Turning an eye to a relatively unknown witchcraft trial in Stamford, Connecticut, Godbeer pens a gripping narrative that captures the mindset of colonial New England.

Decades before the Salem Witch trials, 11 people were hanged as witches in the Connecticut River Valley. The advent of witch hunting in New England was directly influenced by the English Civil War and the witch trials in England led by Matthew Hopkins, who pioneered "techniques" for examining witches. This history examines the outbreak of witch hysteria in the Valley, focusing on accusations of demonic possession, apotropaic magic and the role of the clergy. Although the hysteria was eventually quelled by a progressive magistrate unwilling to try witches, accounts of the trials later influenced contemporary writers during the Salem witch hunts. The source of the document "Grounds for Examination of a Witch" is identified.

This superb documentary collection illuminates the history of witchcraft and witch-hunting in seventeenth-century New England. The cases examined begin in 1638, extend to the Salem outbreak in 1692, and document for the first time the extensive Stamford-Fairfield, Connecticut, witch-hunt of 1692–1693. Here one encounters witch-hunts through the eyes of those who participated in them: the accusers, the victims, the judges. The original texts tell in vivid detail a multi-dimensional story that conveys not only the process of witch-hunting but also the complexity of culture and society in early America. The documents capture deep-rooted attitudes and expectations and reveal the tensions, anger, envy, and misfortune that underlay communal life and family relationships within New England’s small towns and villages. Primary sources include court depositions as well as excerpts from the diaries and letters of contemporaries. They cover trials for witchcraft, reports of diabolical possessions, suits of defamation, and reports of preternatural events. Each section is preceded by headnotes that describe the case and its background and refer the reader to important secondary interpretations. In his incisive introduction, David D. Hall addresses a wide range of important issues: witchcraft lore, antagonistic social relationships, the vulnerability of women, religious ideologies, popular and learned understandings of witchcraft and the devil, and the role of the legal system. This volume is an extraordinarily significant resource for the study of gender, village politics, religion, and popular culture in seventeenth-century New England.

Mass hysteria in the late 17th century led to trials of people suspected to be witches in Salem, Massachusetts. Anyone could be accused of causing mysterious maladies or unfortunate occurrences, such as the death of cattle. Readers discover important facts and captivating details about this fascinating time in American history. The dangers of leveling accusations without proof and succumbing to panic are discussed in this engaging text, which is supplemented with a fact-filled timeline, full-color photographs, and primary sources.

“Historian Hill utilizes her extensive research on the Salem Witch Trials to bone-chilling effect in this riveting tale of a town spiraling out of control.” —Booklist Deliverance from Evil brings to life the Salem witch trials, one of the most uncanny times in our nation’s history. Young girls in trances pointed out neighbors, leaders, relatives—over 150 people were arrested, with many hanged for their supposed sins. Frances Hill, author of A Delusion of Satan, brings her deep historical and political understanding together with her honed skills as a novelist to produce a picture of the trials both realistic and emotional. She has written an extraordinary and gripping novel of hysteria, power plays, and love in colonial America. “Frances Hill is a renowned historian of the period who has turned to fiction—with great success—to get into the minds and souls of those involved based, for the most part, on real people. It is hard not to feel oneself caught up in the hysteria and religious fervour of those horrifying events.” —Daily Mail “Hill’s done a fine job with a subject that’s inspired countless accounts, adding historical content that makes this treatment stand out from the rest.” —Publishers Weekly “With her admirable gift for dialogue and her ability to depict a time and place with telling incident, Hill is a welcome recruit to the ranks of historical novelists.” —Historical Novel Society

Laurie Winn Carlson offers an innovative explanation for the madness behind the Salem Witch Trials.

Before the Salem Witch Trials...in 1662, a witch panic struck Hartford, Connecticut. Seventeen year old Hester Hosmer is a neighbor and friend to Ann Cole, despite Ann's reputation for being "strange" and a mooncalf. One night when Hester tries to drag Ann home from one of her moonlight walks, the girls stumble upon a strange fire-lit gathering on the South Green. But in 1662, such gatherings are strictly forbidden. When a child dies mysteriously, Ann's hysteria begins and she accuses certain townspeople of witchcraft. A witch panic envelopes Hartford and paranoia runs rampant. Hester tries to discourage Ann's hysterics and the more she discovers, the more conflicted she becomes about her own loyalties. Hester's budding romance with Tom, the peddler's son only makes Ann jealous and increases the tension. With the ruthless Marshal Gilbert, the Puritan Elders and the Acting Governor himself at her beck and call, Ann can prove to be a dangerous enemy. After all, anyone in Hartford might be a witch. After years of research, Ms. Spada Basto has brought to life a turbulent and disturbing period of Colonial Connecticut History. It is a time when wolves prowled near the town and superstitions about witches often brought people to an untimely death-hanging by a noose on Gallows' Hill.