George Jacobs (Salem witch trials) George Jacobs (Salem witch trials) George Jacobs Sr. (1609–1692) was an English colonist in his 70s in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who was accused of witchcraft in 1692 during the Salem witch trials in Salem Village, Massachusetts. He was convicted and hanged on August 19, 1692. His son, George Jr., was also accused but evaded arrest. Jacobs' accusers included his daughter-in-law and granddaughter, Margaret. Jacobs is believed to be the George Jacob baptized 13 February 1608/09 at St. Dunstan in the West, London, son of barber-surgeon George Jacob and wife Priscilla of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. Jacobs' body was buried near
Witch trials in the early modern period Age, lasting from about 1300 to 1850, is characterized by temperatures and precipitation levels lower than the 1901-1960 average. Historians such as Wolfgang Behringer, Emily Oster, and Hartmut Lehmann argue that these cooling temperatures brought about crop-failure, war, and disease, and that witches were subsequently blamed for this turmoil. Historical temperature indexes and witch trials data indicate that, generally, as temperature decreased during this period, witch trials increased. Additionally, the peaks of witchcraft persecutions overlap with hunger crises that occurred in 1570 and 1580, the latter lasting a decade. Problematically for these theories, it has been highlighted that, in that