Sarah Holten was one of the accusers involved in the witchcraft hysteria. One of the people she accused of wrongdoing was Rebecca Nurse. Unlike many of the other accusers, she was not a child and she was married. The accusers fell into two different categories: the possessed and the nonpossessed. There were some distinct differences between the two. The average age of the possessed accusers were between sixteen and twenty-five, some were much younger. One of the main accusers, Abigail Williams, was only eleven. Many of these young women were not native to Salem, but had moved because of the Indian wars taking place on the frontier. The Indian wars devastated many of the towns. Usually there was nothing left and the majority of the inhabitants died. During this time, marriage was more of a contract between families. The bride’s family gave a dowry (almost like a gift) to the husband. Without the dowry, the women did not have a chance at marriage, therefore they lived as servants in the homes of relatives or family friends. Sarah Holten was from a prominent Salem family that lived in the same house for generations.

The nonpossessed tended to be older and had different reasons for accusing people. The overwhelming majority of the time, the nonpossessed knew who was causing them harm while the possessed generally did not know at first. Many historians believe that the possessed girls sought attention, but further into the trials the girls needed to protect the group. Throughout the trials, the girls played off one another. The fits seemed to be coordinated to cause the most shock. Unfortunately, only the accusers know the reasons why they caused such a hysteria and they are long dead with the witches they accused.

By: Jessica McKenzie 

Credits and Sources:

Games, Alison.Witchcraft in Early North America.New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2010.

Hansen, Chadwick. Witchcraft at Salem.New York, NY: G. Braziller, 1969.  

Rapley, Robert.Witch Hunts: From Salem to Guantanamo Bay.Canadian Electronic Library: McGill-Queen’s Press, 2007.