Clearing Salem, NE Residents Accused Of Witchcraft 3 Centuries Later

SALEM, MA — While more than 30 people convicted and put to death for crimes involving witchcraft more than three centuries ago have been exonerated of wrongdoing in the years following their deaths, there are well over a hundred others across the North Shore and New England who were accused or indicted for the supposed crimes whose names were never cleared.

The Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project is looking to change that with a campaign to officially clear the 178 people that its members say were complained of, implicated in court, questioned, arrested and/or imprisoned between 1638 and 1693.

"By clearing the names of the past victims, we honor the dead, educate the living, reduce the potential for future witch-hunts of all kinds, and send a message that we stand opposed to violence against persons accused of witchcraft," the group, made up of history buffs and descendants, said on its website. "Exoneration is a way to show our respect to generations gone before us and provide comfort to the victims’ descendants.

"This is also an opportunity to learn many lessons applicable today. Through sharing the history of past witch-hunts, we learn how to identify and stop similarly oppressive actions in the present."

The group said that while those convicted in Salem were cleared, five people who were hanged for witchcraft in Boston never received the absolution.

The group said those accused came from 39 towns: Amesbury, Andover, Beverly, Billerica, Boston, Boxford, Cambridge, Charlestown, Chelmsford, Danvers (formerly Salem Village) Dorchester, Durham, Gloucester, Groton, Hadley, Hampton, Haverhill, Ipswich, Kittery, Lynn, Malden, Manchester, Marblehead, Newbury, Northampton, Piscataqua, Portsmouth, Reading, Rowley, Rumney Marsh, Salem, Salisbury, Scituate, Springfield, Topsfield, Watertown, Wells, Woburn, and York.

The Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project seeks "exoneration and apology" for those who were accused and never cleared, and has created a petition that it intends to present to the Massachusetts legislature on Beacon Hill and Gov. Maura Healey.

The petition was launched on Oct. 11 and as of Tuesday had 736 signatures with a goal of 1,000 signatures.

"We support exoneration because correcting injustice is always the right thing to do," the Change.org petition said. "These women, men, and children were universally innocent of charges of witchcraft and covenanting with the devil. They and their families suffered, and their pain has been passed down through generational trauma.

"Confronting our past is an important step in moving forward. It is important that people learn from these events so we can stop making the same mistakes our ancestors did. Even today, witch-hunting claims many lives around the world. Each week, stories come in that echo those of the 17th-century witchcraft trial victims."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)