Witch Trials, Witchcraft, Witches

The Connecticut State Library (CSL) focuses on Connecticut and therefore will have more resources on the Connecticut Witch Trials. These first occurred almost 50 years before the Salem trials.

Below are some examples of resources for studying the Connecticut Witch Trials and topics related to witchcraft in Colonial period. This is not to be a complete/comprehensive list. New resources are digitized and/or added to our collection and may not be reflected in this guide. Many of the resources are not online, and are in restricted collections (must be used on site at CSL) that should be requested in advance by contacting the History & Genealogy Unit (860-757-6580).

It is recommended that you begin your research with our History & Genealogy unit.

Witchcraft - Colonial Records & Topics
CT State Library guide highlighting resources in our collections, including links to digitized items and a downloadable PDF research guide.
Samuel Wyllys Papers
Research guide to CT State Library

Trials & Legal Resources

Trials & Legal Documents

See also the books below and resources above.

Connecticut Witchcraft Trials and Posthumous Pardons
OLR Report 2006-R-0718 gives overview of Connecticut's witch trials, including whether any witches have been pardoned posthumously.
CTHumanities: Witchcraft in Connecticut
ConnecticutHistory.org post of October 29, 2020, by Andy Piascik. Includes *brief* explanations of some theories on why witch hunts occurred.
A Curious Case of Witchcraft Slander
by Sarah Morin on July 27th, 2021. New Haven County Court Records: Blog
more...less...
"Today we are going to examine an unusual case involving witchcraft slander."
H.J. No. 34 Session Year 2023 Resolution Concerning Certain Witchcraft Convictions In Colonial Connecticut
Links to text of resolution and hearings.
more...less...
"The intent of the resolution is to acknowledge those who were falsely accused of practicing witchcraft and to help ease the distress experienced by the descendants of both those who were accused of being witches as well as those who participated in the prosecutions, trials, and executions of the accused individuals during the seventeenth century in Connecticut."
Connecticut Witch Trials And Posthumous Pardons OLR Report 2006-R-0718
Discusses Connecticut's witch trials, including whether anyone accused of witchcraft has been pardoned posthumously. Also investigates if any other states have granted an accused witch a posthumous pardon.
A Curious Case of Witchcraft Slander, Continued
by Sarah Morin on March 21st, 2024
Updates the case with appeal to Superior Court.

Books, Documents, etc.

These are just a few suggested items that might help with your research. It is recommended to always search our catalog and archive finding aids.

The Hartford Area Witch-hunts: 1647-1683 by Ryan Hyman
Publication Date: 2000
From catalog record: Thesis. M.A. Central Connecticut State University, 2000. " ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History.".
Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth-Century New England 2nd ed. by David D. Hall (Editor)
Call Number: Stacks BF1575 .W62 2008
ISBN: 9780822336136
Publication Date: 2005
Witch Hunts in Europe and America by William E. Burns
Call Number: GIRS Reference BF1584.E9 B87 2003
ISBN: 0313321426
Publication Date: 2003
Before Salem :: Witch Hunting in the Connecticut River Valley, 1647-1663 by Richard S. Ross
Call Number: Online and Stacks BF1576 .R675 2017
ISBN: 9781476666488
Publication Date: 2017
Online access with a CT State Library card.
Catalog: "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"--
Connecticut Witch Trials by Cynthia Wolfe Boynton; Geena Clonan (Foreword by)
Call Number: Stacks BF1576 .B69 2014
ISBN: 9781626193871
Publication Date: 2014
Catalog:
"Connecticut's witchhunt was the first and most ferocious in New England, occurring almost fiftyyears before the infamous Salem witch trials. Between 1647 and 1697, at least thirty-four men and women from across the state were formally charged with witchcraft. Eleven were hanged. In New Haven, William Meeker was accused of cutting off and burning his pig's ears and tail as he cast a bewitching spell. After the hanging of Fairfield's Goody Knapp, magistrates cut down and searched her body for the marks of the devil. Through newspaper clippings, courtrecords, letters and diaries, author Cynthia Wolfe Boynton uncovers the dark history of the Connecticut witch trials"--
Ebook might be available through your local public library.
"Elizabeth Clawson ... Thou Deseruest To Dye" : An Account Of The Trial In 1692 Of A Woman From Stamford, Connecticut Who Was Accused Of Being A Witch
Call Number: Stacks BF1576 .M35
Publication Date: 1976
Controversial Court Cases in Connecticut Part I by Regina Forker
Call Number: Law Vault KFC4138 .F67 2008
ISBN: 9780974006994
Publication Date: 2008
Witchcraft Prosecution by R. G. Tomlinson
Call Number: Stacks BF1576 .T64 2012
ISBN: 9780897259149
Publication Date: 2012
Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases, 1648-1706
Call Number: Online and Stacks BF1573.A2 N37 1914 Item does not circulate
Publication Date: 1914
Available in our Hein subscription database (CSL card required) and open access at HathiTrust

Other Institutions

Connecticut

Other

Library of Congress (LOC)

Petition for bail from accused witches, ca. 1692. (LOC)
Library of Congress (LOC) digital image from Salem Witch Trials "Shown here is an appeal from ten women "besides thre or foure men" who were confined without trial in the Ipswich jail for many months. The petitioners--some "fettered with irons," some pregnant, and all "weake and infirme"--request that they be released on "bayle" to stand trial the following spring so that they do not "perish with cold" during the winter months."
More Than Three Centuries Later, Connecticut General Assembly Absolves Accused Witches
Library of Congress blog Posted by: Anna Price, November 21, 2023
The Cornell University Witchcraft Collection
Site: "Cornell’s Witchcraft Collection contains over 3,000 titles documenting the history of the Inquisition and the persecution of witchcraft, primarily in Europe."
Connecticut's Old State House: 'Witchcraft Panic in Colonial Connecticut'
Richard Ross, Recorded On: 10/28/2023

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Please be advised that some of these resources--particularly those created in previous eras--contain descriptions for ancestral, racial, ethnic, and gender identity that may be offensive or harmful to individuals investigating these records, and are considered inappropriate to use in modern times. The descriptions and treatment of historically marginalized groups, women, and animals may be upsetting. Also, please note that inclusion in this subject guide does not necessarily constitute endorsement of the views therein--we encourage investigators to use their own judgment when evaluating books, websites, articles, documents, and other resources.

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