In May 1692, one of Boston's most respected citizens walked into a Salem courtroom—and the accusers couldn't even identify him. Captain John Alden Jr., son of Mayflower passengers and decorated war hero, seemed an unlikely target for witchcraft accusations. But his connections to Native Americans and the French made him dangerous in the eyes of wartime Massachusetts.

What happened when Salem's witch hunt reached beyond the village to pull in a prominent Bostonian with impeccable colonial credentials? This episode examines how Captain Alden's examination revealed the absurdity and danger of the spectral evidence system and how his escape became one of the trial period's most dramatic moments.

From his parents' legendary Plymouth courtship to his own flight from justice, Captain Alden's story shows us who could be accused, who could survive, and what it took to navigate Salem's machinery of suspicion.

Episode Highlights:

• John Alden Sr. and Priscilla: The last surviving Mayflower passenger and the marriage that inspired Longfellow

• Captain Alden's controversial fur trading and the rumors that made him a target

• The chaotic May 31st examination where accusers needed prompting

• The touch test, the sword, and the claims of "Indian Papooses"

• His September escape to Duxbury and surprising return

Key Figures: Captain John Alden Jr., John & Priscilla Alden, Judges Bartholomew Gedney and John Richards, Rev. Samuel Willard, Robert Calef

The Thing About Salem examines the people, places, and events of the 1692 Salem witch trials. New episodes weekly.

Links

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⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts

The Thing About Salem website

Episode Description:

When you think "Massachusetts witch trials," you think Salem, 1692. But what if we told you that 44 years before Salem, Massachusetts was already executing people for witchcraft in Boston?

Between 1648 and 1693, more than 200 people were formally charged with witchcraft across Massachusetts. In 1957, the state cleared 31 Salem victims. But Boston's victims have been forgotten.

On November 25, 2025, Bill H.1927 goes before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary to finally exonerate 8 individuals convicted of witchcraft in Boston and recognize everyone else who suffered accusations across Massachusetts.

Co-hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack, descendants of Salem witch trial victims and co-founders of the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project, explain why Salem's story is incomplete without Boston—and how YOU can help Massachusetts finish the job.

Before Salem: Boston's Forgotten VictimsFive women were executed in Boston:

• Margaret Jones (1648) - First person executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts, 44 years before Salem

• Elizabeth Kendall (1651)

• Alice Lake (1651)

• Ann Hibbins (1656)

• Goody Glover (1688) - Executed just 4 years before Salem, her case influenced Cotton Mather

Three others were convicted but not executed:

• Hugh Parsons (1651)

• Eunice Cole (1656-1680) Eunice was brought to court on witchcraft accusations over and over!

• Elizabeth Morse (1680)

Cotton Mather was deeply involved in Goody Glover's 1688 trial in Boston. Her execution influenced his thinking about witchcraft—thinking he brought to Salem just four years later.

The same fears, the same accusations, the same injustice—Boston laid the groundwork for what happened in Salem.

When Massachusetts cleared Salem's victims in 1957, they left Boston's victims behind.

✅ Exonerates the 8 individuals convicted of witchcraft in Boston between 1647-1688

✅ Recognizes all others who suffered accusations across Massachusetts

✅ Completes the work Massachusetts started in 1957 when they cleared Salem's victims

✅ Acknowledges that Salem wasn't the beginning—Boston was

✅ Costs nothing - zero fiscal impact

1. Sign the Petition: Change.org/witchtrials - Over 14,000 signatures and growing

2. Contact Massachusetts Representatives: Email or call members of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary before November 25th

3. Submit Written Testimony: Even if you can't attend in person, your voice matters

4. Share This Episode: Help spread the word before the November 25th hearing

For decades, we've told the story of Salem 1692 as if it appeared out of nowhere. But Massachusetts had been executing people for witchcraft since 1648.

The fears, the evidence, the methods—all of it was already established in Boston before it exploded in Salem.

You can't understand Salem without understanding Boston.

Josh and Sarah co-founded the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project and launched their podcast in 2022 to support the legislative effort. With help from listeners like you, Connecticut passed House Joint Resolution 34 in May 2023 with overwhelming bipartisan support, absolving 11 individuals and recognizing all others who suffered accusations.

You were part of Connecticut's success from the beginning. Now Massachusetts needs you to help finish what they started in 1957.

• Boston's first execution was in 1648—44 years before Salem

• Goody Glover's 1688 execution influenced Cotton Mather just 4 years before Salem

• More than 200 people were formally charged with witchcraft in Massachusetts (1648-1693)

• Massachusetts cleared 31 Salem victims in 1957, but left Boston's victims behind

• Massachusetts has already amended the 1957 Resolve twice (2001 and 2022)

• Bill H.1927 simply continues this established pattern with zero fiscal impact