Death in Salem: The Private Lives behind the 1692 Witch Hunt

by Diane Foulds

Overview

Salem witchcraft will always have a magnetic pull on the American psyche. During the 1692 witch trials, more than 150 people were arrested. An estimated 25 million Americans—including author Diane Foulds—are descended from the twenty individuals executed. What happened to our ancestors? Death in Salem is the first book to take a clear-eyed look at this complex time, by examining the lives of the witch trial participants from a personal perspective.  

Massachusetts settlers led difficult lives; every player in the Salem drama endured hardships barely imaginable today. Mercy Short, one of the “bewitched” girls, watched as Indians butchered her parents; Puritan minister Cotton Mather outlived all but three of his fifteen children. Such tragedies shaped behavior and, as Foulds argues, ultimately played a part in the witch hunt’s outcome. A compelling “who’s who” to Salem witchcraft, Death in Salem profiles each of these historical personalities as it asks: Why was this person targeted?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762766406
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	08/06/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	1,001,984
File size:	736 KB

About the Author

Diane E. Foulds has spent almost a decade researching 17th-century Massachusetts. She is the author of three books: VERMONT: An Explorer’s Guide (Countryman Press/Norton, 2004, 2009), CURIOUS NEW ENGLAND (University Press of New England, 2003, 2005; Bookscan RTD 6863 across both editions), and A GUIDE TO CZECH & SLOVAK GLASS (European Community Imports, Prague, 1993, 1995). She has worked as a foreign correspondent and White House reporter, lived in five European countries, and written extensively on New England topics for the Boston Globe. Her articles have appeared in UPI, The Washington Post, Yankee magazine, and numerous other publications, and she also has on-camera interview experience. She is a tenth-generation descendent of one hanged in Salem in 1692.   

Read an Excerpt

From chapter 1, “The Accusers”
With so much resting on intangibles, it’s little wonder that the young women of Salem Village indulged in occasional fortune-telling. . . .
So what a relief it must have been in 1692, when a physician cleared them of guilt by proclaiming them the victims of sorcery. . . . Girls who had been bored and neglected now found themselves pitied and awed, even deferred to, until the game got out of hand. Before they knew it, distracted children were sending innocents to their deaths.
. . . What had started with a few tremulous girls evolved into a cathartic exorcism engaging every segment of the community. As the following profiles reveal, the pent-up hostilities that fueled it went far deeper than anyone might have guessed.

Editorial Reviews

A 10th-generation descendent of one of the victims of the 1692 witch trials, Foulds (Curious New England) adds to an already well-stocked repertoire in this who's-who of Salem witchcraft. Heavy on facts, though light on narrative flair, Foulds breaks her account into sections of each group involved in the hunts, from the accusers to the clergy and judges. These biographical sketches of recorded participants are laid out in personal detail, each one building upon and backing up its predecessor. Readers will learn how neglected 17-year-old girls planted a fear that reached to the spiritual and judicial leaders of their community. Together, these compact portraits paint a familiar picture of a repressed and paranoid society in the midst of chaotic change. Unfortunately, while the introductions to each section provide comprehensive background information, the entries devoted to describing the Salem villagers' lives tend to devolve into lists of marriages, political connections, pending civil suits, and familial lore, leaving the narrative feeling fragmented. The author's inability to weed out the unessential details can make for a frustrating read, but those interested in the subject will be fascinated by the close look into the lives of the players who shaped this chaotic time in our history. (Aug. 2010)

Publishers Weekly