Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft

Two prominent families, the Putnams and the Porters, wielded significant influence in the affairs of Salem Village, and their antagonism led directly to the witchcraft epidemic of 1692. In the 1640s, John Putnam and John Porter both arrived in Salem and established vast farm holdings. The Porter family properties were situated close to the Town and extended inside its boundaries: “They had easy access to the roadways and water routes which connected Town and Village, and in some instances they actually controlled these arteries” (117). In contrast, the Putnams established themselves on the western edge of the Village, where the farmland was poorer:

As the Putnams increased their holdings over the years, they necessarily did so by purchasing lands which lay, on the whole, still further to the interior. In the process, the family became locked into an agrarian existence in a way the Porters were not (123).

Over the years, the Porters expanded into more commercial activities, which tied them even more closely to the Town and its merchant class. The Putnams had no such opportunity, and their property was strained to accommodate numerous male heirs over the next three generations, causing their voices to eventually be “almost silence” in the Town’s political affairs (128-129).