List of people executed in Massachusetts
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
This is a list of at least 351 people executed in Massachusetts, United States.{{Cite web |date=2002 |title=The Espy Files |url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/ESPYstate.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605022352/https://dpic-cdn.org/production/legacy/ESPYstate.pdf |archive-date=2023-06-05 |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=Death Penalty Information Center}}{{Cite book |url=https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/bitstream/handle/2452/820251/ocm39986872-1831-HB-0004.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |title=Report of the Select Committee of the House of Representatives |date=1831-01-06 |publisher=Massachusetts House of Representatives |location=Boston, Massachusetts |pages=91–93 |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230613004054/https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/bitstream/handle/2452/820251/ocm39986872-1831-HB-0004.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |archive-date=2023-06-13 |url-status=live}} Capital punishment in Massachusetts was ruled unconstitutional and effectively abolished in 1984.{{Cite web |title=Massachusetts |url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-and-federal-info/state-by-state/massachusetts |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605022656/https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-and-federal-info/state-by-state/massachusetts |archive-date=2023-06-05 |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=Death Penalty Information Center}}
{{incomplete list|date=June 2023}}
1630–1699
Bracketed question marks ( [?] ) denote that only part of a person's name is known.
class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+1630-1699: 103 executions !# !Name !Age !Race !Gender !Occupation !Crime !Date of execution !Method of execution !County |
1
|40 |White |Male |? |Murder of John Newcomen |1630-09-30 |
2
|John Williams | |White |Male |Carpenter |Murder-Robbery |1637 |Hanging |
3
|William Schooler | |White |Male |Guide |Murder |1637-09-23 |Hanging |
4
| |White |Male |Murder-Robbery (part of the Peach Gang) |1638-09-04 |Hanging |
5
|18-20 |White |Male |Murder-Robbery (part of the Peach Gang) |1638-09-04 |Hanging |
6
| |White |Male |Murder-Robbery (part of the Peach Gang) |1638-09-04 |Hanging |
7
| |White |Female |Housewife |Murder |1638-12-06 |Hanging |Plymouth |
8
|William Hackett |18 |White |Male |Servant |1641-12-10 |Hanging |Plymouth |
9
|17 |White |Male |Servant |Sodomy/Buggery/Bestiality |1642-09-08 |Hanging |
10
|James Britton | |White |Male |? |Adultery |1643-03-21 |Hanging |Suffolk |
11
|Mary Latham |18 |White |Female |Housewife |Adultery |1643-03-21 |Hanging |Plymouth |
12
|William Franklin | |White |Male |Farmer |Murder |1644-04-08 |Hanging |Suffolk |
13
|Mary Martin |22 |White |Female |Servant |Murder |1646 |Hanging |Suffolk |
14
|Alice Bishop | |White |Female |? |Murder |1648 |Hanging |Suffolk |
15
| |White |Female |Housewife |1648-06-15 |Hanging |Suffolk |
16
|[?] Kendall | |White |Female |Housewife |Witchcraft |1651 |Hanging |Plymouth |
17
|Mary Parsons | |White |Female |Housewife |Witchcraft |1651-05-29 |Hanging |Suffolk |
18
|Ann Hibbens | |White |Female |Widow |Witchcraft |1656-06-19 |Hanging |
19
| |White |Male |? |Being a Quaker/Boston Martyr |1659-01-22 |Hanging |Suffolk |
20
| |White |Male |? |Being a Quaker/Boston Martyr |1659-01-22 |Hanging |Suffolk |
21
| |White |Female |Housewife |Being a Quaker/Boston Martyr |1660-06-01 |Hanging |Suffolk |
22
| |White |Male |? |Being a Quaker/Boston Martyr |1661-03-14 |Hanging |Suffolk |
23
|Samuel Bellamy | |? |Male |Piracy |1661 |Hanging |Suffolk |
24
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1661 |Hanging |Suffolk |
25
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1661 |Hanging |Suffolk |
26
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1661 |Hanging |Suffolk |
27
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1661 |Hanging |Suffolk |
28
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1661 |Hanging |Suffolk |
29
|[Unknown] | |Native American |Male |? |Murder |1670 |Hanging |Suffolk |
30
|[Unknown] (son of Matoonas){{Cite book |last=Hanson |first=Robert Brand |title=Dedham, Massachusetts: 1635–1890 |publisher=Dedham Historical Society |year=1976 |location=Dedham, Massachusetts |pages=90 |language=en-US}} | |Native American |Male |? |Murder |1671 |Hanging |Suffolk |
31
|William Forrest | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1672 |Hanging |Suffolk |
32
|Alexander Wilson | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1672 |Hanging |Suffolk |
33
|John Smith | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1672 |Hanging |Suffolk |
34
|Tom | |Native American |Male |? |Rape |1674 |Hanging |Suffolk |
35
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |? |Murder |1674-01-18 |Hanging |Suffolk |
36
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |? |Murder |1674-01-18 |Hanging |? |
37
|Benjamin Gourd |17 |White |Male |? |Sodomy/Buggery/Bestiality |1674-04-02 |Hanging |Suffolk |
38
