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25-451: Hathorne is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: John Hathorne (1641–1717), American merchant and judge, son of William William Hathorne ( c. 1606–1681), American merchant See also [ edit ] Hathorn Hawthorne (surname) [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with the surname Hathorne . If an internal link intending to refer to

50-520: A granite block to help preserve it. John was the great-great-grandfather of Nathaniel Hawthorne (born "Hathorne"), author of many works, including The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables . The latter work, set in Salem, contains allusions to the witch trials in its history of the house. Hawthorne was somewhat distressed and deeply ashamed at his ancestor's lack of remorse over

75-529: A judge in the Court of Common Please for Essex County from 1692 to 1708. In that year he was nominated by Governor Joseph Dudley to be an associate justice of the Superior Court following the resignation of John Leverett ; he would hold that post until his death in 1717. Corwin's son George (not to be confused with Corwin's nephew, High Sheriff George Corwin ) went to Harvard and became minister at

100-478: A meeting ( Sewall Diary ) with Stoughton and Cotton Mather to discuss using court records in a new publication designed to promote the trials. Unlike Samuel Sewall , Hathorne is not known to have repented for his actions. He was a patrilineal ancestor of writer Nathaniel Hawthorne . Hathorne's father, Major William Hathorne , was among the early settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in

125-497: A member of the colony's council of assistants (a combination of legislative upper house and high court). In this role he was called on to mediate disputes in the county's towns, including Salem Village (present-day Danvers ). When in early 1692 accusations of witchcraft began to circulate in Salem Village, Hathorne and magistrate Jonathan Corwin were called upon to question both accusers and accused to determine if there

150-432: A specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hathorne&oldid=1012663537 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata All set index articles John Hathorne Hathorne

175-553: Is described as "a tall man, soberly clad in Puritan garb, with the burning gaze of the fanatic ." In the 1941 film version, he was portrayed by H.B. Warner . In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 's play Giles Corey of the Salem Farms , Hathorne is shown debating Cotton Mather on the nature of witchcraft and presiding over hearings in which Giles Corey refuses to enter a plea (in both the real trial and Longfellow's work, Corey

200-527: The Dorchester Company in 1625. Hathorne expanded on the successes of his father in building a small empire based on land and merchant trade to England and the West Indies . In addition to lands in the Salem area he also had interests in the lands of what is now Maine . He assumed positions of authority in the town, and was appointed a justice of the peace of Essex County , and served as

225-419: The Massachusetts Bay Colony , one of five children born to George and Elizabeth (Herbert) Corwin. His father had arrived in Salem in 1638 and his mother was the daughter of Northampton mayor John Herbert. His father was a wealthy merchant and shipbuilder in Salem, and Jonathan continued in the mercantile trade. He married Elizabeth Gibbs (née Sheaf), widow of Robert Gibbs, in 1675 and had ten children. Corwin

250-616: The Superior Court of Judicature , the province's high court, hearing the remaining witchcraft cases. Corwin's own mother-in-law, Margaret Sheaf Thacher (née Webb; born 1625, Boston, to Henry and Dorabell (née Smith) Webb — died February 23, 1694, Boston), was accused of witchcraft by her servant, Mercy Short. Thacher held extensive holdings in Boston, including her home and acreage which was next to Governor William Phips ' house. Several years after her first husband's death, she married

275-557: The 1630s and held a number of military and political positions for several decades. John was born in Salem in August 1641; his father's surviving records give the date as August 4, but the records of the First Church of Salem indicate he was baptized on August 2. John married in Salem, March 22, 1674/5, Ruth Gardner, granddaughter of " Old Planter " Thomas Gardner , a settler of Salem who arrived as part of colonization efforts funded by

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300-535: The 1692 events makes it impossible to determine Corwin's overall role in the trials as well as his attitude toward the acceptance in court of spectral evidence , the idea that actions seen in visions could be an indicator of witchcraft. The special court convicted nineteen of witchcraft and sentenced them to the gallows before it was disbanded in October 1692. The provincial court system was set up in January 1693, with

325-607: The Reverend Thomas Thacher. From 1669 to his death in 1678, Thacher served as the founding minister of the Old South Church. Thacher, known as a woman of great piety, was never charged, but Short would spend some time behind bars after confessing to witchcraft herself. Corwin was not initially appointed to the Superior Court; he was appointed to the Governor's Council from 1692 to 1714, and served as

