13. Alse Young became the first American hanged for witchcraft in 1647
Witch hysteria spread to the New World with the arrival of the British in the 17th century. In 1642, Connecticut passed its first law against witches, and in 1645 the settlers executed their first witch. Almost all we know about Alse Young is she was a witch. Records suggest she lived in Windsor, Connecticut, where her husband owned a small piece of land. We don’t know for certain, but perhaps she got the blame for Windsor’s deadly influenza epidemic of 1647. She was hanged for witchcraft in Hartford, Connecticut in 1647. 30 years later, her daughter was also executed for witchcraft.
