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PODCAST

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials

Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack

The Thing About Salem is your resource for in-depth coverage of the Salem Witch Trials, the largest outbreak of witchcraft accusations in American history. Witch trial descendants and experts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack examine a different “thing” about the Salem Witch-Hunt in each new conversational episode, uncovering a topic, person, or place associated with the witch hunt of 1692-1693. 15-minutes a week is all you need to have all your Salem Witch Trials questions answered. Were there any

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All Episodes

00:14:50

The Devil's Conspiracy: How Fear of a Demonic Plot...

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/29

The Salem witch trials of 1692 were not driven by local grudges alone. Behind the arrests, examinations, and executions was a centuries-old theological framework that convinced educated elites, magistrates, and Puritan clergy that they were fighting a coordinated demonic war against the Christian church itself.Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack trace the elaborated theory of witchcraft from its origins at the Council of Basel in the 1430s through the circulation of the Errores Gazariorum, the

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00:04:42

Samuel Parris Preaches that Christ Knows How Many...

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/28

On Sunday, March 27, 1692, Reverend Samuel Parris led Salem Village through two Sabbath services shaped by the recent “dreadful witchcraft” crisis and the public suspicion of alleged witches. We cover how his sermon warned that Christ knows how many devils are in the church, prompting Sarah Cloyce—sister of Rebecca Nurse—to flee the meetinghouse, and we note later claims about what witnesses said happened after she left. We also discuss how, after dismissing non-members on sacrament Sunday, Parris

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00:01:47

4-Year-Old Witchcraft Suspect Confesses to Having a...

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/28

We revisit Mercy Lewis’s reported afflictions and connect them to later depositions involving Elizabeth Proctor and Martha Cory. We also discuss a pivotal event recorded by former Salem Village minister Deodat Lawson in A Brief and True Narrative, describing how magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin, along with minister John Higginson, examined the youngest witchcraft suspect at the prison keeper’s house. We explore Lawson’s account of what the child said about a “little snake” and what

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00:06:57

John Procter Gets Pissed, Ann Putnam Jr Gets Pinched,...

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/26

Note: We are moving these daily episodes to a new Salem Witch Trials Daily podcast.In this episode, we dig into Friday, March 25, 1692, as tensions surge in Salem Village and beyond. We discuss John Procter’s furious confrontation with Samuel Sibley at Walter Phillips’ Tavern over Mary Warren’s fits and his harsh skepticism toward the afflicted girls. Back in the village, we cover Ann Putnam Jr.’s reported violent spectral assault—attributed to Rebecca Nurse—with witnesses claiming visible bite

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00:09:00

Deodat Lawson Dumps Fuel on the Raging Fire that is...

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/24

In this episode, we revisit Thursday, March 24, 1692, when Salem Village’s packed meetinghouse witnessed chaotic examinations that sent Rebecca Nurse and the very young Dorothy Good toward jail. We follow how accusations and courtroom theatrics escalated under Magistrates Hathorne and Corwin, with Reverend Parris recording the proceedings and the afflicted reacting violently to the accused’s movements. We also discuss the troubling scrutiny of Dorothy Good, including claims about bite marks and a

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00:03:23

Ann Putnam Wrestles a Specter

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/23

In this March 22, 1692 episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we cover a Salem town meeting that resolves long-running tension between Salem and Salem Village by keeping the Village part of Salem while easing obligations on both sides: villagers no longer support the town’s ministers or maintain the town meetinghouse, and townspeople are no longer required to fund Village roads. We also discuss Ann Putnam, Sr.’s account of being tormented by the apparition of Rebecca Nurse, who urges her to sign a red

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00:14:09

The Devil's Library: The Books That Shaped the...

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/22

Episode SummaryThe Salem Witch Trials of 1692 didn't emerge from nowhere. They emerged from a library. This episode traces the centuries of theological and legal texts that shaped how Salem's magistrates understood witchcraft, the demonic pact, and the infamous Devil's book.From a 15th-century inquisitor's manual to a Scottish king's royal obsession to a Boston minister's bestseller, Josh and Sarah open the books that made Salem possible.Books and Sources CoveredMalleus

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00:07:26

Benjamin Franklin's Aunt Throws a Shoe at Witchcraft...

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/22

We cover March 21, 1692, when Joseph Herrick arrests Martha Cory and notices an unusual ointment in her home that she says came from a recipe given by magistrate Major Bartholomew Gedney. We follow Cory to the packed Salem Village meetinghouse, where Nicholas Noyes opens with prayer and magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin question her while Samuel Parris records the interrogation and Deodat Lawson documents events. We describe how multiple afflicted accusers—including Mrs. Pope, identified

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00:01:53

Specters and Afflicted People Disrupt Church Service...

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/20

In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we revisit March 20, 1692, when guest preacher Deodat Lawson delivered a sermon in Salem Village and later described the day in A Brief and True Narrative. We share who Lawson observed attending the meeting, including several of the “afflicted persons,” and how their fits and interruptions disrupted public worship. We recount some of the remarks attributed to Abigail Williams and Mrs. Pope during the prayers and sermon, and we touch on the moment when

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00:03:33

Salem Witch Trials: Abigail Williams Tries to Fly

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/19

We cover March 19, 1692, when Henry Kinney and Edward Putnam file a witchcraft complaint against Martha Corey for allegedly afflicting several Salem Village residents, leading magistrates to issue a warrant for her arrest and examination at Nathaniel Ingersoll’s tavern. We also follow reports from Ann Putnam Sr. of intense spectral torment attributed to Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse. Our story then turns to the arrival of former minister Deodat Lawson, who lodges at Ingersoll’s and records striking

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00:03:22

March 18, 1692: A Specter Kills a Girl, but then She...

