George Jacobs (Salem witch trials)

George Jacobs, Sr. (c.1620–1692) was an English colonist in his 70s in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who was accused of witchcraft in 1692 during the Salem witch trials in Salem Village, Massachusetts. He was convicted and hanged on August 19, 1692. His son, George Jacobs, Jr., was also accused but evaded arrest. Jacobs' accusers included his daughter-in-law and granddaughter, Margaret.^[1]

Jacobs' body was buried near where he was hanged. In the 1950s bones were found that were believed to be his. At a ceremony in 1992 marking the 300th anniversary of the Salem Witch Trials, Jacobs' remains were reinterred at the Nurse Graveyard at the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, which is maintained as an historic site.^[2]

Trial of George Jacobs

The painting below was created by Thompkins H. Matteson in 1855, and is based on the accounts of George Jacobs' granddaughter.^[3] By moving a cursor across the painting, viewers can identify Jacobs, who is being consoled by his son, also named George. The painting is entitled Trial of George Jacobs, August 5, 1692.

George Jacobs accused by his granddaughter - a reconstruction of his trial by Thompkins. H. Matteson

On the left of the painting is William Stoughton, the chief magistrate and later three times Governor in Massachusetts. Jacobs' principal accuser was his granddaughter, who implicated him in an attempt to save her own life. Jacobs' daughter-in-law is the woman standing and being held back. She was thought to be mentally ill (brain tumor). John Hathorne, the judge hearing the accusation, is thought to be an ancestor of Nathaniel Hawthorne. He holds a book and points at Jacobs' granddaughter as if challenging her to substantiate her earlier written statements. In the foreground are a girl and boy who are having fits, allegedly caused by Jacobs' wizardry. The boy is unknown but the girl may be Jacobs' servant or a principal accuser Ann Putnam.

Representation in other media

Jacobs appears as a minor character in the 1996 film The Crucible, based on Arthur Miller's 1953 play about the Salem witch trials. He was portrayed by William Preston.

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  Archival photograph of George Jacobs' house taken in the later 19th century or early 20th century

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  Archival photograph of the ruin of the house taken circa 1935, before it fell down entirely in 1938^[1]

1. ^ HABS MASS,5-DAV,7

References and notes

1. Enders A. Robinson. The Devil Discovered: Salem Witchcraft 1692. Waveland Press, Prospect Heights, IL. 2001 (1991). pp. 336–339.
2. Rebecca Nurse Homestead, official site, accessed 28 April 2016
3. George Jacobs, Sr., Salem Witch Trials, Virginia.edu, accessed 22 August 2008