Marilynne K. Roach
Genealogical Lessons from the 1692 Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Trials can teach a researcher many and varied lessons running from the obvious (don’t accuse your neighbor of witchcraft on spectral evidence alone), to the importance of geography, neighborhood dynamics, and handwriting, among other potential clues when identifying specific individuals. Using examples from the events of 1692, Roach’s presentation will discuss several techniques that can help genealogists unravel more ordinary (and less tragic) historical questions in their own family history.
Marilynne K. Roach (MarilynneKRoach.com) is an independent researcher, writer, and illustrator, has delved into the 1692 trials for nearly half a century and still finds new information cropping up in unexpected places. Roach was one of the sub-editors contributing to the definitive Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt, a member of the Gallows Hill Group that verified Proctor’s Ledge as the true location of the 1692 hangings (hailed by Archaeology Magazine as one of the top ten discoveries of 2016), and has authored several books about the Salem Witch Trials.
