Salem Witch Trials Daily

Witch trials unfolded one document at a time. Salem Witch Trials Daily follows the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693 in real time, day by day and document by document. Hosted by Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack, each micro-episode covers the Salem witchcraft accusations unfolding on this exact date. Court examinations. Arrests. Hearings. Petitions. Executions. The real calendar of the Salem witch hunt, built from primary sources and leading scholarship. Free course at aboutsalem.com#witchtrials #SalemWitchTrials #Salemwitchcraft #1692 #Salem #witchcraft #history #colonialamerica #historypodcast #

Salem Witch Trials Daily is a history podcast hosted by Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack, with 150 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack hosts Salem Witch Trials Daily, a history show with 150 episodes published.

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  Episode #232

  Margaret Jacobs' Letter to Her Father from Salem Jail: August 20, 1692

  Aug 20, 20262 min

  Margaret Jacobs Recants as Spectral Dishes Vanish: Salem Witch Trials Daily — August 20, 1692We recount August 20, 1692, when jailed teenage confessor Margaret Jacobs wrote to her father, George Jacobs Jr., saying her May 11 confession was false and that she had recanted before judges who still believed her original statement; expecting death, she asked for prayers and described her mother Rebecca as distraught while George and Daniel Andrew hid away, leaving it uncertain whether her letter reached him, and noting George was absent when his father was hanged. They also cite testimony dated September 5 from 16-year-old John DeRich claiming the specter of Giles Corey borrowed and returned serving dishes for a feast, with Hannah Small and Martha Adams saying the platters were missing. Finally, Ruth Wilford was arrested in Haverhill by Constable William Starling after a warrant issued August 18.00:00 Daily Introduction00:07 Margaret Jacobs Recants00:31 Family in Hiding00:57 Spectral Dishes Tale01:27 Floating Platters Visualized01:44 Ruth Wilford Arrested

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  Episode #230

  Margaret Jacobs Apologizes for Her Confession and Accusations: August 18, 1692

  Aug 20, 20262 min

  August 1692: Warrants for Ruth Wilford and Frances Hutchins, and a Prison Apology Before Burroughs’ ExecutionWe track the Salem Witch Trials as August 1692 accelerates: on August 18, Timothy Swan accuses Haverhill residents Ruth Wilford and Mrs. Frances Hutchins of afflicting him, Mary Walcott, and Ann Putnam Jr., prompting Andover justice Dudley Bradstreet to issue arrest warrants and Swan to post bond for prosecution. Constable William Sterling arrests Hutchins on August 19 and Wilford on August 20, then delivers both women to the Salem justices. From Robert Calef’s More Wonders of the Invisible World, we also recount Margaret Jacobs visiting fellow prisoner George Burroughs on the eve of his execution, admitting she lied in her confession and seeking forgiveness for implicating Burroughs, John Willard, and George Jacobs Sr., with Burroughs reportedly forgiving her and praying. Testimony dated August 27 adds claims of Burroughs officiating a witch meeting in Andover at John Chandler’s house.00:00 Welcome and Hosts00:05 Warrant for Wilford and Hutchins00:30 Arrests and Transfer to Salem00:45 Margaret Jacobs Recants01:07 Burroughs and Andover Meeting01:19 Testimony and Wrap Up

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  Episode #229

  Cotton Mather on Spectral Evidence: August 17, 1692

  Aug 20, 20264 min

  Cotton Mather Warns Against Spectral Evidence: Salem Witch Trials Daily (Aug 17, 1692)We pick up after a quiet August 16, 1692—no new Salem witch trials court records and no contemporary reports—when local dignitaries, including justices of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, attended Reverend Nathaniel Gookin’s funeral amid extreme heat requiring same-day burial. Then the focus shifts to Cotton Mather’s August 17 letter to Justice John Foster, where he concedes spectral evidence alone is insufficient for conviction because the devil can assume any shape, yet argues spectral impressions are valuable for investigation and for strengthening other presumptions. He claims judges have not convicted without additional evidence, supports bail when only spectral evidence exists, and insists the central legal question is proving communion with a familiar spirit—once proved, “the business is done.”00:00 Daily Intro August 17 169200:07 Quiet Day in Salem00:55 Cotton Mather Writes Foster01:05 Spectral Evidence Limits01:38 Using Spectral Impressions02:19 Bail and Devil Impersonation02:33 Familiar Spirits and the Law03:11 Mather's Assurances and Praise

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  Episode #227

  Allegations Against Samuel Wardwell and Margaret Scott: August 15, 1692

  Aug 20, 20261 min

  August 15, 1692: Wardwell and Scott Accused of Afflicting Martha Sprague and Sarah ColemanWe take you to Monday, August 15, 1692, as accusations intensify in the Salem Witch Trials: Samuel Wardwell and Margaret Scott are alleged to have afflicted Martha Sprague and Sarah Coleman. Wardwell’s later September 14 indictment claims he harmed Sprague on this date, and his September 1 examination includes his statement that he afflicted her by pinching his coat and buttons while discontented, saying the devil gave him the power. From Rowley, Coleman’s September 15 deposition accuses Scott of tormenting her three or four times that day by pricking, pinching, and choking. Both Wardwell and Scott were convicted in September and hanged on September 22, 1692, among the final witchcraft executions in New England.00:00 Daily Introduction00:08 Wardwell Accusations00:15 Wardwell Indictment Details00:32 Coleman Accuses Scott00:43 Verdicts and Executions

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  Episode #226

  Samuel Parris Gets Mad that People Don't Want to Come to His Church: August 14, 1692

  Aug 20, 20261 min

  Salem Village Tensions: Parris Confronts Absent Church Members (August 14, 1692)We take you straight into Salem Village on Sunday, August 14, 1692, as the Salem Witch Trials fracture the community even after worship ends. Minister Samuel Parris keeps church members behind to address a growing problem: people refusing to attend services because their relatives have been jailed on witchcraft accusations. A committee is formed—Parris, Nathaniel Ingersoll, Nathaniel Putnam, and Edward Putnam—planning direct visits to those staying away. The stakes are personal and volatile, tied to families connected to Sarah Cloyce and Rebecca Nurse, including Peter Cloyce, Samuel Nurse, and John Tarbell, and to the mounting blame placed on Parris for his role in the witch trials.00:00 Show Introduction00:05 Church Meeting August 169200:22 Committee Visits Absent Members00:39 Why They Stayed Away00:51 Who The Absentees Were

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