|Samuel Guile | |White |Male |? |Rape |1675-01-16 |Hanging |Suffolk |
39
|Nicholas Feavor | |White |Male |Servant |Murder |1675-03-18 |Hanging |Suffolk |
40
|Robert Driver | |White |Male |Servant |Murder |1675-03-18 |Hanging |Suffolk |
41{{Cite journal |last1=Ronda |first1=James P. |last2=Ronda |first2=Jeanne |date=Summer 1974 |title=The Death of John Sassamon: An Exploration in Writing New England Indian History |url=http://www.jstor.com/stable/1183890 |journal=American Indian Quarterly |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=91–102 |doi=10.2307/1183890 |jstor=1183890 }}
| |Native American |Male |? |Murder |1675-06-08 |Hanging |Plymouth |
42
| |Native American |Male |? |Murder |1675-06-08 |Hanging |Plymouth |
43
| |Native American |Male |? |Murder |1675-06 (after June 8) |Plymouth |
44
|John Littlejohn | |Native American |Male |? |Murder |1675-09-22 |Hanging |Suffolk |
45
|32 |White |Male |? |Rape |1675-10-16 |Hanging |Suffolk |
46
|Basto (Cox) | |Black |Male |Rape |1676 |Hanging |Suffolk |
47
| |Native American |Male |? |Murder |1676-07-27 |Shooting |Suffolk |
48
|[Unknown] | |Native American |Male |? |? |1676 |Shooting |Suffolk |
49
|[Unknown] | |Native American |Male |? |? |1676 |Shooting |Suffolk |
50
|[Unknown] | |Native American |Male |? |? |1676 |Shooting |Suffolk |
51
|[Unknown] | |Native American |Male |? |? |1676 |Shooting |Suffolk |
52
|[Unknown] | |Native American |Male |? |? |1676 |Shooting |Suffolk |
53
|[Unknown] | |Native American |Male |? |? |1676 |Shooting |Suffolk |
54
|[Unknown] | |Native American |Male |? |? |1676 |Shooting |Suffolk |
55
|[Unknown] | |Native American |Male |? |? |1676 |Shooting |Suffolk |
56
|Daniel Goble | |White |Male |? |Murder |1676 |Hanging |Suffolk |
57
|Stephen Goble | |White |Male |? |Murder |1676 |Hanging |Suffolk |
58
|Daniel Hoare | |White |Male |? |Murder |1676 |Hanging |Suffolk |
59
|Nathaniel Wilder | |White |Male |? |Murder |1676 |Hanging |Suffolk |
60
|Marja (Lamb) | |Black |Female |Slave |Arson |1681-09-22 |Suffolk |
61
|Jack (Wolcott) | |Black |Male |Slave |Arson |1681-09-22 |Hanging |Suffolk |
62
|William Cheney | |White |Male |Planter |Rape |1681-09-22 |Hanging |Suffolk |
63
|Mrs. Henry Lake | |White |Female |Housewife |Witchcraft |1684 |Hanging |Suffolk |
64
|James Morgan | |White |Male |? |Murder |1685-03-11 |Hanging |Suffolk |
65
| |White |Female |Housewife |Witchcraft |1688-11-16 |Hanging |? |
66
|Samuel Watts | |? |Male |Pirate |Murder |1689 |Hanging |Suffolk |
67
|William Coward | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1689-01-17 |Hanging |Suffolk |
68
|Thomas Johnson | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1689-01-17 |Hanging |Suffolk |
69
|James Hawkins | |White |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1689-01-27 |Hanging |Suffolk |
70
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1689-01-27 |Hanging |Suffolk |
71
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1689-01-27 |Hanging |Suffolk |
72
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1689-01-27 |Hanging |Suffolk |
73
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1689-01-27 |Hanging |Suffolk |
74
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1689-01-27 |Hanging |Suffolk |
75
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1689-01-27 |Hanging |Suffolk |
76
|[Unknown] | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1689-01-27 |Hanging |Suffolk |
77
|Pammatoock | |Native American |Male |? |Murder |1689-09-26 |Hanging |Suffolk |
78
|Hugh Stone | |White |Male |? |Murder |1690 |Hanging |Suffolk |
79
|71 |White |Female |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-07-19 |Hanging |
80
| |White |Female |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-07-19 |Hanging |
81
| |White |Female |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-07-19 |Hanging |Essex |
82
| |White |Female |Housewife |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-07-19 |Hanging |Essex |
83
| |White |Male |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-08-19 |Hanging |Essex |
84
| |White |Male |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-08-19 |Hanging |Essex |
85
| |White |Male |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-08-19 |Hanging |Essex |
86
| |White |Female |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-08-19 |Hanging |Essex |
87
| |White |Male |Clergyman |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-08-19 |Hanging |Essex |
88
| |White |Male |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-09-16 |Essex |
89
| |White |Female |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-09-22 |Hanging |Essex |
90
| |White |Female |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-09-22 |Hanging |Essex |
91
| |White |Female |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-09-22 |Hanging |Essex |
92
| |White |Female |Housewife |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-09-22 |Hanging |Essex |
93
| |White |Female |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-09-22 |Hanging |Essex |
94
| |White |Female |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-09-22 |Hanging |Essex |
95
| |White |Female |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-09-22 |Hanging |Essex |
