Scholarly Information About the Salem Village Witch Trials

• 17th c. Colonial New England. http://www.ogram.org/17thc/index.shtml
  This site, a digital library of its own, contains numerous links and even some original content regarding this particular time period, and there's a special emphasis on the Salem Witchcraft Trials.
• Famous American Trials. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm
  Some historical documents are actually reproduced here, and others have only the text reproduced. There is a nice collection of images here. Examples of other information here: chronology, petitions of the accused, arrest warrant sample, and biographies of the players involved. It's hosted by the University of Missouri at Kansas City, and the professor who maintains it, Doug Linder, keeps a Famous Trials homepage.
• Plants and People: Saint Antony and the Salem Witch Trials. http://www.gardenforum.com/ergot.html
  A brief one-page description of one of the more recent theories regarding the reasons behind the accusations - ergot poisoning.
• Religious Movements. http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/salem.html
  A helpful background on Puritanism and some facts about the Salem trials, as well as some witch trials in Europe. Includes bibliography, links, and that rarity on the Internet, works cited.
• Revenge in the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria. http://www.loyno.edu/history/journal/1998-9/Karson.htm
  A research paper supporting the theory that Rev. George Burroughs was specifically targeted by the Putnam family, and that his death was the result of carefully-laid plans. Heavily footnoted.
• Salem Witch Trials as Fact and Symbol. http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/ANTHRO/rwpark/courses/Anth311/salem.htm
  This is a single page with a lengthy piece on the possible causes of the accusations which brings in various theories (rich v. poor, medical problems, religious zealotism, etc.) Definitely worth reading.
• The Salem Witchcraft GIS. http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/projects/salem
  These pages contain a visual recreation of Salem Village in 1692 according to historical records. It aims to help illustrate possible social conflicts caused by neighbor disputes and clashes over property ownership. It also represents the demographics of the people involved in the trials, including socio-economic status, which may have played an important role in determining who was accused.
• University of Virginia Electronic Text Center. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/index.html
  This comprehensive site houses a large number of archival documents, court records, books, and original information, including detailed maps of Salem Village, as well as information on the present-day Danvers. It's a must-see for anyone doing even a small amount of research on this topic.

This Web site was created as partial fulfillment of the requirements for INLS 181, a course offered by the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. All of the information is still valid, of course! If you have questions about this Web site, please contact knasser@email.unc.edu.