed worried tone.    

Father and Mother seem to be very worried and have been pressing us to name who has done this terrible thing to us.  Abigail and I are having too much fun rolling on the floor and faking hysterics to accuse anyone yet but our plan is to first accuse Tituba. As a nursemaid, Tituba had been a friend that we enjoyed spending time with, yet she had become distant and less caring lately which makes me angry.   Anne Griggs and Elizabeth Hubbard have also been pretending to be inflicted which only makes our plan more exciting.  We  have begun to name witches but are careful not to name anyone who was a near neighbour, except for Tituba. We feel like we cant stop since the adults have been pestering us to reveal who was causing our injuries and honestly, I like the attention this has brought me.  Father has never spent so much time talking with me before and I feel so close to him now! 

We have named Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborn who lives two miles away.  Abigail and I have chosen Goody Good and Goody Osborn because the adults had already suspected them of deviant ways which we have overheard through the floor in our bedroom.  They are worthless women who contribute little and should be cast out of our fair village anyway. 

Diary of Betty Parris- February 1692:

This will be a short entry, my dear diary, since I am rarely allowed time to myself anymore.  Because Abigail and I have continued to display illness and strange fits, Father has decided that I am to go and live at the Sewall house.   I am going to miss my playmate Abigail and I hope she can visit me there.  Abigail told me she feels it has been exhilarating having such control over the adults and I have to agree.   I fear with my leaving, this will be the end of the wonderful fun we have had together.  Despite the excitment we have experienced lately, I must confess that a part of me is relieved that I am being sent away now because the energy it has taken to present myself as possessed during all hours of the day is exhausting at times!

Diary of Abigail Williams- February 29th 1692:

Our antics have really caused such alarm in our community and it is remarkable that I have been named as one of the victims!  My name must pass the lips of everyone in the village now since I am so well known.  Through the floorboards some days ago, I overheard Uncle Parris relaying to others that four village leaders, Thomas Putnam, his brother Edward, Joseph Hutchinson and Thomas Preston have filed a complaint with the Salem magistrates accusing Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborn for hurting me, Betty, Ann Putnam Junior and Elizabeth Hubbard by witchcraft. It is remarkable that we continue to have such control over the adults.  I will have a very firm chat with Ann and Elizabeth in order to keep them in line since they look up to me as the leader of our group.  I wonder how much trouble the women we accused will be in?  Maybe they will even be sent to jail for a time?

Diary of Abigail Williams- March 3rd 1692:

Others in the community are also coming forward with claims of witchcraft and believe with Uncle Parris that this is happening by diabolical means. Adults began telling about strange episodes that had happened in past years.  They have recalled failed wooing, bad butter, oddly shaped animals and unnatural events.  With the adults in the community now coming to our defense, the matter of witchcraft is becoming much more serious and I have been receiving much pity and prayers by people whom I have never met before.  My name must now be known thoughout the county! Last night, I overheard Uncle Parris speaking to some visitors in his parlour about how the witches we have accused will pay with their lives.  If this becomes true, it will be deeply thrilling since I have never seen anyone hung before.  Maybe Betty will be allowed to watch with me?

Diary of Abigail Williams- April 11th 1692:

Today I was instructed to go to the meetinghouse for an examination. The Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth was there, as was Minister Samuel Sewall, Uncle Parris, and of course Mary and me. I was very impressed by the amount of people there to watch. The attention was overwhelming but I loved it and attempted to put on the best performance I could give for them. I was asked who had hurt me and I responded by naming Goody Cloyce and Goody Good and said they were the deacons of the witches.  My and Mary Wolcott’s frenzies were as spectacular as anything we had done previously and we pretended to be pinched and bitten by the accused for greater effect.. I accused Goody Proctor of trying to make me sign the devil’s book and when she tried to protest, I cried out that Goody Proctor’s specter was sitting on a beam.  Then we accused her husband John Proctor of being a wizard. John Proctor jumped up and shouted that we should be hanged so I began to go into a fit and soon, Mrs. Pope, Goodwife Bibber and Mary followed, each person trying to outdo the other. I think I provided the best show of all when I touched Goodman Proctor’s head and screamed out that my fingers were burning.  The entire room gasped and many cried out that Goodman Proctor should hang.  Serves him right for trying to accuse us of lying!

