The first witch-hanging in the U.S. was in Connecticut. That’s not all

On By Fred McNultyIn Videos

Did you know that the first witch hanging in the United States happened in Connecticut?

Alse Young (sometimes spelled “Alice” or “Achsah”) was executed on May 26, 1647 in the Colony of Connecticut – the first recorded one of its kind in the thirteen British colonies in North America. We spoke with Beth Caruso, a local author who fuses historical research with fictionalized narratives to educate contemporary readers about the past, to find out more.

Extended interview with Beth Caruso:

Citations:

#1: One Of Windsor, http://www.oneofwindsor.com. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019.

#2: Caruso, Beth. One of Windsor: The Untold Story of America’s First Witch Hanging. 2015.

#3: “Alse (Alice) Young.” Damned Connecticut, http://www.damnedct.com/alse-alice-young. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019.

#4: Caruso, Beth. The Salty Rose: Alchemists, Witches & A Tapper In New Amsterdam. 2019.

#5: “Remembering the Forgotten.” HartfordInfo.org, http://www.hartfordinfo.org/issues/documents/History/htfd_news_052307.asp. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019.

#6: “Witches and Witchcraft.” Connecticut Judicial Branch, http://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/history/witches.htm. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019.

#7: Hysell, Patricia. “Alse Young.” Little Bits of History, 12 May 2012, patriciahysell.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/alse-young/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019.

#8: Levins, Sandy. “Alse Young: America’s First Witch (And Hanged For It).” WednesdaysWomen, 28 Jan. 2019, wednesdayswomen.com/alse-young-colonial-eras-first-woman-executed-as-a-witch/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019.

#9: “Alse Young Executed for Witchcraft – Today in History: May 26.” Connecticut History, connecticuthistory.org/alse-young-executed-for-witchcraft-today-in-history-may-26/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019.

#10: Gamble, Jacky. “Alse Young: America’s First Executed Witch.” Worldwide Genealogy, 6 Mar. 2014, worldwidegenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/03/alse-young-americas-first-executed-witch.html. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019.

#11: Brown, Lydia, and Lucy Nalpathanchil. “Author Spotlights Connecticut’s History Of Witch Hangings.” Connecticut Public Radio, 25 Oct. 2019, http://www.wnpr.org/post/author-spotlights-connecticuts-history-witch-hangings. Accessed 30 Oct. 2019.

#12: Shaw, Jason. “Horror Drone #1.” audionautix.com. Accessed 30 Oct. 2019. File originally posted online under an applicable Creative Commons license.

#20: Shaw, Jason. “The Assasins.” audionautix.com. Accessed 25 Aug. 2019. File originally posted online under an applicable Creative Commons license.