Embedded Files
So far, about 60 women are represented on this page. If you are looking for someone in particular, please use the search tool at the top of the page. The best resource to check for individual executions remains WEB given that this page is more a complementary side project at the moment.
David V. Baker's book, Women and Capital Punishment in the United States: An Analytical History, has and is an invaluable source of data for this project (2016, pgs. 43-61). In addition to the Espy Papers, (discussed in the Project resources ), a number of sources were used. For executions occurring in early Virginia, including June Champion and Margaret Hatch, A Manual for the Publick Gaol by Collier C. Harris as part of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library Research Report Series - 1628 at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library . The Covington Enterprise, Covington, GA, 11/27/1874, giving a retrospective list of Newton County executions. John Hale, “A Modest Inquiry the Nature of Witchcraft,” Enquiry, in Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases, 1648-1706, ed. Charles Lincoln Burr (Barnes & Noble Inc., 1946), 408-409 a digital collection Evans Early American Imprint Collection. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/N03473.0001.001 University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. David Baker's Registry of Known American Indian Executions, 1639-2006 is used to verify Native American executions. Quakers in the World Provides a shortcut to some excellent sources and an overview of early America (including the execution of Mary Dyer).
The equally impactful work of Daniel Allen Hearn, his series on legal executions, also provided some of the source material cited in the women featured below. As much as possible, new source material is identified and listed in the WEB excel sheet.
At the moment, I am in the process of cross-referencing Victor L. Streib's notes with Espy's Papers.
Whenever possible, additional resources will be added here--ones that have not already been identified by M. Watt Espy or otherwise listed in WEB. An excellent example of the type of resources I stumbled across while searching for documentation: Historic Ipswich On the Massachusetts North Shore.
Espy's Notecards (uploaded from time to time) are found at the UA library's Espy Paper Collection. Ultimately, the goal is to provide all of the index cards for women in one place. However, please cite the cards as according to the Espy Papers Website.
"M. Watt Espy kept a series of index cards, grouped mainly by state, that records information about executions on American soil (colonies, states, territories) since the 1600s. Some cards contain an abundance of information, including name, place of execution, method, details of the crime, and additional references. Other cards have very little information aside from the fact that someone was executed. Sometimes there is not even a name—just “two slaves” or “pirate”."
Margaret Jones (1648)
Margaret Jones (1648)
Winthrop, John. History of New England from 1630-1649. Little Brown & Company, 1853
Alice Lake (1650/1651?)
Alice Lake (1650/1651?)
John Hale, “A Modest Inquiry the Nature of Witchcraft,” Enquiry, in Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases, 1648-1706, ed. Charles Lincoln Burr (Barnes & Noble Inc., 1946), 408-409 as quoted By Sarah Black K. Black as part of the UMass History Program
Elizabeth Howe, 1692
Elizabeth Howe, 1692
Warrant for her Apprehension. Image from the Historic Ipswich on the MA North Shore
Mary Parker
Mary Parker
From the Witchcraft Trial of Mary Parker/History of Massachusetts Blog By Rebecca Brooks (2019)
Mary Dyer 1660
Mary Dyer 1660
Rogers, H. (1896) Mary Dyer of Rhode Island: the Quaker martyr that was hanged on Boston Common, June 1. Providence: Preston and Rounds. [Web.] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://lccn.loc.gov/07032951.
See also https://famous-trials.com/dyer
Catherine Bevan, 1731
Catherine Bevan, 1731
Browning, C. H. (1912) Welsh settlement of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, W. J. Campbell. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/12031019/ Pennsylvania Gazette, September 23, 1731
Alice Ryley (1735)
Alice Ryley (1735)
first person (and woman) executed in Georgia in 1735
From the Atlantic Black Box, story by Vana Cormona
Patience Boston (alias Samson) 1735
Patience Boston (alias Samson) 1735
Garret, Katherine,
Garret, Katherine,
“"Dying Warning" (1738) by Katherine Garret,” Indigenous New England Digital Collections, accessed July 18, 2025, https://dawnlandvoices.org/collections/items/show/260.
Spooner, Bathsheba Ruggles (1778)
Spooner, Bathsheba Ruggles (1778)
Documentation for the execution of (Boyer) Adam, (Boyer) Sandy, (Jones) Davy, 1829-08-26, M. Watt Espy Papers, M.E. Grenander Special Collections and Archives
Catharine Cashiere 1829
Catharine Cashiere 1829
New York Evening Post, Feb. 7, 1829 and Baltimore Patriot, May 9, 1829 See also Box 44 (2-Documentation of Executions), Folder 20
Anderson, Warren and Sophie, the slaves of a Mr. White, murdered their master in a cornfield. In an effort to make the death appear accidental, they tied a rope around him and attached it to a frisky horse which dragged the body a considerable distance."
The Covington Enterprise, Covington, GA, 11/27/1874, giving a retrospective list of Newton County executions.
Jane (Elkins) 1853
Jane (Elkins) 1853
State of Texas vs. Jane, a Slave, Case #188; Terry Baker. Hangings and Lynchings in Dallas County, Texas: 1853 to 1920 (Fort Worth, Texas: Eakin Press, 2016): 1; Human Rights Dallas
Susan Eberhart, (1873)
Susan Eberhart, (1873)
Picture from: Burnett, Fay . "Susan Eberhart Case." New Georgia Encyclopedia, last modified April 29, 2022. See also the work of Hearn, D. A. (1999). Legal Executions in New England: A Comprehensive Reference, 1623-1960. McFarland.
Elia Watson executed on 1889-07-22 in Wyoming from the Espy Papers
Ann Knight (1922)
Ann Knight (1922)
Box 20 (2-Documentation of Executions), Folder 18 Documentation for the execution of Will Gray, Ann Knight, 1922-10-13 See also Knight v. State, 1922
Josepha Rodríguez, known as "Chipita," was hanged in 1863 in Texas
Thought to be innocent. See also index card below
Ruth Snyder executed on 1928-01-12 in New York (NY) from the Espy Papers Documentation for the execution of Barbara Graham, Juanita Spinelli, Betty Lou Beets, Frances Newton, Louise Peete..., 1955-06-03
Anna Marie Hahn
1938 Franklin, Diana Britt (2006-10-30). The Good-bye Door. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press. ISBN 978-0-87338-874-0. OCLC 63116896.
Louise Peete executed on 1947-04-11
in California (CA) from the Espy Papers
Kidnapping and murder of Bobby Greenlease Federal: Bonnie Brown Heady, executed 1953-12-18, Undated oversized 1 folder 2
EARLE DENNISON, Mobile Register (AL) dated July 1, 1953
Karla Faye Tucker, 1999
From the Texas Department of Criminal Justice: https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/tuckerkarla.jpg
For more, see Academic research
Frances Newton, 2005
https://www.txexecutions.org/reports/349-Frances-Newton.htm See also the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Death Row Executions
Source of picture: Slate For more information of all recent executions, it is highly recommended that one starts with the DPI website (which also contains links for more sources).
Thank you, Emily, Lindsey, Amya, AG, Sarah, Lesley, Christina, Andrew, Edna, Linda, Patrick, Jimmy, Gregory
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