Diary of John Proctor- April 11th 1692:

I am dearly afraid for the lives of myself and my family.  Today has been an extraordinary day, one that I would not even wish to think about ever again, yet I must.  My good wife was accused today by a group of wicked girls in the village for reasons unknown to me at this time.  They said horrible things about her and when I tried to intervene during my wife’s examination, I myself was caught up in the frenzy and accused of being a wizard!  We have now been instructed to attend a second round of examinations tomorrow and so I will write this last diary entry with the assumption that I might not be coming home again for some time, if ever again.  I pray for the Lord’s blessing over my family during this trying time and I also pray for the young “afflicted” girls who have started up this whole witch business to begin with.

Diary of Abigail Williams- April 13th 1692:

This will be a short passage as I have been quite busy lately, speaking with others about my “bewitched” condition. There was another examination the next day after we accused the Proctor couple.  I did not attend but Mary Walcott had been present and told me the most remarkable news.  Throughout the examination, Mary confirmed statements such as she could see Goodman Proctor’s specter sitting in the magistrate’s lap and soon afterward, the Proctor couple and Sarah Cloyce were sent to Boston jail!

Diary of Abigail Williams- April 19th, 1692:

Diary of Abigail Williams- April 19th, 1692:
I attended the examinations of Abigail Hobbs and Bridget Bishop today.  Abigail Hobbs agreed to everything that she has been accused of, it was almost like she fully believed what she was saying!  Although we had never before met her, we had previously decided to accuse Bridget Bishop of witchcraft since Mary had heard a rumour that years earlier, she had been accused of witchcraft which would hurt her credibility.

During Bridget Bishop’s questioning, the girls and I had a great time.  Every time Bridget would turn her head or move her hand(s), we would just copy the same movements like we were under a spell.  It was hysterical!  The expression on her face was priceless, she was so flustered!

Diary of Abigail Williams- April 23rd 1692:

Hello Diary! I have heard rumours that while John Proctor and his wife are being held in prison, the sheriff went to their home and seized all their goods.  They sold some of their cattle at half price. What they didn’t want they burned. I wonder what is to become of the Proctor’s five children now that their parents are in jail and their maid Mary Warren is now accused as a witch?

I am not really too concerned about this turn of events since John Proctor is a fool for accusing me of lying and the Proctor children are spoiled, unruly little ankle-biters.  Mary Warren, who is a few years older than the rest of us, played along with our game for a time and then later tried to make it seem like we have been lying about our fits and visions in a note she posted at the meetng house.  She must realize that she made a big mistake speaking out against us for now she is accused of being a witch. I am much too powerful a person in our community and too good an actress for the adults not to fully believe me.  I think the whole family should be hanged!

Diary of Abigail Williams- July 19th 1692:

Diary, this was a day of mixed emotions! On this summer's morning, multiple executions transpired including those of  Sarah Good, Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Sarah Howe and Elizabeth Wilde.  When Betty and I started our little charade, I had no idea that the people we accused of being witches would actually be convicted and hanged!  Betty, it seems, has had a change of heart due to the supposed guilt she feels for starting this whole affair, yet my mind is conflicted.  While Betty is a weak individual and doesn't seem to care that we are famous throughout our county now, I admit that I still love this fact.  But what I will describe for you now diary, are some of the events leading to the hangings, which is something that will be forever imprinted in my mind. Some of us ran alongside the cart which carried the accused women to the hanging tree at Gallows Hill.  There were huge crowds of people present to witness the spectacle and people began jeering and mocking the accused, in which we all joined in.  I was amazed at the community spirit that was felt throughout the crowd; it was electrifying!  

