Sorry about the length but I did my best to summarize There is a lot that started the Salem Witch Trials. First, it was not ergot poisoning, so I won't detail that, but here's a link to something I've written about it on my Salem research blog before- https://salemwitchtrialsresearch.wordpress.com/2015/01/04/a-common-misconception-the-ergot-theory-and-the-salem-witch-trials/

For context of what is happening in the Massachusetts Bay Colony- the colony is a Puritan colony. Non-Puritans faced banishment and execution. Then Charles I revoked the Massachusetts Charter, basically their constitution that gave the colony autonomy from England. Charles I dies and James II takes his place. James II (a Catholic) sent over Sir Edmund Andros (an Anglican) to serve as the royal governor who discriminated against Puritans. In 1688 the Glorious Revolution forced James II to abdicate to William and Mary of Orange and in 1689 a revolt in Boston removes Andros from power. Meanwhile in 1688, Rev. Increase Mather traveled to England to negotiate a new charter which William III agreed to in 1691 so long as the governor was chosen by the king, but Mather strongly recommended his friend Sir William Phips. Phips and Mather returned to Massachusetts in May 1692 during the witch trials when Phips uses his new governing power to establish the Court of Oyer and Terminer to hear the witch trials.

The colony is also at war. In 1675-76, King Philip's War raged all over New England, devastating communities on the Maine Frontier and sending refugees down into Essex County towns like Andover and Salem. Although the war ended in 1676, Indian raids continued frequently. By 1688, war broke out again and King William's War lasted until 1697. This war also caused a lot of devastation in what is now Maine. However, attacks weren't limited to Maine, war paranoia reached everywhere in the colony and many believed towns like Andover and Salem could be next (these are also the two towns with the most witchcraft accusations).

Now on to Salem, there are two Salems to consider, Salem Town and Salem Village. Salem Village is present day Danvers, MA but at the time Salem Village belonged to Salem Town. For a while parts of Salem began splitting off into smaller towns, so by 1672 when Salem Village really started to try and separate, the Town decided to keep the Village from separating, but gave into allowing Salem Village its own parish that year. This meant people in the Village no longer needed to walk 5+ miles to attend church. This conflict continued through the 1690s with more petitions for Salem Village to gain more independence. Much of this conflict was based on the economies of the two areas. Salem Town was a port and a trade based economy and Salem Village was a farming and agricultural economy. Salem Town's increase in business led to secularization, a growing problem that many Puritan ministers noticed throughout the 1600s.

Now, this leads to a problem within Salem Village. They need a minister. Rev. James Bayley is the first minister of the Village in 1671 and he stays until 1679. Bayley left due to tension between two factions in the Village, one supporting Bayley and one spreading rumors that Bayley was an unfit minister.

The second minister arrives in 1680, Rev. George Burroughs who left the Maine frontier after an attack on Falmouth. Burroughs was hated by the supporters of Bayley, specifically the Putnam family (more on them later). In 1682, the faction against Burroughs stopped paying his salary (which was collected through taxes) and Burroughs returned to the Maine frontier where he survived the York Raid in 1690.

Rev. Deodat Lawson started preaching in Salem in 1684, but in 1686 he joined a military expedition into Maine leaving the town without a minister for a winter. When Lawson returned, his wife and daughter both died which some speculated was God’s vengeance on him for leaving his church. Although Lawson did not receive as much negativity as his predecessor, he still was not the most popular. After losing his family and not receiving full support from his ministry, he moved to Situate MA in 1687.

In 1688, the Salem Village church was once again looking for a new minister. They selected Samuel Parris. Parris worked as a merchant in Barbados for a few years before returning to Boston in 1686 when he began preaching. As a businessman, once negotiations of his contract began in Salem Village, Parris made some demands unprecedented for a minister to ask for during this time. He asked to own the parsonage, a town building to serve as the home for the minister and his family. He also demanded a salary increase. The Village only agreed to give him the deed to the church if he agreed that when he try to sell the property, the Village is allowed to make an offer equal to or greater than Parris’ buyer to retain ownership. Despite the rough negotiations, Parris and the Village reached an agreement and Parris started preaching in 1689. In 1691, the church was divided into two strong factions, pro-Parris and anti-Parris. The anti-Parris faction stopped paying the minister’s salary in October 1691.

