Mary Bingham on Elizabeth Johnson, Jr., Victim of the Salem Witch Trials

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episode, European Witch Trials, New England, North America, Salem, United States, Video

Discover the once-overlooked story of Elizabeth Johnson Jr., the Salem witch trial victim finally exonerated after 330 years. At just 22, this young Andover woman was pressured into falsely confessing to witchcraft in 1692. She narrowly escaped execution when Governor Phips ended the Salem witch trials. However, she was unjustly left out of the 1711 mass exoneration that cleared many others’ names. Our guest, podcast regular Mary Bingham, reveals Elizabeth’s remarkable life through court records and family histories, including reading us the powerful petition for clemency submitted by Elizabeth at age 42. Learn why this case, with a personal connection to our host Joshua Hutchinson, resonates with justice movements today and how Elizabeth’s name was finally cleared in 2022.