Salem Village Assessment:
1690
| Name | Tax | Petition | Sort |
| Abbey, Samuell | 7 | Pro-P | 1 |
| Andrew, Daniell | 36 | Anti-P | 2 |
| Barton, Samull | 4 | NoS | 3 |
| Beele, William | 6 | NoS | 4 |
| Bishop, Edward | 14 | Anti-P | 5 |
| Brabroock, Samuell | 6 | Anti-P | 6 |
| Buckley, William | 7 | Anti-P | 7 |
The tax assessments found in the 1690 Tax Data Set are particularly important because, in comparison with other assessments, they are most proximate to the witchcraft outbreak. Initially adopted in 1689, the village reauthorized these rates in July 1690 to remain in effect until July 1, 1691, about six months before the first afflictions appeared in Parris's household in early 1692.
The 1690 Tax Data Set contains four columns of information:
- "Name" lists in alphabetical order those villagers who were assessed. It does not record rates for anyone outside the village's bounds.
- "Tax" records the taxpayer's assessment. All tax data have been uniformly recorded in shillings: one pound equals twenty shillings, and twelve pence equals one shilling. Thus, 1 pound, 2 shillings, and 6 pence = 22.5 shillings. The tax is based upon landholding in Salem Village; it only approximates a person's total wealth. The assessment is a snapshot of a villager's taxable wealth at a particular time. A low tax might only reflect a temporary condition; for example, a young person might inherit more land later in life. Tax rates, therefore, are only one indicator of a person's wealth and standing in a community. Other elements enter the equation, such as family resources and age.
- "Petition" indicates whether the taxpayer signed either the pro- or anti-Parris petition in 1695. "NoS" (no signature) means that this taxpayer's name did not appear on either petition. Because names were spelled inconsistently and designations like "junior" or "senior" changed over time (for example, when "senior" died, "junior" might became "senior"), it is sometimes difficult to establish a conclusive link between names on a tax list and names on the pro- and anti-Parris petitions. Nevertheless, the number of questionable cases are few and should not distort the analysis. Users can try their own hand at revising the data set.
- "Sort" permits data to be easily restored to their original order after a statistical manipulation.
To explore economic disparities between Salem Village's factions in 1690, click Next.