Back to the Putnam family. The Putnam family was the wealthiest family in Salem Village, although the Porter family who lived in Salem Town and Salem Village were wealthier. The patriarch of the family, Thomas Putnam Sr. was married to Ann Holyoke. They had 2 sons, Edward and Thomas Jr. and several daughters. When Holyoke died, Thomas Sr. remarried and had another son, Joseph Putnam. Joseph inherited Thomas Sr.’s land when he turned 18 in 1690, overnight becoming the 2nd wealthiest man in the Village, second only to Israel Porter. Edward and Thomas Jr. were angry about their father’s betrayal although by the time their father died, Thomas Sr. helped them set up successful farms. Not only did Joseph inherit most of the Putnam fortune, he then married Elizabeth Porter, the daughter of Israel Porter. The Putnams despised the Porters who during the last couple decades of the 1600s, began to exceed the wealth of the Putnams since the Porters invested in diverse businesses- iron works and saw mills while the Putnams only owned their farms. The Porters also maintained stronger ties to the merchants of Salem Town. It is no surprise that in 1692, accusations target political allies of the Porters, who support keeping Salem Village under the control of Salem Town. The Porters aren’t directly accused since their wealth and status offered some more protection, but Daniel Andrews, a son-in-law of Israel Porter and the 4th wealthiest man was accused and fled from Salem.

The Putnams are also very involved in the Salem Village church controversies. Thomas Jr. was a strong advocate for the Village to leave Salem Town and for Rev. James Bayley. Thomas Jr.’s wife Ann Putnam Sr. had a sister Mary who married Rev. Bayley. When Bayley quit, the Putnams were angry. Burroughs replaced Bayley and the Putnams despised Burroughs. Since there was no parsonage when Burroughs arrived in 1680, he spent a year living with John and Rebecca Putnam. During that time, Burroughs’ wife Hannah died so to cover funeral costs, he borrowed money from John Putnam. Burroughs remarried within the year (a questionable act to some in the Village). The Putnam family was one of the leading groups that cut off Burrough’s salary, but when Burroughs left, he never paid back John Putnam for Hannah’s funeral. In 1683, Burroughs returned to settle the end of his contract and John Putnam and Thomas Jr. had Burroughs arrested for taking John’s money. However, since Burroughs’ salary was stopped, the loan was seen as an advance on the salary and the Putnams lost the lawsuit. Burroughs returned to Salem Village in May 1692 after being arrested for witchcraft. Ann Putnam Jr., the daughter of Thomas Jr. accused him. Mercy Lewis, a former maid to Burroughs and a maid to Thomas Putnam Jr. in 1692 also accused Burroughs. John and Rebecca Putnam testified that he forced his wife Hannah to keep secrets and acted cruelly to her. Rumor spread that he might have a deal with the Indians (or devils as the Puritans thought of them) since he survived two major raids. Burroughs hanged in August 1692 for witchcraft; he was also called the king of Hell.

When Rev. Parris’ salary stopped being paid, Parris was unhappy and his political allies in the Putnam family tried to help. In the winter of 1692, Parris’ daughter Betty and niece Abigail Williams started to suffer odd afflictions, attributed to witchcraft. Soon Thomas Putnam Jr.’s daughter Ann Jr. suffered as well along with many other girls. It was not completely unheard of in Massachusetts. In 1688, Rev. Cotton Mather, son of Rev. Increase Mather, helped with a case in Boston that ended with the execution of Goody Glover. In 1689, Cotton Mather published a book on Glover which turned into a bestseller and described symptoms similar to the girls in Salem Village in 1692.