Learning From Our Mistakes: Researching the Salem Witch Trials

Virtual Event

History is like a game of telephone: an incorrect fact can be passed from person to person and become conventional wisdom. Through diligent research, historians strive to untangle these errors. Join the Salem Witch Museum for an hour long, free virtual lecture given by the Department of Education.  In this talk, they will discuss some misconceptions about the Salem witch ... Read More

Free

Online Chat with a Genealogist

Virtual Event

Our expert family historians are here to answer your questions about genealogy and local history! When chat is open, find and click the chat icon in the lower right-hand corner of this page, then enter your message in the chat box and one of our genealogists will respond.

Abolitionists & Anti-Slavery Activists: A themed Walking Tour with Jim McAllister

Harmony Grove Cemetery 30 Grove Street, Salem, United States

Registration is encouraged please email harmonygrovesalem@gmail.com  to reserve a spot. Registration is free, with donations to Harmony Grove graciously accepted. Highlighted stops on the walking tour will include visits to the grave sites of John & Nancy (Lenox) Remond, their son Charles Lenox Remond, and other members of their family. The Remond family was one of the most influential free ... Read More

Ancestry Days: Visualizing 1692 Salem

The Daniels House 1 Daniels St, Salem, MA, United States

Explore 1692 Salem with an Architectural Historian for Salem Ancestry Days. We’ll take a tour of The Daniels House, an original 1667 mansion, to understand their architecture before walking around Salem’s oldest neighborhood to see how echoes of the frontier environment survive today.

Tour Historic St. Peter’s Church

St. Peter’s Church 24 St. Peter Street, Salem, MA, United States

Are you a descendant of Philip English, accused of witchcraft in 1692, whose family tree includes Hawthorne’s and Ingersoll’s? Perhaps your Massachusetts ancestors remained loyal to the English crown during the Revolution, or you descend from a Salem ship captain, enslaved person, or from the great American mathematician and navigator, Nathaniel Bowditch. How was an Anglican Church, whose bell tower ... Read More

Tour Historic St. Peter’s Church

St. Peter’s Church 24 St. Peter Street, Salem, MA, United States

Are you a descendant of Philip English, accused of witchcraft in 1692, whose family tree includes Hawthorne’s and Ingersoll’s? Perhaps your Massachusetts ancestors remained loyal to the English crown during the Revolution, or you descend from a Salem ship captain, enslaved person, or from the great American mathematician and navigator, Nathaniel Bowditch. How was an Anglican Church, whose bell tower ... Read More

Salem Ancestry Days Exhibitor Fair

First Church 316 Essex Street, Salem, MA, United States

Start your genealogical start on Salem Ancestry Days weekend at First Church. Lectures, maps, tours all in one place. Our Exhibitors Include: Friends of Broad St. Cemetery DAR Timothy Pickering Chapter New England Historic Genealogical Society Massachusetts Society of Genealogy St. Peter’s Church Peabody Essex Museum – Phillips Library Essex Registry of Deeds

Salem Witch Trials Ancestors & Descendants Tour

Salem will be 400 years old in 2026. It is rich in history, including a critical role in the American Revolution and being the richest seaport per capita from 1790 to 1812. And then there is the 1692 Witch Trials. There were 156 official complaints and maybe 200 accused, along with 70 afflicted persons, nine judges, dozens of jurors and ... Read More

Who’s in the Frame? Phillips Family Home Movies with Historic New England

Stephen Phillips captured family moments and travel with his home movies. Learn about the Phillips family and the privilege and technology that made these moments possible in a screening and talk presented by Historic New England and Harmony Grove Cemetery. Enjoy a stroll through the cemetery following the screening. Following the screening, take a leisurely stroll through the cemetery, and ... Read More

Researching Military Records

Salem Armory Visitor Center 2 New Liberty St, Salem, MA, United States

Meet staff from the Massachusetts National Guard Historical Services at the Salem Armory Visitor Center and learn about what information can be found in military records, and where to find those records.

Narbonne House Open House

Narbonne House 73 Essex Street, Salem, United States

Explore the Narbonne House at Salem Maritime NHS and learn from the staff and how they are using oral history and genealogical information to tell the stories of 300 years of residence in this historical home.

Getting Started in Family History

First Church 316 Essex Street, Salem, MA, United States

Learn how to get started with your family history research. Hear about first steps and go-to resources.