Farmer and tavern keeper who was best known as the subject of Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, which dealt with the Salem Witch Trials.
He arrived in Massachusetts with his family when he was three years-old, sailing across the Atlantic on a ship called Susan and Ellen.
He was accused of witchcraft, which resulted in his conviction and eventual hanging.
He married Martha Giddens and had four children with her and later married Elizabeth Thorndike, with whom he had seven more children.
Daniel Day-Lewis portrayed him in the 1996 film adaptation of The Crucible.