Abner Cheney Goodell

author

Abner Cheney Goodell

1831–1914

A Salem lawyer and historian with a detective’s eye for old records, this nineteenth-century scholar helped preserve early New England history in remarkable detail. He is especially remembered for careful research on colonial Massachusetts and the Salem witchcraft era.

1 Audiobook

The Trial and Execution, for Petit Treason, of Mark and Phillis, Slaves of Capt. John Codman Who Murdered Their Master at Charlestown, Mass., in 1755; for Which the Man Was Hanged and Gibbeted, and the Woman Was Burned to Death. Including, Also, Some Account of Other Punishments by Burning in Massachusetts

The Trial and Execution, for Petit Treason, of Mark and Phillis, Slaves of Capt. John Codman Who Murdered Their Master at Charlestown, Mass., in 1755; for Which the Man Was Hanged and Gibbeted, and the Woman Was Burned to Death. Including, Also, Some Account of Other Punishments by Burning in Massachusetts

by Abner Cheney Goodell

About the author

Born in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, on October 1, 1831, and raised from early childhood in Salem, he built his career as a lawyer, public official, and deeply respected antiquarian. Much of his education came through Salem’s public schools, and his long life remained closely tied to the city.

He became known for painstaking work with historical documents, especially records from colonial Massachusetts. Alongside his legal and civic work, he edited and wrote studies that helped later readers understand early New England government, law, and social history. His publications on witchcraft cases and other colonial subjects made him a valued figure among historians and genealogists.

He was also recognized by major learned societies, including the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He died in Salem on July 19, 1914, leaving a reputation for careful scholarship and a lasting contribution to the study of Massachusetts history.