Before her execution, Governor John Winthrop Jr. treated Mary Barnes as a patient. He recorded her symptoms, prescribed medicines, and tracked the costs in his medical notebook. In 1663, she was executed for witchcraft in Hartford, Connecticut.

This episode isn’t about the execution. It’s about fractured communities, failed institutions, and real people with lives that existed long before the gallows. It’s about what happens when a doctor’s patient becomes a community’s scapegoat, when churches wage war with themselves, and when the one leader who had stopped witch executions leaves town at the worst possible moment.

Between 1647 and 1663, Connecticut hanged more people for witchcraft than any other New England colony. Then it became the first to implement legal protections that saved lives, twenty-nine years before Salem would erupt. Understanding that transformation requires understanding Hartford’s breaking point.

Understanding how communities fracture, how institutions fail their people, and how fear finds convenient targets in those who don’t fit strict norms teaches us to recognize these patterns, whether in 1663 Hartford or anywhere scapegoating takes root.

This is the story of what happened when a doctor’s patient became a witch. When religious anchors became battlegrounds. When neighbors turned on neighbors. And eventually, when a community chose differently.

In May 2023, Connecticut officially absolved all 34 witch trial victims.

The Thing About Witch Hunts examines historical witch trials and contemporary persecution patterns worldwide. Hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack explore the context that makes scapegoating possible and how communities can choose differently.*

End Witch Hunts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

Links

Connecticutwitchtrials.org

Listen to more CT Witch Trials Podcast Episodes

Buy the Book: Before Salem: Witch Hunting in the Connecticut River Valley 1647-1663

What books should I read about the Connecticut Witch Trials?

End Witch Hunts Nonprofit

Salem Witch Trials Daily Program

How did 19th century Maryland pro-slavery advocates weaponize witch trial narratives against Connecticut abolitionists? Returning guest Dr. Richard Ross III reveals a fabricated 1848 witch trial story designed to discredit Connecticut's anti-slavery movement following the Amistad U. S. Supreme Court case victory.

This conversation explores the intersection of witch trial history and American slavery through the curious case of Juliana Cox, a completely fictional Connecticut witch whose story appeared in Maryland newspapers to embarrass Connecticut abolitionists. We consider how missing colonial documents created space for propaganda, examine the real Connecticut witch trials that were hidden for generations, and discuss how witch trial rhetoric became a political weapon in debates over slavery and abolition.

Dr. Ross shares research on how the Wyllys family papers disappeared into private collections, why Connecticut's witch trial history remained largely unknown until the 20th century, and the deliberate creation of a witch trial hoax borrowed from English folklore sources to serve pro-slavery political goals.

• Connecticut witch trial records and their disappearance into private collections

• The Amistad trial and Connecticut abolitionist movement

• Fabricated witch trial narratives as political propaganda

• How pro-slavery advocates compared abolitionists to Salem witch trial accusers

• The real witch trials of colonial Connecticut finally documented

• Alice Young: Connecticut's first executed witch

• Examining bodies for witch marks in colonial New England

• Literary and political uses of witch trial rhetoric in 19th century America

Dr. Richard Ross III is a historian and Professor Emeritus from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he taught a seminar on New England witch trials for over ten years. He is the author of Before Salem: Witch Hunting in the Connecticut River Valley, 1647-1663 and has conducted extensive research on colonial Connecticut witch trials and 19th century American social history.

Connecticut witch trials, slavery and witchcraft, Amistad trial, abolition movement, colonial Connecticut, witch trial propaganda, Richard Ross historian, Alice Young witch trial, Connecticut abolitionists, slavery history, colonial New England, witch trial records, 19th century America, anti-slavery movement, political propaganda, witch hunt history, Maryland newspapers

The Thing About Witch Hunts explores historical witch trials and contemporary witch persecution worldwide. Hosted by End Witch Hunts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Sarah Jack.

Links

Connecticutwitchtrials.org

Buy the Book: Before Salem: Witch Hunting in the Connecticut River Valley 1647-1663

Buy the Book: Contagion in Prussia, 1831

Buy the Book: American Body Snatchers

End Witch Hunts Nonprofit

Salem Witch Trials Daily Program

Historian Mary W. Craig returns to discuss her new book, *A History of Scottish Witches: The Devil’s Handmaidens, which traces the arc from the 1563 Witchcraft Act through its abolition in 1736.

Craig explores how beliefs that had existed for generations became capital crimes, examining the theological frameworks, political upheavals, and social structures that shaped prosecutions. The conversation moves from John Knox’s influence on Scottish law to the chaos of 1661-62, when local courts abandoned proper procedures.

Drawing on trial records and historical documents, Craig discusses who was accused, how interrogations were conducted, and why the trauma made Scottish descendants harder to trace than their New England counterparts. She also reflects on what medieval Scottish communities believed before the Reformation and how those beliefs were reinterpreted.

*A History of Scottish Witches* will be available February 2025 from Pen and Sword Books and is now available for pre-order.

