A Salem Witch: The Trial, Execution, and Exoneration of Rebecca Nurse

by Daniel A. Gagnon

In the winter of 1692 something terrible and frightening began in Salem Village. It started with several villagers having strange fits, screaming, and unnaturally contorting themselves, and ended with almost two hundred people in jail, and at least twenty-five dead. Witchcraft accusations—claims that some inhabitants had forsaken God to become servants of the Devil—spread from Salem Village across Massachusetts, ensnaring innocent people from all strata of society under a burden of assumed guilt. One of the most significant accusations, and most unlikely, was against a seventy-one-year-old grandmother, Rebecca Nurse.   The accusations against Nurse, a well-respected member in the community, seemed unbelievable. Unflinchingly, this ailing elderly woman insisted on her innocence and refused to falsely confess. Supported by many in Salem, Nurse’s family and neighbors challenged her accusers in court and prepared a thorough defense for her, yet nothing could surmount the fear of witchcraft, and she was sentenced to death. Nurse, seen as a martyr for the truth, later became the first person accused of witchcraft to be memorialized in North America.    In A Salem The Trial, Execution, and Exoneration of Rebecca Nurse, the first full account of Nurse’s life, Daniel A. Gagnon vividly recreates seventeenth-century Salem, and in the process challenges previous interpretations of Nurse’s life and the 1692 witch hunt in general. Through primary source research, he reveals how the Nurse family’s role in several disputes prior to the witch hunt was different than previously thought, as well as how Nurse’s case helps answer the important question of whether the accusations of witchcraft were caused by mental illness or malicious intent. A Salem Witch reveals a remarkable woman whose legacy has transformed how the witch hunt has been remembered and memorialized.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Witches, American History, Historical

577 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 29, 2021

Reviews

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thoroughly researched and approachably written. So glad to see a full account of this story of my 10th great-grandmother pulled together in print. Important lessons here for us all.

[Suzette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book. As an elementary school teacher in Massachusetts, I learned so much more than the textbooks we use with our third graders ever taught me. Highly recommend this book if you want to learn more about such a dark chapter of our country and the murder of innocent people.

[Christine Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a great biography of Rebecca Nurse with a rich bibliography. This is not an adequate source on the Salem Witch Trials. Overall, this work does not see the forest through the trees. The Salem Witch Trials is consistently described in the corresponding research and literature as the perfect storm because of all the events that led up to and sustained its path of destruction. This work picks out a piece of debris from the tornado and examines it without the context of the vortex from which it is pulled, drawing bold conclusions with purposefully incomplete or omitted evidence. For all of the sources cited in the notes and bibliography, the end product confoundingly relays information with quantitative accuracy while missing whole big-picture points from said sources. This work is the product of an approach that forces available data to feed a hypothesis instead of drawing conclusions based on the evidence.

First red flag: "While weaker men and women wavered and falsely confessed" - seriously, weaker was the best word? Because they saw others confessing and SURVIVING, living was just the weaker thing to do? Even when later in the book it is explained how Salem was unique in allowing confessors to survive? What copy editor let this one pass?

"...marked the beginning of a dictatorial regime the likes of which Massachusetts had never seen." It was the 1600s. Massachusetts was in its infancy - everything about its puritanical existence was inaugural; there are a lot of statements like this for the sake of being melodramatic, trying desperately to be a page turner. That being said, the Puritan citizens would have absolutely seen it, isn't that what the book has outlined throughout the first part, the dictatorial regime they were fleeing from to begin with? Shame again on the copy editor here (or shame on the choice of skimping on one).

The most annoying error for me was how the text goes out of its way to repeatedly tear down previous theories of the trials that are based on the relations between different families and factions within the community. It dismisses arguments outright about why certain families would have accused others because once upon a time they were friends or supported each other so it couldn't possibly make sense that they would ever turn on one another, implying repeatedly that these established interpretations 'just don't make sense'. History should be looked at through different lenses, assumptions should be questioned. But don't attempt to nullify an entire foundation of theory and then provide evidence that not only doesn't support this destruction, but when put in context continues to support the established theories. Specifically nonsensical is the argument that Parris wouldn't have turned on the Nurse family because they had previously supported him coming to Salem. Yet several times throughout it, the text provides evidence of Parris feeling betrayed before the witchcraze and going on an entitled power trip against the Nurse faction during and after the trials: the Nurse patriarch being involved in taking away the deed to what Parris (potentially) illegally claimed as his home, the vindictive sermons he preached regarding the Nurse family who was boycotting church services after Rebecca's imprisonment and execution, the petition from the Nurse family which outlines their belief in his immoral unrelenting and unapologetic role in the trials... now who doesn't make sense?

[Kirstin Dobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read-- very well researched, but also very well written. And so authentic and correctly presented that you knew it was accurate. Did not read like a nonfiction book, though. Also, long enough to cover all the bases, but not too long to lose the audience-- simple enough to not waunder off on tangents, either.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. The thing that really struck me about this history wasn't the witch hysteria of the community, but the danger of mixing religion and law. THAT is the cautionary tale of the Salem witch hunts.

