How many people here knew that Joseph Smith's ancestors were involved in the Salem Witch Trials ...

Pretty interesting stuff ...  

There is a recounting of the particiulars of it in The Refiner's Fire: The making of Mormon Cosmology... by John L. Brooke. pgs 66-67.

"Two episodes dramatically set off the story of the Smiths in Essex County. In the spring of 1692, at the height of the Salem witchcraft trails, Samuel Smith testified to the occult powers of his aunt by marriage, Mary Easty, one of the three daughters of William Towne of Topsfield who were accused of witchcraft in 1692. On the evidence of Samuel Smith, Margaret Redigton, and several of the "afflicted girls," Mary Towne Easty was hanged on September 22, 1692. A century later, in 1796, Samuel's grandson Asael Smith wrote a warm and friendly letter from Tunbridge, Vermont, to Jacob Towne jr. inTopsfield, a great-great-great-nephew of Mary Easty, thanking him "with joy and gratitude" for a recent letter and sending his regards to Jacob's parents. A long saga of community turmoil and reconciliation stood between these two events."

I haven't heard that before, thank you for sharing this information.

Do you think that Joseph Smith jr. knew about that?

don't know that. interesteing.

Haha, that's intersting - but there's totally no substance to it and Mormon history.

Mormon history begins with Joseph, and lets also remember that those trials were the result of jealousy and mass hysteria.

No Substance to it ? -- it's a simple fact of Genealogy, ... it is not meant to demonstrate anything other than one aspect of the recent past, into which Joseph was born ... and the recent past does have an effect on the current realities ... for instance, Vietnam, WWI and WWII or Abu Ghraib all have a certain influence on the realities of today ... and to pretend otherwise is ridiculous ...

Actually Mormon history does not begin with Joseph ... At all ... even if you accept the orthodox narrative; Mormon history begins in the distant past with the Native Americans ... and the question as to whether or not they actually were decended from the Hebrews ...

Also, Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith were integral parts of the young Joseph's life and so one has to acknowledge their lives, and their experiences as having a direct effect on Joseph's career as a Prophet.

Also, Mormonism was not formed in a vacum, there were various cultural influences at work in the early 19c America and to ignore them is to demonstrate quite a bit of general naivete ...