96
| |White |Male |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-09-22 |Hanging |Essex |
97
| |White |Female |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-09-22 |Hanging |Essex |
98
| |White |Female |? |Witchcraft/Salem witch trials |1692-09-22 |Hanging |Essex |
99
|Elizabeth Emmerson |28 |White |Female |? |Murder (Infanticide){{Cite web |title=Puritan Child Killers: Hannah Duston and Her Sister |url=https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/colonial-child-killers-hannah-duston-and-her-sister/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814142213/https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/colonial-child-killers-hannah-duston-and-her-sister/ |archive-date=2023-08-14 |access-date=2023-08-14 |website=New England Historical Society}} |1693-06-08 |Hanging |Essex |
100
| |Black |Female |1693-06-08 |Hanging |Essex |
101
|Susanna Andrews | |White |Female |? |1696 |Hanging |Suffolk |
102
|Sarah Threeneedles{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Ann |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yKd9DwAAQBAJ |title=Women Who Kill |publisher=The Feminist Press at CUNY |year=2009 |isbn=9781558616523 |location=New York |language=en-US}} | |? |Female |? |Murder |1698-11-17 |Hanging |Suffolk |
103
|Sarah Smith | |White |Female |? |Murder |1699 |Hanging |Plymouth |
1700–1799
class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+1700-1799: 107 executions !# !Name !Age !Race !Gender !Occupation !Crime !Date of execution !Method of execution !County |
1
|Esther Rodgers |21 |White |Female |Servant |Murder |1701-07-15 |Hanging |Suffolk |
2
|Finch | |Native American |Male |? |? |1704 |Hanging |Suffolk |
3
|John Lambert | |White |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1704-06-30 |Hanging |Essex |
4
|John Miller | |White |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1704-06-30 |Hanging |
5
|Erastus Petersen | |White |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1704-06-30 |Hanging |Suffolk |
6
| |White |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1704-06-30 |Hanging |Suffolk |
7
|Peter Roach | |White |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1704-06-30 |Hanging |Suffolk |
8
|Christopher Scudamore | |White |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1704-06-30 |Hanging |Suffolk |
9
|Josias [?] | |Native American |Male |? |Murder |1709-01-12 |Hanging |Suffolk |
10
|Joseph [?] | |Native American |Male |? |Murder |1709-01-12 |Hanging |Suffolk |
11
|Betty [?] | |Black |Female |? |? |1712 |Hanging |Suffolk |
12
|David Wallis | |White |Male |Sailor |Murder |1713-09 |Hanging |Suffolk |
13
|Margaret Callahan | |? |Female |? |Murder |1715-06-04 |Hanging |? |
14
|Jeremiah Fenwick | |White |Male |? |Murder |1717 |Hanging |Suffolk |
15
|Thomas Baker | |White |Male |? |Piracy |1715-11-15 |Hanging |Suffolk |
16
|Peter Hoof | |White |Male |? |Piracy |1715-11-15 |Hanging |Suffolk |
17
|John Brown | |White |Male |? |Piracy |1715-11-15 |Hanging |Suffolk |
18
|John Shuan | |White |Male |? |Piracy |1715-11-15 |Hanging |Suffolk |
19
|Simon Van Vorst | |White |Male |? |Piracy |1715-11-15 |Hanging |Suffolk |
20
|Hendrick Quintos | |White |Male |? |Piracy |1715-11-15 |Hanging |Suffolk |
21
|Joseph Hanno | |Black |Male |? |Murder |1721-05-25 |Hanging |Suffolk |
22
|[Unknown] | |Black |Male |? |Arson |1723 |Hanging |Suffolk |
23
|John Archer |27 |White |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1724-06-02 |Hanging |Suffolk |
24
|William White |22 |White |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1724-06-02 |Hanging |Suffolk |
25
|Samuel Cole | |? |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1726 |Hanging |Suffolk |
26
| |White |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1726 |Hanging |Suffolk |
27
|Henry Grenvil | |? |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1726 |Hanging |Suffolk |
28
|[Unknown] | |Black |Male |Slave |Murder |1729 |Hanging |Suffolk |
29
|Richard Wilson | |White |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1732-01-13 |Hanging |Suffolk |
30
|Quincy Julian | |Native American |Male |Slave |Murder |1733-03-22 |Hanging |Middlesex |
31
|27 |White |Female |? |Infanticide |1733-09-27 |Hanging |Suffolk |
32
|Amaziah Harding | |White |Male |? |Murder |1734-06 |Hanging |Suffolk |
33
|Matthew Cushing |22 |? |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1734-10-17 |Hanging |Suffolk |
34
|John Ormsby | |? |Male |? |Murder |1734-10-17 |Hanging |
35
|Sabo J. Nobby | |Native American |Male |? |? |1736 |Hanging |Suffolk |
36
|Hugh Henderson |30 |White |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1737-11-26 |Hanging |Suffolk |
37
|Philip Kennison | |? |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1738-09-13 |Hanging |Nantucket |
38
|Heppy Comfort | |Native American |Male |? |? |1739 |Hanging |Worcester |
39
|[Garnier] | |Black |Male |Slave |Arson |1741-01 |Hanging |Middlesex |
40
|Jeffrey [?] | |Black |Male |Slave |Murder |1745 |Hanging |Nantucket |
41
|[Unknown] | |Black |? |Slave |? |1749 |Hanging |Suffolk |
42
|[Unknown] | |Black |? |Slave |? |1749 |Burning |Worcester |
43
|Henry Jude | |Native American |Male |? |? |1750 |Hanging |? |