When Sarah Good was to be hung, Nicholas Noyes shouted at her to confess and she shouted back that that Nicholas was a liar and that she was no more a witch than he is a wizard. Once all the women were dead, they were cut down and disposed of in crevices at the side of the hill.  No prayers were said which was fitting since everyone assumed that they were not needed.  I have to admit that when the women were being cut down from their ropes that I could not breathe at the sight of them for which seemed like an eternity.  Their lifeless eyes seemed to stare back at me, accusing me.  While I enjoyed the events leading up to Gallows Hill, I came to the realization that these women are now gone.... forever....   Secretly, I choose not to believe in God or the Devil, yet I find myself now questioning my actions.  If it is true that there is a hell reserved for the wicked people on the earth, am I going there now?  And could these dead women perhaps want to haunt me?  I shudder at the thought.

Diary of John Proctor- July 23rd 1692

I am sitting in my prison cell as I write this. Since I have kindly been given a pen and some stationary from one of the guards, I thought I would write about the day’s events as though I still have my diary. I need to use this time to try to collect my thoughts and stay sane while I wait for my freedom. It has been four days since the executions on Gallows Hill and I am increasingly worried about receiving a fair trial. I have written a letter to five senior ministers of Boston with the hope that these men might move my trial to Boston or at least replace the magistrates in Salem. I am hoping that they receive this letter with kindness and goodwill and will provide for me what I have pleaded from them. I did make a second copy of the sent letter which outlines my wishes:

SALEM-PRISON, July 23, 1692.
Mr. Mather, Mr. Allen, Mr. Moody, Mr. Willard, and Mr. Bailey.
Reverend Gentlemen:
With deep gratitude I send you this letter in hopes that with your help, my wife and I will be officially vindicated of the atrocious accusations that have been made against us regarding the witch craze in Salem village. We have been falsely accused of practicing the dark arts for demonic purposes by certain young ladies in our community who have nothing better to do than ruthlessly implicate many innocent people for their own amusement. I hope to stress the seriousness of our situation due to the fact that other accused individuals have already been lynched and I believe that we do not have much time before we are unjustly hanged by the blood lusting court who has already condemned us before our trials have begun.
The Magistrates, Ministers, Jewries and in general, our whole community has become intoxicated with the Delusion of the Devil and has become enraged and incensed at rooting out the evil which supposedly lurks in our village. I know in my heart that this evil is a made up notion by people who, for whatever reason, find it necessary to see innocent people suffer. There are five accused in jail at this time, including me, my wife, and our son and the others have been making confessions that they have practiced witchcraft as well as accusing us of the same, but only after enduring hideous torture that no man could bear for long. These torture tactics include being tied up by the neck and heels until blood flows from their noses and in one instance, my son was thankfully taken pity on after being held like this for nearly twenty four hours! I believe these actions are very much like the Popish cruelties displayed by the Holy Inquisition! They have already destroyed what little property we owned and will not stop until we are dead.
If it is not possible to move our trials to Boston, we simply beg that you would endeavor to have the Salem Magistrates changed or in the very least, be present during our trials so that our good and honest souls can be saved with your assistance. I humbly beg you to pray to the Lord on our behalf.
We remain your poor, afflicted servants,
John Proctor and family

Sermon of Reverend Samuel Parris- 1693

From the time I moved to Salem Village with my family to provide for its people the word of God, I have been met with great barriers.  The covenant community of Salem I felt, had been splitting apart and  a spiritual war was needed to take place. It is no wonder that my poor daughter and niece were the first to become afflicted with diabolical consequences as I believe this work to be only of the devil. I have only attempted to combat the vile evil which I have seen with my very eyes here in Salem and I call on my followers to faithfully continue to support my efforts, financially and spiritually.  Although the witch trials have ended, let us now pray for the wicked ones who continue to refuse to join my righteous vision!