350-533: The Special Court of Oyer and Terminer was established in May 1692, Governor Sir William Phips did not appoint Hathorne to the panel, which was headed by Lieutenant Governor William Stoughton . This panel heard trials in which 19 were convicted and executed for witchcraft. The special court was replaced in 1693 by the Superior Court of Judicature , on which Hathorne was not immediately seated; it cleared most of

375-422: The accused it tried of any wrongdoing, and the few convictions it handed down were vacated by Governor Phips. Later in the 1690s Hathorne followed in his father's military footsteps and became more involved in the colonial military activities of King William's War , leading forces in the 1696 Siege of Fort Nashwaak (present-day Fredericton, New Brunswick ). He continued to be active in the colonial militia, and

400-474: The charter following the 1689 Boston revolt that ended Dominion rule of Sir Edmund Andros ), there was a reluctance among colonial leaders to establish courts to hear the cases until Sir William Phips arrived in May 1692 with the charter that established the Province of Massachusetts Bay . By this time a significant number of people had been jailed on accusations of witchcraft in the Salem area. Phips, who

425-599: The trials. Nathaniel may have adopted the "Hawthorne" spelling in an effort to dissociate himself from the judge. Hathorne is featured in Arthur Miller 's play The Crucible (and its film adaptations). Robert Breuler portrays him in The Crucible (1996 film) . Hathorne is the judge appointed by Satan at the trial in Stephen Vincent Benét 's story " The Devil and Daniel Webster ", where he

450-647: Was crushed to death for this refusal). The horror film The Lords of Salem features a witch-hunting reverend named John Hawthorne. Hathorne is featured in Alice Hoffman 's book Magic Lessons (prequel to Practical Magic ), where the protagonist Maria Owens first meets him in Curaçao, West Indies and later in Salem, Massachusetts. Jonathan Corwin Jonathan Corwin (also Curwin, Curwen or Corwen , November 14, 1640 – June 9, 1718)

475-540: Was a New England merchant , politician, and magistrate. He is best known as one of the judges involved in the Salem witch trials of 1692, although his later work also included service as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature , the highest court of the Province of Massachusetts Bay . Jonathan Corwin was born on November 14, 1640, in Salem , a leading port town of

500-459: Was absent from the list of men appointed to the Court of Oyer & Terminer in June 1692. That court relied heavily on the spectral evidence , examinations, interrogations, and affidavits previously conducted by Hathorne, co-signed by Jonathan Corwin , and recorded by Rev. Samuel Parris and/or Ezekiel Cheever Jr. On September 22, 1692, the date of the final eight executions, Hathorne was present at

525-552: Was also involved in public affairs. He was twice elected to the colonial assembly, in 1682 and in 1689, and he was a stalwart supporter of the old regime when the Dominion of New England was established in 1686. He was also an active magistrate of the local courts, hearing cases dealing with petty crimes and minor charges such as drunkenness and burglary. When reports of witchcraft began circulating in Essex County , Corwin

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550-424: Was appointed governor of the province, as one of his early acts established a special court of Court of Oyer and Terminer to hear the accumulated cases. Corwin was not initially assigned to the court, but when Nathaniel Saltonstall resigned in protest over the first hanging, Phips assigned Corwin to the panel. Corwin signed several arrest warrants and transcribed a few of the hearings but scarcity of records from

575-426: Was cause for a trial; they were eventually joined in this task by officials from Boston , including Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth . Hathorne's questioning of a number of individuals was characterized at the time as somewhat harsh. Historical and fictional accounts of the trials often depict him as convinced that the accused were guilty. He is noted for his questioning of Rebecca Nurse and Bridget Bishop: When

600-501: Was one of the magistrates called on to make preliminary inquiries into the reports. He and John Hathorne , another local magistrate, held hearings in early March 1692 in which testimony was gathered from Tituba , Sarah Good , and Sarah Osborne , the first three women accused of being witches. Due to the uncertain constitutionality of the Massachusetts government in 1692 (its charter was vacated in 1684, and it had reformed with

625-509: Was promoted to colonel in 1711. He was also finally appointed to the Superior Court by Governor Joseph Dudley , a seat he held until 1711. He died in Salem in 1717, and is interred in the Old Burying Point Cemetery along with a number of his descendants. The inscription on his tombstone reads: “Here lyes interd ye body of Colo John Hathorne Esqr Aged 76 years Who Died May ye 10th 1717.” The tombstone has been placed in

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