44
|David [?] | |Black |Male |Servant |Murder |1751-05-16 |Hanging |? |
45
|William Welch | |? |Male |? |Murder |1754-04-11 |Hanging |Nantucket |
46
|William Weir | |? |Male |? |Murder |1754-11-19 |Hanging |Suffolk |
47
| |Black |Male |Slave |Murder |1755-09-18 |Hanging |Suffolk |
48
| |Black |Female |Slave |Murder |1755-09-18 |Burning |Suffolk |
49
|John Harrington | |White |Male |? |Murder |1757-03-17 |Hanging |Middlesex |
50
|Bristol [?] |16 |Black |Male |? |Murder |1763-12-01 |Hanging |Middlesex |
51
|Joseph Lightley | |? |Male |? |Murder |1765-11-21 |Hanging |Middlesex |
52
|Nathan Quibby | |Native American |Male |? |Murder |1768-05-26 |Hanging |Bristol |
53
|Arthur [?] |21 |Black |Male |Slave |Rape |1767-10-20 |Hanging |Middlesex |
54
|Richard Ames | |White |Male |Soldier |Desertion |1768-01-31 |Shooting |Nantucket |
55
|Tom Ichabod | |Native American |Male |? |? |1769 |Hanging |Worcester |
56
|Joel Elisa | |Native American |Male |? |? |1769 |Hanging |Suffolk |
57
|Simon Hews | |Native American |Male |? |? |1769 |Hanging |Nantucket |
58
|William Lindsay | |? |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1770-01-25 |Hanging |Nantucket |
59
|William Shaw | |White |Male |? |Murder |1770-12-13 |Hanging |Nantucket |
60
|Bryan Sheehan |39 |White |Male |? |Rape |1772-01-16 |Hanging |Worcester |
61
|Levi Ames | |White |Male |? |Murder |1773-01-21 |Hanging |
62
|Valentine Ducat | |White |Male |Soldier |Desertion |1774-09-01 |Shooting |Essex |
63
|William Ferguson | |White |Male |Soldier |Desertion |1774-12-24 |Shooting |Suffolk |
64
|Elijah Woodward | |White |Male |Soldier |Desertion |1777-01-05 |Shooting |Suffolk |
65
|William Brooks | |White |Male |Soldier |Murder |1778-07-02 |Hanging |Suffolk |
66
|James Buchanan |30 |White |Male |Soldier |Murder |1778-07-02 |Hanging |Suffolk |
67
|Ezra Ross |16 |White |Male |Soldier |Murder |1778-07-02 |Hanging |Worcester |
68
|32 |White |Female |Housewife |Murder |1778-07-02 |Hanging |Worcester |
69
|Robert Young |29 |White |Male |Soldier |Rape |1779-11-11 |Hanging |Worcester |
70
|William Huggins | |White |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1783-06-19 |Hanging |Worcester |
71
|John Mansfield | |White |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1783-06-19 |Hanging |Worcester |
72
|Cassumo Garcelli |23 |White |Male |? |Murder |1784-01-15 |Hanging |Worcester |
73
|Dirick Grout (or Dirach Grout){{Cite book |last=Smith |first=J.S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BVy1jHV1wAgC |title=Lend a Hand: A Record of Progress |publisher=J. Stilman Smith & Co. |year=1890 |editor-last=Hale |editor-first=Edward Everett |volume=5 |location=Boston |pages=67 |language=en-US}} |36 |White |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1784-01-28 |Hanging |Worcester |
74
|Francis Coven (or Francis Couvin) |22 |White |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1784-01-28 |Hanging |Suffolk |
75
| |White |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1784-11-11 |Hanging |Suffolk |
76
|Alexander White |22 |White |Male |Seaman |Murder-Robbery |1784-11-18 |Hanging |Suffolk |
77
|Richard Barrick | |? |Male |? |Robbery |1784-11-18 |Hanging |Bristol |
78
|John Sullivan | |? |Male |? |Robbery |1784-11-18 |Hanging |Middlesex |
79
|Thomas Archibald | |? |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1785-05-05 |Hanging |Middlesex |
80
|William Scott | |? |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1785-05-05 |Hanging |
81
|Hannah Piggen (or Hannah Piggin, or Hannah Pigeon) | |? |Female |? |Concealment of birth |Hanging |Hampshire |
82
|Johnson Greene (or Johnson Green) |29 |Black |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1786-08-17 |Hanging |Suffolk |
83
|Isaac Combs (or Isaac Coombs) |39 |Native American |Male |Peddler |Murder |1786-12-21 |Hanging |Suffolk |
84
|Peter Wilcox, Jr. | |? |Male |? |Murder |? |Hanging |
85
|24 |White |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1787-11-22 |Hanging |Worcester |
86
|John Bly | |White |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1787-12-06 |Hanging |Essex |
87
|Charles Rose | |White |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1787-12-06 |Hanging |Suffolk |
88
|William Clarke | |? |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1787-12-06 |Hanging |Hampshire |
89
|Joseph Taylor | |? |Male |? |Robbery |1788-05-08 |Hanging |Berkshire |
90
|Archibald Taylor | |? |Male |? |Robbery |1788-05-08 |Hanging |Berkshire |
91
|Abigail Converse (or Abiel Converse, or Abiah Converse) |White{{Efn|The source states that Abigail/Abiel Converse's family lineage can be traced back to Edward Convers, one of the earliest settlers of the Plymouth Colony in 1630, making it highly likely Abigail/Abiel Converse was white.}} |Female |? |Murder of her illegitimate child{{Cite book |last=Bascom |first=Aaron |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N16330.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext |title=A sermon, preached at the execution of Abiel Converse, who was executed at Northampton for the murder of her infant bastard child, July 6th, 1788. / By Aaron Bascom, A.M. Pastor of the church in Chester. |publisher=William Butler |year=1788 |location=Northampton, Massachusetts |language=en-US}} |1788-07-06 |Hanging |Suffolk |
