A Guide to the Primary Sources of the Salem Witch Trials
People Accused of Witchcraft in 1692
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For each person accused during the Salem witchcraft trials, you can access a large number (not all!) of the primary sources on-line, detailing what happened to them, as available in the original legal records and contemporary accounts. This is not an absolute definitive list, but it will get you started. The columns on the right will give you an idea of what kinds evidence exists in the case of each person as found in Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt.
Help using these primary sources
If you are trying to understand what happened to a specific person, please download this helpful guide concerning what sort of information you can find in the primary sources in each of these categories.

Accused: George Burroughs, of WellsReturn
No. 82: Letter of Thomas Putnam to John Hathorne & Jonathan Corwin       √          
No. 85: Statement of Benjamin Hutchinson v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 96: Complaint of Jonathan Walcott & Thomas Putnam v. George Burroughs, Lydia Dustin, Susannah Martin, Dorcas Hoar, Sarah Morey, and Philip English √                
No. 97: Warrant for the Apprehension of George Burroughs, and Officer's Return √                
No. 115: Letter of Elisha Hutchinson to John Hathorne & Jonathan Corwin Regarding Apprehension of George Burroughs √                
No. 120: Examination of George Burroughs and Statement of Abigail Hobbs v. George Burroughs   √              
No. 121: Deposition of Sarah Bibber v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 122: Statement of Elizabeth Hubbard v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 123: Statement of Elizer Keyser v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 124: Deposition of Mercy Lewis v. George Burroughs, and Statement of Thomas Putnam & Edward Putnam v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 125: Deposition of Ann Putnam Jr. v. George Burroughs, and Statement of Edward Putnam & Thomas Putnam v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 126: Deposition of John Putnam Sr. & Rebecca Putnam v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 127: Deposition of Thomas Putnam & Edward Putnam v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 128: Statement of Susannah Shelden v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 129: Deposition of Mary Walcott v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 130: Depositions of Simon Willard v. George Burroughs, and Testimony of William Wormall v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 216: Census of Prisoners and Dates of Prison Transfers     √            
No. 255: Deposition of Abigail Hobbs, Deliverance Hobbs, & Mary Warren v. George Burroughs, Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn, Bridget Bishop, Giles Cory, Rebecca Nurse, Elizabeth Procter, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Abigail Soames, John Procter, & Lydia Dustin       √          
No. 434: Summons for Witness v. George Burroughs, and Officer's Return         √        
No. 446: Testimony of Mary Webber v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 447: Testimony of Samuel Webber v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 452: Indictment No. 1 of George Burroughs, for Afflicting Mary Walcott         √        
No. 453: Indictment No. 2 of George Burroughs, for Afflicting Mercy Lewis         √        
No. 454: Indictment No. 3 of George Burroughs, for Afflicting Elizabeth Hubbard         √        
No. 455: Indictment No. 4 of George Burroughs, for Afflicting Ann Putnam Jr.         √        
No. 456: Fragment of a Statement of Richard Carrier, Mary Lacey Sr., & Mary Lacey Jr. v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 457: Deposition of Ann Putnam Jr. v. George Burroughs, and Statement of Thomas Putnam, Peter Prescott, Robert Morey, & Ezekiel Cheevers v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 458: Testimony of Mary Warren v. George Burroughs, John Alden, Martha Cory, & Ann Pudeator       √          
No. 473: Summons for Witnesses John Pierce & John Lane v. George Burroughs, and Officer's Return         √        
No. 474: Physical Examinations of George Burroughs & George Jacobs Sr.         √        
No. 491: Summons for Witnesses v. George Burroughs, and Officer's Return                  
No. 492: Deposition of Hannah Harris v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 493: Testimony of Thomas Ruck v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 530: Examination of Elizabeth Johnson Sr., Copy       √          
No. 612: Account for Payment Submitted by John Arnold, Jailkeeper     √            
No. 634: Deposition of Thomas Greenslit v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 635: Deposition of Thomas Greenslit v. George Burroughs, Second Version       √          
No. 636: Memorandum: Major Brown, Thomas Evans, Thomas Ruck, Martha Tyler, & Sarah Wilson Jr. v. George Burroughs       √          
No. 862: Account for Payment Submitted by Nathaniel Ingersoll, Innkeeper     √            
No. 896: Petition of Charles Burroughs for Restitution for George Burroughs                 √
No. 929: Recommendation and Authorization for Compensation Claims and Amounts Allowed                 √
No. 930: Summary of the Amounts Requested by the Victims & Their Relatives                 √
No. 931: An Act to Reverse the Attainders of George Burroughs et al. for Witchcraft           √ √ √ √
No. 933: Request for Copy of Act for Restitution                 √
No. 934: Order for Payment of Damages by Governor Joseph Dudley                 √
No. 935: Division of Money in Burroughs Restitution                 √
No. 943: Order of Peter Thomas et al. for Payment, Case of George Burroughs                 √
No. 947: Order of George Burroughs Jr. for Payment, Case of George Burroughs                 √
No. 958: Summary of Receipts of the Relations & Sufferers                 √
No. 959: Receipts for Sums Paid in Restitution                 √
No. 962: Letter of Mary Burroughs, Case of George Burroughs                 √
No. 966: Petition of the Children of George Burroughs                 √
No. 967: Letter of Rebecca Fowle, Case of George Burroughs                 √
No. 968: Petition of the Children of George Burroughs for Restitution                 √
No. 969: Order of Jeremiah Burroughs for Payment, Case of George Burroughs                 √
No. 977: Memorial & Petition by Thomas Newman et al. for George Burroughs                 √
What kind of primary source evidence does a check in each column indicate?
  • Complaint or Arrest - Either a formal complaint or an arrest warrant against this person exists.
  • Examination - An account of an examination (interrogation) or confession before local magistrates or in prison exists.
  • Imprisonment - A mittimus to move this person to/from jail, a recognizance or bond to release the person from jail, a reference in a jailer's bill, or a request for compensation for time spent in jail exists.
  • Evidence Entered - At least one deposition, statement, testimony or petition from any proceeding (preliminary hearing, grand jury or trial) for or against this person exists.
  • Grand Jury or Indictment - A deposition, statement or testimony sworn before the grand jury of inquest, a physical examination of the body of this person, or an indictment brought before a grand jury exists.
  • Jury Trial - An entry in a court record book or a contemporary account of the trial exists.
  • Conviction - A death warrant indicating that the person was convicted, a notation about the case in a record book of the conviction, a statement that the person was convicted in either a request for reversal of attainder or for compensation from the Crown exists.
  • Execution - The return of an officer on a death warrant, a statement that the person was executed in a request for reversal of attainder or for compensation from the Crown, or an entry in Samuel Sewall's diary exists.
  • Restitution - Accounts submitted for restitution, orders for payment to survivors, acts for reversal of attainder or for payments of restitution, proclamations clearing the accused

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