Who is John Proctor?

John Proctor is a farmer from Salem, Massachusetts. He is accused of witchcraft and hanged as a witch on August 19, 1692. He has been posthumously exonerated of all charges by the Massachusetts government in 2001. Proctor was born in 1632 to George Proctor and his wife Elizabeth in England. The family moved to Charlestown, Massachusetts when John was four years old and later moved again to Salem Village where John grew up. In 1650 John married Elizabeth (Betty) Cheevers and they had six children together before she died in 1682 at age 42 from smallpox. On June 6, 1686 he married Sarah Good who bore him another five children before her death on October 31, 1706 from tuberculosis at age 44. This gave him a total of thirteen children (seven by Betty and six by Sarah). He was an outspoken man who often clashed with his neighbors over issues like taxation, land ownership rights and religious differences including Quakerism (which he opposed). He also had a temper which led to several arguments with other men including local constable Jonathan Putnam Jr.. In fact some people called John Proctor a troublemaker because he stood up for what he believed in even if it meant going against.