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/19

In today’s March 18, 1692 episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we recount renewed spectral activity in Salem Village as Ann Putnam Senior describes being attacked and pressured to sign a book by the specter of Martha Corey while trying to rest. We also shift to Ipswich, where late-night fears of witchcraft accusations erupt when Rachel Clinton visits James Fuller, Jr. amid talk of fits in the community. After sudden news of Betty Fuller’s apparent death and Rachel’s abrupt disappearance into the

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00:11:48

Saint Patrick's Day: New England's Ties to Ireland

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/17

In this St. Patrick’s Day episode, we explore overlooked trans-Atlantic links between Ireland and Colonial New England that helped shape the intellectual and theological foundations of the 1692 Salem Witch-Hunt, drawing on Katherine A. Hermes and Beth M. Caruso’s article on Thomas Thornton and the English Atlantic world. We follow Puritan networks forged during Cromwell’s 1650s conquest of Ireland, including the Mathers’ time in Dublin under Samuel Winter and Thornton’s ministry at military

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00:07:59

The Porter Family of Salem Village

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/17

In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we examine the Porter family’s extraordinary wealth and political influence in Salem Village and how it shaped their experience of the 1692 witch trials and their aftermath. We discuss patriarch John Porter Sr.’s massive estate and how his sons became the village’s leading taxpayers while aligning with Salem Town commerce. We explore why Porter blood members avoided accusations, even as their wider circle faced danger, and how the family used petitions

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00:01:37

Salem Witch Trials: Specters of Martha Corey and...

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/16

It’s March 15, 1692, and specters are reported to roam Salem Village and torment the afflicted. We discuss claims involving Martha Cory and Elizabeth Hubbard, including testimony about the devil’s book, and we recount disturbing reports tied to the specter of Rebecca Nurse at the Salem Village parsonage involving Abigail Williams. We also examine how these spectral encounters are said to include temptations and startling confessions, as new allegations emerge connecting Rebecca Nurse and Sarah

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00:14:40

Podcasthon: When Children are Accused of Witchcraft

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/15

This special Podcasthon 2026 episode of The Thing About Salem brings together two stories separated by more than three centuries. Hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack share a clip from End Witch Hunts' International Women's Day panel featuring Maimunat Mohammad, a woman from Niger State, Nigeria, who grew up in a community that accused her mother of witchcraft after her father's death. Her account is followed by the story of Dorothy Good, a four-year-old girl jailed during the Salem

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00:04:12

Salem Witch Trials: Pandemonium at the Putnam Place

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/14

In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we examine March 14, 1692, a pivotal and chaotic day at the Putnam household when Martha Corey—unusually, a covenanted church member—arrives at the Putnams’ invitation in an effort to prove her innocence. Using depositions and testimony, including Edward Putnam’s account, we track how Ann Putnam Jr. and Mercy Lewis report immediate fits and violent, surreal phenomena, alongside claims from Abigail Williams of spectral assault and pressure to sign the

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00:01:52

March 13, 1692: Church Members Accused of Witchcraft

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/13

In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we revisit Sunday, March 13, 1692, as Salem Village gathers at the meetinghouse and extraordinary claims disrupt worship after Samuel Parris begins his sermon, including an incident involving Bathsheba Pope and Martha Corey’s alleged specter. We also discuss the next day’s dramatic demonstration by Ann Putnam Jr. that draws attention from multiple adults. Back at the Thomas Putnam household, we cover Ann Putnam Jr.’s report of being assaulted by an

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00:04:20

March 12, 1692: What is the Alleged Salem Witch Wearing?

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/13

In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we cover March 12, 1692, when the witch-hunt expands with an unlikely new suspect and a new accuser. Ann Putnam Jr. claims she is afflicted by Martha Corey, wife of Giles Corey, prompting Deacon Edward Putnam and Ezekiel Cheever to visit Ann and then question Martha directly. We discuss an attempted “experiment” involving what Ann could see, and we share how Martha responds to their concerns about the accusations, witches, and the church. After the visit,

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00:04:05

Fasting and Prayer in Parris’s Parsonage

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/12

The nightmare in Salem Village is only just beginning. Join us, Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack, as we recount the chilling events of March 11, 1692. While the first three accused women—Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne—languish in heavy iron shackles in a Boston dungeon, the terror back home hasn't faded. If anything, the "invisible specters" seem more active than ever.In this episode, we take you inside the cramped, tense parsonage of Reverend Samuel Parris. Desperate to save his

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00:05:43

Who did Colonial Voting Laws Serve?

The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials ·

2026/03/11

Welcome back to Salem Witch Trials Daily. In today’s episode, we take a breath as the legal records in Salem Village go quiet for a moment. While the "machinery" of the trials has already been set in motion, March 10th, 1692, left behind no new warrants or examinations.Instead of focusing on the quiet in the village, we are stepping back to look at the broader, often unstable colonial legal world that surrounded the accused.A Quiet Day in Salem: Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba remain

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