92
|John O'Neil | |? |Male |? |Murder |1788-09-04 |Hanging |Bristol |
93
|William Danesse (or William Denossee) | |? |Male |? |Robbery |1789-10-08 |Hanging |Suffolk |
94
|William Smith | |? |Male |? |Robbery |1789-10-08 |Hanging |Hampshire |
95
| |29 |Female |Pirate |Robbery |1789-10-08 |Hanging |Suffolk |
96
| |White |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1790-10-14 |Hanging |Suffolk |
97
|John Bailey | |Black |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1790-10-14 |Hanging |Suffolk |
98
|Samuel Hadlock | |? |Male |? |Murder |1790-10-28 |Hanging |
99
|29 |White |Male |Farmhand |Murder |1793-10-31 |Hanging |Suffolk |
100
|John Baptiste Collins | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy and Murder on the High Seas |1794-07-30 |Hanging |Suffolk |
101
|Emanuel Furtado (or Manuel Furtado, or Edmund Fortis) | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy and Murder on the High Seas |1794-07-30 |Hanging |Worcester |
102
|Augustus Palacha (or Augustus Poleski) | |? |Male |Pirate |Piracy and Murder on the High Seas |1794-07-30 |Hanging |Suffolk |
103
|Pomp [Furbish] | |Black |Male |Slave |Murder |Hanging |Suffolk |
104
|Henry Blackburn (or Henry Blackbourne) | |White |Male |Chimney Sweep |Murder-Robbery |1796-01-14 |Hanging |Suffolk |
105
|John Stewart | |White |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1797-04-06 |Hanging |Essex |
106
|Stephen Smith{{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=Alan |url=https://moglen.law.columbia.edu/twiki/pub/AmLegalHist/AngelaProject/Rogers_chapter_2_Part_1.pdf |title=Murder and the Death Penalty in Massachusetts |publisher=University of Massachusetts Press |year=2008 |isbn=9781558496330 |location=Amherst |pages=39–63 |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621004634/https://moglen.law.columbia.edu/twiki/pub/AmLegalHist/AngelaProject/Rogers_chapter_2_Part_1.pdf |archive-date=2023-06-21}} |28 |Black |Male |Escaped Slave |Housebreaking/Burglary |1797-10-12 |Hanging |Essex |
107
|Samuel Smith | |? |Male |? |Housebreaking/Burglary |1799-12-26 |Hanging |Middlesex |
1800–1899
class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+1800-1899: 80 executions !# !Name !Age !Race !Gender !Occupation !Crime !Date of execution !Method of execution !County |
1
|21 |White |Male |? |Murder |1801-09-10 |Hanging |Suffolk |
2
|Ebenezer Mason | |White |Male |Laborer |Murder |1802-01-07 |Hanging |Suffolk |
3
|John Battles (or John Battes, or John Battis) |19 |Black |Male |? |Murder-Rape |1804-11-08 |Hanging |Norfolk |
4
|Ephiram Wheeler (or Ephraim Wheeler) | |White |Male |? |Rape |1806-02-06 |Hanging |Hampshire |
5
|36 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1806-06-05 |Hanging |Norfolk |
6
|28 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1806-06-05 |Hanging |Norfolk |
7
|Joseph Drew | |? |Male |? |Murder |1808-07-21 |Hanging |? |
8
|Ebenezer Ball | |? |Male |? |Murder |1811-10-31 |Hanging |? |
9
|Samuel Tully |42 |White |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1812-12-10 |Hanging |Hampshire |
10
|Henry Pyner | |Black |Male |? |Rape |1813-11-05 |Hanging |Suffolk |
11
|Ezra Hutchinson | |? |Male |? |Rape |1813-11-18 |Hanging |Berkshire |
12
|Henry Phillips | |White |Male |Seaman |Murder |1817-03-13 |Hanging |Berkshire |
13
|John Williams |30 |White |Male |Seaman |Piracy and Murder on the High Seas |1819-02-18 |Hanging |Hampshire |
14
|Francis Frederick | |White |Male |Seaman |Piracy and Murder on the High Seas |1819-02-18 |Hanging |Suffolk |
15
|John P. Rog |30 |White |Male |Seaman |Piracy and Murder on the High Seas |1819-02-18 |Hanging |Suffolk |
16
|Peter Peterson (or Nils Peterson) |20 |White |Male |Seaman |Piracy and Murder on the High Seas |1819-02-18 |Hanging |Suffolk |
17
|Peter Johnson | |Black |Male |? |Rape |1819-11-25 |Hanging |Suffolk |
18
|Michael Powers |51 |White |Male |Laborer |Murder |1820-05-25 |Hanging |Suffolk |
19
|Warren Fawsett (or Thomas Warrington) | |? |Male |Pirate |Murder on the High Seas |1820-06-15 |Hanging |Berkshire |
20
|William Holmes | |? |Male |Pirate |Murder on the High Seas |1820-06-15 |Hanging |Suffolk |
21
|Edward Rosewaine | |? |Male |Pirate |Murder on the High Seas |1820-06-15 |Hanging |Suffolk |
22
|Stephen Clarke (or Stephen M. Clark) |16 |White |Male |? |Arson |1821-05-10 |Hanging |Suffolk |
23
|Michael Martin |46 |White |Male |Highwayman |Robbery |1821-12-20 |Hanging |Suffolk |
24
|Samuel Clisby | |? |Male |? |Robbery |1822-03-07 |Hanging |Essex |
25
|Gilbert Close | |? |Male |? |Robbery |1822-03-07 |Hanging |Middlesex |
26
|26 |White |Male |Convict |Murder |1822-04-25 |Hanging |Suffolk |
27
|Perez Anthony (or Perry Anthony) | |Black |Male |Seaman |Murder |1824-12-21 |Hanging |Suffolk |
28
|Horace Carter | |White |Male |? |Rape |1825-12-07 (or 1825-12-08) |Hanging |Suffolk |
29
|John Holloran | |White |Male |? |Murder |1826-03-03 |Hanging |Suffolk |
30
|Samuel Chase (or Samuel P. Charles) | |Native American |Male |? |Murder |1826-11-22 (or 1826-11-26) |Hanging |Worcester |
31
|Duncan White | |White |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1827-02-01 |Hanging |Suffolk |
