Hunting for Witches in the Family Tree

Hunting for Witches in the Family Tree Whether your ancestor was actually a practicing witch, or someone accused of or involved with witchcraft or witch hunting, it can add a touch of interest to your family history. Of course, were not talking about the witches we think of today - the black pointy hat, the warty nose, and the ragged broomstick. Most women, and men, who were accused of witchcraft, were feared for their nonconformist ways more than anything else. It can still be fun to claim a witch in the family tree. Witchcraft in Europe Colonial America Talk of witches often brings the famous Salem Witch Trials to mind, but punishment for practicing witchcraft was not unique to colonial Massachusetts. A strong fear of witchcraft was prevalent in 15th century Europe where strict laws against witchcraft were put into effect. It is estimated that around 1,000 people were hanged as witches in England over a 200-year period. The last documented case of an individual found guilty of the crime of witchcraft was Jane Wenham, charged with â€Å"conversing familiarly with the Devil in the shape of a cat  in 1712. She was reprieved. The largest group of convicted witches in England were nine Lancashire witches sent to the gallows in 1612, and nineteen witches hanged at Chelmsford in 1645. Between 1610 and 1840, it is estimated that over 26,000 accused witches were burned at the stake in Germany. Between three and five thousand witches were executed in 16th and 17th century Scotland. The anti-witchcraft sentiment that had been growing in England and Europe undoubtedly had an impact on the Puritans in America, ultimately leading to the witch craze and subsequent Salem Witch Trials Resources for Researching the Salem Witch Trials Salem Witch Trials - Documentary Archive Transcription ProjectThe Salem Witchcraft Papers from the University of Virginias Electronic Text Institute provide a wealth of primary source documents, including a verbatim transcript of the legal documents generated during the arrests, trials, and deaths of the accused Salem witches in 1692. The site also includes site lists of jurors, Puritan ministers, judges, defenders and others involved in the Salem Witch Trials, plus historical maps.The Associated Daughters of Early American WitchesA membership society geared toward preserving the names of those accused of witchery in Colonial America prior to 1699 and to locate living female descendants of those witches. Contains a comprehensive list of accused witches.Genealogy of Witch Trial Ancestors FamiliesGenealogy reports for six of the individuals involved in the infamous Salem Witch Trials, including accused witches and officials involved in the trials. Researching Witch Trials the Witch Craze in Europe The Witch Hunts (1400-1800)Maintained by Professor Brian Pavlac at Kings College in Wilkes Barre, PA, this site examines the European witch craze through timelines and discussion of common theories, errors, and myths behind the Witch Hunts. You can also suffer through witch hunting first hand in an interesting simulation of a 1628 witch hunt.​Survey of Scottish Witchcraft 1563 - 1736An interactive database contains all individuals known to have been accused of witchcraft in early modern Scotland - nearly 4,000 in total. Supporting material provides background information on the database and an introduction to Scottish witchcraft. References Gibbons, Jenny. Recent Developments in the Study of the Great European Witch Hunt. Pomegranate, Vol. 5, 1998.History of the witch hunt (Geschichte der Hexenverfolgung). Maintained by the Server Frà ¼he Neuzeit (University of Mà ¼nchen) in cooperation with the Arbeitskreis fà ¼r Interdisziplinre Hexenforschung (research group for interdisciplinary witchcraft research). Mainly in German.Zguta, Russell. Witchcraft Trials in Seventeenth-Century Russia The American Historical Review, Vol. 82, No. 5, Dec. 1977, pp. 1187-1207.

Vonage current situation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Vonage current situation - Essay Example The company claims that its technology is unique as it allows higher flexibility, more features, low cost and ease in operation and size. It has reached higher number of customers due to announcement of free unlimited calling to landline phones in all cities and locations in more than 60 countries. It also provides important facilities like call waiting and call forwarding at an affordable price. It is in touch with all the customers of different nations through web and it connects to people in USA through national retailers like Best Buy and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Recently it launched Vonage Mobile which is its first mobile calling service and it is considered to be a free downloadable service that enables low cost international calling through cellular network or Wi-Fi. Vonage Holdings Corp. has its headquarter in Holmdel, New Jersey. Its financial status has been improved considerably relative to previous year. Though its operating revenue recorded for the second quarter i.e. April-June 2009 was lesser ($222 million) than that recorded in second quarter of 2008 ($227.5 million), it recorded a net profit of $2.28 million in 2009 compared to a net loss of $6.88 million in 2008. This is due to reduction in operating expenses in 2009. The average monthly direct costs of telephony services per line was reduced to $6.76 in 2008 from $7.22 in 2009 resulting in reduction in operating expenditure which in turn resulted in higher net profit. Vonage has gone to public in May 2006 though IPO for raising $250 million and registered as public company with New York Stock Exchange. Around 13.5% of its shares were sold to the public and 60 % of its shares were retained with the directors of the company. It was quoted at $1.76 on 7th October 2009. Its 52 week high and low values were $2.63 and $0.31 respectively which indicate that the