Why were certain women accused of witchcraft in the 1600s?

This mini-"between the seasons"- episode of Legacy Lore explores how fear, gender, religion, and social control shaped witchcraft accusations across Colonial America and England.

Learn how coverture laws, the domestic sphere, and community suspicion made widows, midwives, healers, and outspoken women vulnerable during the witch trials. Witchcraft wasn’t about magic. It was about power and patriarchy.

Sources:

• Karlsen, Carol F. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England. Norton, 1987.

• Norton, Mary Beth. In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692. Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.

• Willis, Deborah Malevolent Nurture: Witch-Hunting and Maternal Power in Early Modern England, 1995.

• Roper, Lyndal Witch Craze: Terror and Fantasy in Baroque Germany 2004.

• Gibson, Marion Reading Witchcraft: Stories of Early English Witches 1999

• Cott, Nancy F. The Bonds of Womanhood: “Woman’s Sphere” in New England, 1780–1835

• Erickson, Amy Louis Women and Property in Early Modern England 1991

• Rediker, Marcus Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Merchant Seamen, Pirates, and the Anglo-American Maritime World 1987

In this special interview episode, I sit down with Jen, also known as The Formidable Genealogist, to talk about the behind-the-scenes process of building accurate family trees and uncovering the truth behind historical records.

Jen shares strategies for verifying sources, navigating conflicting records, and breaking through research roadblocks.

We also talk about her widely-used PDF research guides that help researchers master platforms like FamilySearch, Ancestry, Newspapers.com, and Find a Grave, along with advice for anyone beginning their family history journey.

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In the final episode of Season One, we revisit the life, legacy, and 1671 witchcraft accusation of my 11th great-grandmother, Eleanor Neale of Colonial Virginia. Through original records, historical context, and new theories, we explore how power, land disputes, gossip, and patriarchal control (not magic) sparked the accusation that nearly destroyed her.

This reflective episode examines indentured servitude, headrights, early American superstition, and how the fear of outspoken women shaped witchcraft history. Eleanor’s story is one of survival, resilience, and generational impact her descendants now number in the thousands.

A reminder that history remembers but not always correctly.

Season 2 returns spring 2026.