32
|Winslow Curtis | |White |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1827-02-01 |Hanging |Berkshire |
33
|John Boies | |White |Male |? |Murder |1829-07-07 |Hanging |Suffolk |
34
|John F. Knapp |20 |White |Male |Shipmaster |Murder |1830-09-28 |Hanging |Suffolk |
35
|Joseph J. Knapp, Jr. | |White |Male |Shipmaster |Murder |1830-12-31 |Hanging |Norfolk |
36
|Joseph Gadett | |Black |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1831-07-01 |Hanging |Essex |
37
|Thomas Collinet | |Black |Male |Pirate |Piracy |1831-07-01 |Hanging |Essex |
38
|Henry Joseph | |Black |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1834-12-02 |Hanging |Suffolk |
39
|Pedro Gibbert | |Hispanic |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1835-06-09 |Hanging |Suffolk |
40
|Manuel Boyga | |Hispanic |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1835-06-09 |Hanging |Suffolk |
41
|Manuel Castello | |Hispanic |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1835-06-09 |Hanging |Suffolk |
42
|Angel Garcia | |Hispanic |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1835-06-09 |Hanging |Suffolk |
43
|Juan Montenegro | |Hispanic |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1835-06-09 |Hanging |Suffolk |
44
|Francisco Ruiz | |Hispanic |Male |Seaman |Piracy |1835-09-12 |Hanging |Suffolk |
45
|Simeon Crockett |27 |White |Male |Carpenter |Arson |1836-03-16 |Hanging |Suffolk |
46
|Stephen Russell | |White |Male |Carpenter |Arson |1836-03-16 |Hanging |Suffolk |
47{{Efn|The Espy Files list a 13-year-old boy as having been hanged for arson in Suffolk County on an unknown day in 1837. M. Watt Espy's notes state that this boy was an "Irish orphan" who was executed by hanging in Suffolk County according to the Times-Picayune located out of Louisiana. Further digging shows this boy's name was Michael Monohon (or Michael Monohan). Some reports say Michael was hanged in Lowell, Massachusetts, on either 06/10/1837, or 06/17/1837. Other reports state that his sentence was commuted to a lifetime of hard labor very shortly before he was scheduled to be executed. Due to the uncertainty around this case, he will not be included in this table or in the final count of Massachusetts executions.}}
|Thomas Barrett | |White |Male |? |Murder-Rape |1845-01-03 |Hanging |Suffolk |
48
| |? |Male |Seaman |Murder |1849-05-25 |Hanging |Middlesex |
49
|Daniel H. Pearson{{Cite news |date=1850-07-26 |title=Execution of D.H. Pearson for the Murder of His Wife and Twin Children |pages=2 |work=Boston Evening Transcript |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/boston-evening-transcript-execution-of-d/126819180/ |url-status=live |access-date=2023-06-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620235615/https://www.newspapers.com/article/boston-evening-transcript-execution-of-d/126819180/ |archive-date=2023-06-20}}{{Efn|The Espy Files list his name as just "Pierson," without providing a first name, age, or race.}} |41 |White |Male |? |Murder |1850-07-20 |Hanging |Worcester |
50
| |White |Male |Medical professional |Murder |1850-08-30 |Hanging |Suffolk |
51
|James Clough |29 |White |Male |? |Murder |1854-04-28 |Hanging |Suffolk |
52
|Thomas Casey |22 |White |Male |? |Murder |1854-09-29 |Hanging |Suffolk |
53
|James McGee | |? |Male |Convict |Murder |1858-06-25 |Hanging |Bristol |
54
|Alexander Desmarteau | |White |Male |? |Murder-Rape |1861-04-26 |Hanging |Middlesex |
55
|George Hersey |29 |White |Male |Cobbler |Murder |1862-08-08 |Hanging |Suffolk |
56
|James Callender | |Black |Male |? |Murder-Rape |1863-11-06 |Hanging |Norfolk |
57
|Edward Green |33 |White |Male |Postmaster |Murder-Robbery |1866-04-13 |Hanging |Norfolk |
58
|Silas James |31 |White |Male |Gambler |Murder-Robbery |1868-09-25 |Hanging |Berkshire |
59
|Charles James |22 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1868-09-25 |Hanging |Middlesex |
60
|James McElhaney | |White |Male |? |Murder |1873-03-21 |Hanging |Worcester |
61
|Albert Smith | |White |Male |? |Murder |1873-06-27 |Hanging |Worcester |
62
|William Sturtevant | |White |Male |Factory Worker |Murder-Robbery |1875-05-02 |Hanging |Suffolk |
63
|James Costley | |White |Male |Innkeeper |Murder |1875-06-25 |Hanging |Hampden |
64
|George Pemberton | |? |Male |? |Murder |1875-01-08 |Hanging |Plymouth |
65
|27 |White |Male |Church janitor |Murder-Rape |1876-05-26 |Hanging |Norfolk |
66
|Samuel Frost | |White |Male |? |Murder |1876-05-26 |Hanging |Suffolk |
67
|John Ten Eyck |46 |Black |Male |Laborer |Murder-Robbery |1878-08-16 |Hanging |Suffolk |
68
|William Devlin | |White |Male |Mill foreman |Murder |1879-03-13 |Hanging |Worcester |
69
|Alan Adams |44 |White |Male |Whaler |Murder |1881-04-16 |Hanging |Berkshire |
70
|Joseph Loomis | |? |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1883-03-08 |Hanging |Middlesex |
71
|Charles Williams | |Black |Male |? |Rape |1886-01-08 |Hanging |Hampshire |
72
|Samuel Besse | |? |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1887-03-10 |Hanging |Hampden |
73
|James Nowlin |18 |White |Male |Milkman |Murder-Robbery |1888-01-20 |Hanging |Middlesex |
74
|Walter Holmes | |? |Male |? |Murder |1893-02-03 |Hanging |Plymouth |
75