**Keywords:** Scottish witch trials, Mary W. Craig, Scottish history, 1563 Witchcraft Act, Reformation Scotland, historical research, witch trial records, social history, legal history Scotland​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Links

Buy the Book: A History of Scottish Witches: The Devil's Handmaidens

Buy the Book: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

Buy the Book: The Hammer of Witches

Mary W. Craig cohosts the podcast "Borders Bletherings"

MaryW.Craig.com

End Witch Hunts Nonprofit

Salem Witch Trials Daily Program

Episode Overview

Clinical health psychologist Peter Mintir Amadu explains the hidden mental health emergency affecting nearly 500 women accused of witchcraft in Northern Ghana and the innovative model transforming their lives.

Women accused of witchcraft face a devastating reality: up to 90% suffer from severe depression, PTSD rates exceed 80%, and many live in camps for over 20 years. They've lost everything: family, livelihood, dignity, and hope.

But mental health support alone isn't enough. As one survivor told Amadu: "I can sleep now, but when I wake up, I'm hungry. What happens to me?"

Initiatives that combine mental health intervention with economic empowerment, creating sustainable change through advocacy, rehabilitation, therapy, livelihood training, and community engagement is being explored. This locally-developed model addresses both psychological trauma and practical survival needs.

Ghana faces a 98% mental health treatment gap with fewer than 200 psychologists for 30+ million people. Yet TOLEC is proving that culturally-grounded, resource-conscious solutions can work, from teletherapy programs to training religious leaders as mental health advocates.

TOLEC's work extends to prison mental health, maternal psychological care, youth substance abuse prevention, and school-based interventions, all driven by data and local innovation.

International collaboration opportunities exist in capacity building, research partnerships, digital health technology, and advocacy. The model is ready to scale. What's needed is global support for local expertise.

For organizations seeking meaningful partnerships in African mental health innovation, culturally-responsive trauma care, or women's empowerment initiatives.

Keywords: mental health innovation Africa, witchcraft accusations Ghana, trauma-informed development, sustainable mental health programs, international mental health partnerships, women's rights Ghana, community psychology, teletherapy developing countries

#MentalHealthInnovation #GlobalMentalHealth #WomensEmpowerment #AfricanSolutions #EndWitchcraftAccusations #TraumaCare

Links

Total Life Enhancement Center, Ghana

Amnesty International, Ghana

End Witch Hunts

Why Witch Hunts are not just a Dark Chapter from the Past

INAWARA

International Alliance to End Witch Hunts

What is folklore and how does it connect to witch hunts? Join us for an author talk with Professor Owen Davies and Dr. Ceri Houlbrook from the University of Hertfordshire, discussing their new book Folklore: A Journey Through the Past and Present. Discover how folklore shapes our daily lives, from cheese rolling traditions to social media rumors.

Episode Highlights:

• Folklore definition and what folklore actually means today

• British folklore traditions and American folklore customs explored

• How folklore practices became legal evidence in Salem witch trials

• The three types of British witches: conflict witches, accidental witches, and outcast witches

• Folk devils versus theological devils in witch hunt history

• Spectral evidence, pricking tests, touch tests, and folk magic in historical witch accusations

• Why debunked theories like the ergot explanation persist in popular culture

• How contemporary folklore evolves through podcasts and social media

• The ritual year framework and material culture in folklore studies

• Magical thinking and supernatural beliefs across cultures

• How folklore cycles between revival and decline

Whether you’re studying folklore definition, researching folklore examples, or interested in folklore and popular culture, this author talk explores how folklore studies reveals patterns in human behavior across time.

Pick up Folklore: A Journey Through the Past and Present at https://bookshop.org/shop/endwitchhunts to support our work and explore opportunities to study folklore at the University of Hertfordshire’s MA folklore program.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Links

Buy Book: Folklore: A Journey Through the Past and Present

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts YouTube⁠

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts

The Thing About Salem website

Enjoy this in-depth author interview with New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Kent. Kathleen opens up about her writing process, her journey from aspiring writer to published novelist, and the craft behind transforming family history into compelling historical fiction.

Kathleen's debut novel, The Heretic's Daughter, tells the story of her ancestor Martha Carrier, who was executed during the Salem Witch Trials on August 19, 1692. Martha was from Andover, the town with the most accused witches was blamed for a smallpox epidemic that killed 13 people. Even when her children were tortured into confessing against her, Martha refused to admit to crimes she didn't commit.

This episode offers invaluable insights for aspiring novelists and historical fiction writers, covering everything from research techniques to finding your voice as a writer. Whether you're working on your first novel or looking to deepen your craft, Kathleen's experience and teaching expertise provide practical guidance for writers at every level.