[Alexa Blart, Library Cop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not to excessively toot my own horn, but I read a lot of nonfiction about the Salem Witch Trials. You could say it's my Roman Empire, and has been since I was pretty little—since way before a genealogy project revealed that the subject of this book is my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother. I like to think that the fact that this dark little period of history that fascinated me so much as a child, right up to this day, is evidence of some sort of supernatural connection between me and the ancestor I didn't even know about until I was an adult. More likely it was just another example of little kids loving creepy things. (Or maybe it's both)

Anyway: there were definitely parts of this book that bored me a little, simply because they weren't telling me anything I didn't already know. (This is where the "I'm not tooting my own horn, I swear" part comes in.) However, one thing that's extremely cool about this book is how laser focusing in on just one player on the dark and deadly stage that was the witch trials is that you go a lot deeper into them than most accounts, with a number of players and moving parts to contend with, simply can't. I felt like I was right there in the trial room with my ancestor, which is no small feat, given that most records of the actual trials—not the examinations that preceded them—have been famously lost to time. Gagnon clearly did exhaustive research, gleaning information when and where he could, mostly in the form of legal records from the late seventeenth century (the Puritans were a famously litigious people). And it was really, really extremely cool to see all the ways in which Rebecca Nurse is a standout of the witch trials: one of the first to be accused who wasn't considered an outsider, vulnerable for being on the fringes of society; the only person tried to initially receive a not guilty verdict (which Chief Justice Stoughton made the jury reconsider—another reason I'll never set foot in Stoughton, Massachusetts); and the person with the most impressive familial legacy of clearing her name and keeping her story alive.

I've lived in Massachusetts full-time for almost three years now. I spend a lot of time in Salem, because it's only an hour away and, again, this is my Roman Empire. But I've spent embarrassingly little time in Danvers, and have never actually made it to her homestead there, and now, I want to REALLY really badly.

Also, not for nothing, but this woman has a whole-ass POEM dedicated to her, with some absolutely banger lines in it. There really wasn't a better title for this book than "A Salem Witch"?

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written enough that I felt real sorrow for Rebecca Nurse, who had a hard life even before the witch hysteria. Puritan immigrants in the early days of the Massachusetts colony - of course it was a hard life. Using her biography as a way to understand the witch hysteria was very helpful, albeit a little repetitive at times. I have yet to read a convincing explanation of the whole thing, but each study illuminates something new. I would definitely recommend this book, especially as an entry point for understanding the historical record.

[Jennifer Huberdeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-written history of the accusation, trial, execution and exoneration of Rebecca Nurse. The text is flawed in the author's attempts to dismiss all previous scholarly theories as to why Nurse was accused and as to why the witch hunts happened. In trying to do so, the text becomes burdened with his pointing out of certain facts in his attempt to disprove these.theories. In all, he fails to see the forest from the trees ... The perfect storm of events that created this terrible legacy.

[Sarah Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me longer to finish than I wanted because of life, but it was hard to put down when I was reading it. The Salem witch trials have always fascinated me, even as a little girl. Having purchased this book at the Peabody Museum in Salem last year, I wanted to truly learn the ins and outs about the trials versus what I’d seen in movies and that’s exactly what I got. I can’t wait to read other related texts. Super informative and broken down in a concise manner. What a tragedy.

[Alli Garrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent recounting of the trial and execution of an innocent grandmother in what was Salem, Massachusetts. From a legal perspective, the erroneous judgments, illegal testimony, and bending of traditional court processes are expertly described. The atmosphere is well represented and overall this was an enjoyable read about a horrific event in American history.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rebecca Nurse (Nourse) appears in my family history. This book certainly gets into detail regarding the times surrounding the Witch Hunt. Unfortunately, I suspect in order to fill the book, it is extremely repetitive.
Sadly, as long as the world has religion these atrocities will continue.

[Niamh Dolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully written book about the 17th century atmosphere surrounding the Salem witchcraft hysteria, and of Rebecca Nurse’s experience as one of the accused, her execution, and ultimate exoneration years after the events of 1692.

[Katrina Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and haunting story where the author puts so much work into telling the story of Rebecca's Nurse murder during the witch trials. Written like a commercial story but filled with educational footnotes, asides, and information that will please casual reader and historian alike.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was reading this while at Salem MA and afterwards. There is so much information in this book that I found interesting and sad. Rebecca Nurse and all others accused with their families didn't deserve this. I definitely want to read this again.

[Rebecca Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing yet we know of history! And the truth we cling to even if it kills us! Let Rebecca Nurse Rest In Peace and god surely found her innocence.

[Jenny Jaworski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing. One of the most interesting and well documented books I've ever read. I can not say enough amazing things about this book.

[Cheryl Rains · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book, very informative and pleasant reading

[Lauren Alvarenga · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is not what I thought it would be. I wanted an entertaining story about the Salem witch trials but it was more of a history lesson listing facts.

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM

[Sam Reid-Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Tara Ann Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough book. Learned a lot about this history.

[Lorna Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, horrible audiobook.

[KSK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enlightening and detailed historical account, but could use tighter editing

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly this is one of the best narratives I've read on this subject

[Greg Houle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent account of Rebecca Nurse's story but it's also a fantastic summation of the witch crisis in Salem in 1692. If you're looking to learn more about that unique moment in history, do yourself a favor and pick up this book.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, very well written account of my 8X Great Grand Aunt Rebecca Towne Nurse. Funny thing is I learned that Captain Thomas Fiske was the foreman at her trial. Good old Daniel was my 8 times Great Grandfather. They were not related…