1647

May 26, 1647: Alse (Alice) Young(s) is hung. From Windsor Connecticut and was tried, convicted, and hung in Hartford. There is not a
single known court record of her case. We only know of her execution and indictment from a single sentence from Governor John Winthrop's
Journal dated March 1646-47, “One ---- of Windsor Arraigned and Executed at Hartford for a Witch.” Her identity was discovered in 1904 in the
diary of Matthew Grant who was the second town clerk of Windsor. It stated, May 26, 1647, "Alse Young was hanged."

1648

December 7: Katherine Palmer was accused by Goodwife Palmer of "tormenting her by witchcraft" and was released with only a warning.

December: Mary Johnson (Jonson) was believed to be the first to be hung in New England for witchcraft until Alse Young's story was
discovered. She was found guilty by her own confession of familiarity with the Devil. The exact date of her execution is unknown, she was
hung between December of 1648 and before May 1649 because on May 21st 1650 there is a bill for her imprisonment.

1650

March 6: Both husband and wife John and Joanne Carrington were found guilty and hung.

1651

May 15: Goodwife Bassett. There are no known court records for her trial. She confessed her guilt and was hanged in Stratford.

1653

Elizabeth Goodman (Godman) was accused as a witch but was not hung. Her trial was "considered" amusing by many. She had the habit
of talking outloud to herself, which many thought of a sign of being a witch. Goody Goodman was actually accused of being a witch on
multiple occasions.

1654

May 29th: Goodwife (Elizabeth) Knapp She was targeted because of her strange behavior described by Samuel Willard as a "poor and
miserable object, who carried herself in a strange and unwonted manner." Numerous women in the community spoke out against her. At the
gallows she spoke to the reverend before being hung and was believed to name Mary Staples as a witch.

Mary Staples was accused of witchcraft

Mary Harvey

Hannah Harvey

Lydia Gilbert (Lydea Gilburt) was found guilty and possibly hung, but there was no actual recording of her hanging.

1655

Nicholas Bayly and especially his wife Goody Bayly were warned for witchcraft suspicions.

1657

Elizabeth Garlick accused and found guilty, but was told to be on her best behavior instead of being hung.

1661

Nicholas and Margaret Jennings were both indicted and found guilty, but their punishments are unknown and they were possibly hung.

1662

Goody Ayres was accused and fled to Rhode Island were there was no capital punishment.

Andrew Sanford accused was the jury could not come to a verdict.

Mary Sanford was found guilty, and was held prisoner but there is no official record of her being hung. Further proof that she was hung is her
husband moved in 1663 and remarried in Milford Connecticut.

1663

January 25: Nathaniel and Rebecca Greensmith were hung. Nathaniel maintained his innocence while eventualy Rebecca confessed to
witchcraft.

Mary Barnes (Barns) of Farmington and Elizabeth Seager were both accused of witchcraft. Mary Barnes was found guilty and hung
the same day as Nathaniel and Rebecca while Elizabeth was found not guilty. Later in another trial Elizabeth Seager was found guilty, but it
was overturned on May 18, 1666.

Judith Varlett accused by Rebecca Greensmith but was found not guilty from a letter written by the governor of New York Peter Stuyvesant.

James Wakely was constantly in the Connecticut court system and fled prosecution by moving to Rhode Island, even though his wife
remained in Connecticut.

1665

January: John Brown was accused.

1667

Katherine Palmer was accused again an fled the state of Connecticut.

1668

Katherine Harrison was found guilty but strangly no sentence was passed onto her.

1691

Mercy Brown accused but was in a "crazed and distracted condition" so they could not pass the sentence of death against her, and she
was warned to keep out of trouble in the future.

Winfred Benham Sr. and Winfred Benham Jr. accused they were brought before the court and examined but the evidence was found to
be insufficient.

1692

Elizabeth Clawson was accused and found guilty, but then was retried and found not guilty.

Mercy Disborough was found guilty, she asked for another trial and was again found guilty and was sentenced to death. She then appealed
that the state of Connecticut was illegally governed and therefore they could not sentence her to death. Afraid that England would side with
her she was released.

1693

Hugh Crotia (Crowshaw) was suspected of witchcraft and the court found him to be mentally retarded.

It started in 1642 in the Hartford colony of Connecticut. From 1642 to the outbreak in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts had only executed six
people, while Connecticut had already executed all of their convicted witches. Under the circumstance of the developing colonies, it is surprising
that there were not more deaths due to witchcraft. There possibly was more prosecuted or even executed, prior to 1642. Whether this lack of
documents was meant to hide Connecticut's dark history, or because Connecticut was still in its unorganized infancy is unknown. During this
time in Connecticut there were eleven different crimes that carried capital punishment.

During these early times when Connecticut was scarcely formed, there were very few written state documents about that time which made it very
difficult to research the trials and executions. Although these documents are scarce at best, there are scattered bits of information in letters,
diaries, court papers, depositions and genealogies this has led us to some of these missing executions, or at least those discovered so far. Some
of the stories of those convicted may and/or put to death may heave already be lost forever, but some may still be undiscovered in colonial
records and manuscripts in private collections. These stories of those executed in Connecticut as witches have hardly been examined. Whether
this lack of documents was meant to hide Connecticut's dark history, or because Connecticut was still in its unorganized infancy is unknown.

The first recorded witchcraft trials were in Connecticut. History only knows of Alse Young's execution by two separate recordings one of which
was a personal journal entry.

The Connecticut Thirteen