author
William P. (William Phineas) Upham
1836–1905
A careful New England historian with a deep interest in Salem’s early past, he wrote on shorthand, local records, and the people and places tied to the witchcraft era. His books have the feel of patient archival work, preserving details that might otherwise have been lost.
1 Audiobook
House of John Procter, Witchcraft Martyr, 1692
by William P. (William Phineas) Upham
About the author
William Phineas Upham was an American historian and antiquarian born in Salem, Massachusetts, on January 19, 1836, and he died in Newton, Massachusetts, on November 23, 1905. Catalog and library records confirm a long body of work under his name, including A Brief History of the Art of Stenography, A Memoir of General John Glover, of Marblehead, and editorial work on early Massachusetts church and town records.
Available source material also identifies him as the son of Charles Wentworth Upham, a well-known Salem historian and public figure. Short biographical notes describe William P. Upham as especially interested in Salem history and the people, houses, and documents connected with the 1692 witchcraft crisis.
His writing is most appealing to listeners who enjoy local history built from original records. Rather than grand storytelling, his work offers something quieter and valuable: a close, document-based view of early New England life and memory.