Kathleen Kent is a New York Times bestselling author and member of the Texas Institute of Letters. Her novels include:

• The Heretic's Daughter (David J. Langum Sr. Award for American Historical Fiction, Will Rogers Medallion Award)

• The Traitor's Wife

• The Outcasts (American Library Association "Top Pick" for Historical Fiction)

• The Dime, The Burn, and The Pledge (Edgar Award-nominated crime trilogy)

• Black Wolf

Kathleen teaches writing workshops and has worked with Texas Writes to mentor aspiring authors.

• Kathleen's journey from aspiring writer to published author

• The writing process behind The Heretic's Daughter

• Research techniques for historical fiction writers

• How to balance historical accuracy with storytelling

• Finding and developing your unique voice as a writer

• Working with family history and sensitive historical material

• Navigating the publishing process

• Teaching writing and what aspiring novelists need to know

• Transitioning between historical fiction and crime fiction genres

• Martha Carrier's powerful story of resistance

• The Andover witch trials and why this town had the most accusations

• The 1690 smallpox epidemic and its connection to witch accusations

• How children were tortured into testifying against their parents

• Cotton Mather's role in documenting the trials

• The legacy of Salem Witch Trials victims

historical fiction writing, Kathleen Kent, The Heretic's Daughter, writing process, aspiring novelists, Salem Witch Trials, Martha Carrier, Andover witch trials, writing advice, author interview, historical research, novel writing, writing workshops, craft of writing, historical fiction authors, publishing advice

#WritingCommunity #HistoricalFiction #AuthorInterview #WritingAdvice #KathleenKent #SalemWitchTrials #NovelWriting #WritingPodcast

Links

Kathleen Kent Website

Purchase the novel: The Heretics Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Support our Podcast by purchasing books through our affiliate link to End Witch Hunts Bookshop

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The Thing About Salem website

Is The Witch of Blackbird Pond historical fact or beloved fiction? Museum educators Martha Smart and Gillie Johnson from the Wethersfield Historical Society pull back the curtain on Elizabeth George Speare's classic novel by revealing what she got right and what she invented. This episode demonstrates why Connecticut's real witch trials deserve more attention than they've gotten.

Discover the true story of Katherine Harrison, whose 1669 witch trial revealed the dangerous reality for independent women in Puritan Connecticut. Learn why Gershom Bulkeley, a real historical figure who appears in the novel helped end witch executions in Connecticut by declaring he'd seen no legally proven case of witchcraft.

From the Charter Oak legend to the history of slavery in colonial Connecticut, this conversation goes far beyond the novel to explore what life was really like in 1680s Wethersfield and whose stories have been left out of the history books.

• The real Katherine Harrison witch trial and how it differed from the novel's dramatic courtroom scene

• Why Connecticut's witch trials ended decades before Salem's panic began

• How The Witch of Blackbird Pond has shaped—and sometimes distorted—Wethersfield's historical identity

• What Elizabeth George Speare got wrong about Puritan social customs, trade, and the treatment of outsiders

• The truth behind the Charter Oak legend and Connecticut's resistance to British rule

Martha Smart - Research and Reference Librarian, Wethersfield Historical Society

Gillie Johnson - Museum Educator, Wethersfield Historical Society

Learn more at wethersfieldhistory.org, where you can explore their database of people of color in Wethersfield's history.

Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond and Connecticut's colonial-era witch trials, including the 1669 case of Katherine Harrison in Wethersfield, form an important part of the state's historical narrative, though they remain less widely recognized than their Salem counterparts.

Links

Wethersfieldhistory.org

Webb Deane Stevens Museum

Purchase the book: The Witch of Blackbird Pond from our nonprofit bookshop

Connecticut Witch Trial History

End Witch Hunts Nonprofit

In this episode, Josh and Sarah speak with the creative team behind "The Witch of Woodbury," a theatrical production at Connecticut's Glebe House Museum that brings 17th-century witch trial victims to life through performance.

Featured Guests:

• Linda Barr-Gale - Actress portraying Moll Cramer for 13 years and production writer

• Loriann Witte - Director of Glebe House Museum, portraying Rebecca Greensmith

• Maribeth Cummings - Actress portraying Katherine Harrison for 5 years

• Vail Barrett - Actor portraying accuser Thomas Allyn

Key Topics:

• The legend of Moll Cramer, the "Witch of Woodbury" who was banished to Tophet Road

• Connecticut's witch trial history from 1647-1663, including 11 executions

• How Governor John Winthrop Jr. transformed Connecticut's approach to witchcraft accusations

• Accused Witch Katherine Harrison's well-documented case and its role in changing spectral evidence standards

• Executed woman Rebecca Greensmith's role in the Hartford Witch Panic of 1662

• The perspective of accusers like Thomas Allyn and the climate of fear in colonial Connecticut

• Using theatrical performance to make history accessible and memorable for modern audiences

Historical Context: The performance emphasizes the stark differences between Connecticut's evolving legal standards under Winthrop and the later Salem trials.

Learn More:

• Glebe House Museum

• • Connecticut Witch Trial History
  • End Witch Hunts Nonprofit