Hathorne, John

• John Hathorne (1641-1717) was son of Major William Hathorne and author Nathaniel Hawthorne's (born Hathorne) great-great-great paternal grandfather.

Justice John Hathorne was the third son of Major William and Anna Hathorne. He became a prosperous merchant in Salem and a judge on the Superior Court. He was also commander-in-chief against the Indians in 1696.

• He is best known, however as the "witch judge" or the "hanging judge" as he was a magistrate of the Court of Oyer and Terminer and the

chief interrogator of the accused witches in the Salem witchcraft hysteria of 1692.

• John Hathorne is interred at the Charter Street Burial Ground in Salem.

See Also

Hawthorne in Salem Paternal Ancestors of Nathaniel Hawthorne