|William Coy | |White |Male |Wood chopper |Murder |1893-03-03 |Hanging |Middlesex |
76
|Daniel Robertson |49 |White |Male |Carpenter |Murder |1894-12-04 |Hanging |Hampden |
77
|Angus Gilbert | |White |Male |? |Murder-Rape |1896-02-21 |Hanging |Berkshire |
78
|Jack O'Neill | |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1898-01-07 |Hanging |Bristol |
79
|Lorenz Barnes | |? |Male |? |Murder-Burglary |1898-03-04 |Hanging |Suffolk |
80
|Dominique Krathofski |29 |White |Male |? |Murder |1898-12-30 |Hanging |Franklin |
1900–1947
In 1900, Massachusetts installed an electric chair in the Charlestown State Prison; all Massachusetts executions in the 20th century, and the remainder of Massachusetts' executions prior to abolition, were carried out by electrocution.
class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+1900-1947: 65 executions !# !Name !Age !Race !Gender !Occupation !Crime !Date of execution !Method of execution !County |
1
|Luigi Storti |26 |White |Male |? |Murder |1901-12-17 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
2
|Franciszek Umilian |34 |White |Male |Farmhand |Murder |1901-12-24 |Electric chair |Hampden |
3
|John Cassels |34 |White |Male |Bike repairman |Murder |1902-05-06 |Electric chair |Suffolk |
4
|37 |White |Male |Farm laborer |Murder |1902-09-09 |Electric chair |Essex |
5
|Charles Tucker |25 |White |Male |Handyman |Murder-Robbery |1906-06-12 |Electric chair |Hampden |
6
|John Schidlofski |29 |White |Male |Barber |Murder |1906-07-09 |Electric chair |Essex |
7
|Woon Hom |37 |Asian |Male |Tong member |Murder |1909-01-12 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
8
|Sing Min |31 |Asian |Male |Tong member |Murder |1909-01-12 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
9
|Gong Leong |19 |Asian |Male |Tong member |Murder |1909-01-12 |Electric chair |Suffolk |
10
|Napoleon Rivet |32 |White |Male |? |Murder |1910-07-28 |Electric chair |Suffolk |
11
|Wassili Ivankowski |22 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1911-03-07 |Electric chair |Suffolk |
12
|Andrei Ipson |19 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1911-03-07 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
13
|Silas Phelps |39 |White |Male |Paper worker |Murder |1912-01-26 |Electric chair |Essex |
14
|36 |White |Male |Clergyman |Murder |1912-05-21 |Electric chair |Essex |
15
|Harry Marshall |25 |White |Male |Fireman |Murder |1912-06-06 |Electric chair |Franklin |
16
|Bertram Spencer |31 |White |Male |Clerk |Murder-Burglary |1912-09-17 |Electric chair |Suffolk |
17
|Chester Jordan |33 |White |Male |Vaudeville |Murder |1912-09-24 |Electric chair |Plymouth |
18
|Stefan Borasky |26 |White |Male |? |Murder |1913-06-24 |Electric chair |Hampden |
19
|William Door |31 |White |Male |Businessman |Murder |1914-03-24 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
20
|Biago Falzone |23 |White |Male |? |Murder |1915-05-11 |Electric chair |Hampden |
21
|Anton Retkovitz |37 |White |Male |? |Murder |1916-03-16 |Electric chair |Essex |
22
|Francis Ducharme |27 |White |Male |Laborer |Murder-Rape |1917-09-11 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
23
|Francisco Feci |37 |White |Male |Laborer |Murder |1920-08-16 |Electric chair |Bristol |
24
|Paul Dascalakis |30 |White |Male |Waiter |Murder |1923-07-14 |Electric chair |Hampden |
25
|Cyrille Vandenhecke |51 |White |Male |Loom fixer |Murder |1924-07-30 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
26
|Richard Stewart |32 |Black |Male |? |Murder |1926-05-05 |Electric chair |Suffolk |
27
|John McLaughlin |30 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1927-01-06 |Electric chair |Essex |
28
|John Devereaux |25 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1927-01-06 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
29
|Edward Heinlein |26 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1927-01-06 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
32
|36 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1927-08-23 |Electric chair |Norfolk |
30
|33 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1927-08-23 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
31
|Celestino Madeiros |24 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1927-08-23 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
33
|Jerry Gedzium |23 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1928-02-28 |Electric chair |Norfolk |
34
|Herbert Gleason |21 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1928-03-13 |Electric chair |Norfolk |
35
|Nathan DeSatnick |25 |White |Male |Fruit peddler |Murder |1928-07-17 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
36
|George Taylor |47 |White |Male |Barber |Murder-Rape |1929-03-06 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
37
|Frederick Knowlton, Jr. |37 |White |Male |Businessman |Murder |1929-05-14 |Electric chair |Worcester |
38
|Charles Trippi |22 |White |Male |Convict |Murder |1929-12-03 |Electric chair |Essex |
39
|Paul Hurley |20 |White |Male |? |Murder |1931-09-15 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
40
|Joseph Belenski |38 |White |Male |Farmhand |Murder |1931-01-21 |Electric chair |Worcester |
41
