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George Burroughs And The Girls From Casco: The Maine Roots Of Salem Witchcraft, Mary Beth Norton

Maine History

Although few hooks about the Salem witchcraft crisis of 1692 have paid much attention to him, the Reverend George Burroughs (who was accused in April, examined in May; and convicted and hanged in August) was the key figure in the episode, along with three young women who numbered among his principal accusers: Mercy Lewis, Susannah Sheldon, and Abigail Hobbs. All four lived in Maine for far longer than they resided in Salem Village. Burroughs spent most of his ministerial career in Falmouth (Portland), Black Point (Scarborough), and Wells; Lewis was born and raised in Falmouth, where Hobbs spent most of …