|Sylvester Fernandes |24 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1932-08-12 |Electric chair |Norfolk |
42
|Ahmed Osman |37 |Other |Male |? |Murder-Rape |1934-01-23 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
43
|Henry Bull |22 |? |Male |? |Murder |1934-02-22 |Electric chair |Barnstable |
44
|Herman Snyder |21 |White |Male |? |Murder |1934-02-22 |Electric chair |Norfolk |
45
|John Donnellon |24 |White |Male |? |Murder |1934-02-22 |Electric chair |Franklin |
46
|Alexander Kaminski |25 |White |Male |Jail prisoner |Murder |1935-02-19 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
47
|Abraham Faber |25 |White |Male |Businessman |Murder-Robbery |1935-06-07 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
48
|Irving Millen |22 |White |Male |Criminal |Murder-Robbery |1935-06-07 |Electric chair |Hampden |
49
|Murton Millen |25 |White |Male |Criminal |Murder-Robbery |1935-06-07 |Electric chair |Norfolk |
50
|Miller Clark |44 |White |Male |Truck driver |Murder-Rape |1936-01-14 |Electric chair |Norfolk |
51
|Newell Sherman |27 |White |Male |Machinist |Murder |1936-08-04 |Electric chair |Norfolk |
52
|Anthony Distasio |25 |White |Male |? |Murder |1938-01-18 |Electric chair |Suffolk |
53
|Frank Distasio |52 |White |Male |Candy dealer |Murder |1938-01-18 |Electric chair |Worcester |
54
|Edward Simpson |43 |White |Male |Ex-convict |Murder |1938-05-13 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
55
|Walter St. Saveur |22 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1939-08-02 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
56
|Wallace Green |22 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1939-08-02 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
57
|Joseph Rousseau |29 |White |Male |? |Murder |1941-04-22 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
58
|Paul Giacomazza |19 |White |Male |? |Murder |1942-06-30 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
59
|James Nickerson |22 |? |Male |? |Murder |1942-06-30 |Electric chair |Norfolk |
60
|Joseph E. Sheppard |25 |White |Male |Mental patient |Murder |1943-06-25 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
61
|Donald Millard |19 |White |Male |Mental patient |Murder |1943-06-25 |Electric chair |Middlesex |
62
|Robert Hayward Gray{{Cite news |date=1942-11-14 |title=Gray Appeals Sentence to Electric Chair |pages=16 |work=Boston Globe |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-robert-hayward-gray-a/128320905/ |url-status=live |access-date=2023-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716161453/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-robert-hayward-gray-a/128320905/ |archive-date=2023-07-16}} |34 |Black{{Cite news |date=1943-06-25 |title=Three Executed at Bridgewater; 'Letter' Probe Looms |pages=2 |work=Athol Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/athol-daily-news-3-executed-at-bridgewat/128317895/ |url-status=live |access-date=2023-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716151916/https://www.newspapers.com/article/athol-daily-news-3-executed-at-bridgewat/128317895/ |archive-date=2023-07-16}} |Male |1943-06-25 |Electric chair |Suffolk |
63
|Raphael Skopp |36 |White |Male |? |Murder-Robbery |1946-08-16 |Electric chair |Plymouth |
64
|32 |White |Male |Gangster |Murder |1947-05-09 |Electric chair |Suffolk |
65
|35 |White |Male |Gangster |Murder |1947-05-09 |Electric chair |Suffolk |
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References regarding Michael Monohon{{Cite news |date=1837-07-04 |title=JUDICIAL CRUELTY |pages=2 |work=The Times-Picayune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-picayune-report-of-13-year-old/126317083/ |url-status=live |access-date=2023-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230613020048/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-picayune-report-of-13-year-old/126317083/ |archive-date=2023-06-13 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=1837-06-19 |title=Judicial Vengeance |pages=2 |work=The Baltimore Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-judicial-vengeance/126317318/ |url-status=live |access-date=2023-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230613020431/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-judicial-vengeance/126317318/ |archive-date=2023-06-13 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=1837-06-27 |title=On Judicial Vengeance |pages=2 |work=The Baltimore Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-on-judicial-vengeance/126317745/ |url-status=live |access-date=2023-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230613021217/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-on-judicial-vengeance/126317745/ |archive-date=2023-06-13 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=1837-07-14 |title=We understand that Michael Monohan, the lad who was recently sentenced to be hung... |pages=2 |work=The Baltimore Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-michael-monohans-sent/126318556/ |url-status=live |access-date=2023-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230613022728/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-michael-monohans-sent/126318556/ |archive-date=2023-06-13 |via=Newspapers.com}}