John Proctor came from a well-to-do colonial family. His parents had come from England to America in 1635. His father, John Proctor, Sr., owned a number of properties in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and held offices in the colony. His son John, who became famous as the first male accused of witchcraft by the Salem witch trials, also had a position more privileged than others. He leased a 700-acre estate, and also was licensed to operate a tavern in Salem.
The younger John Proctor was dramatized in a powerful play by playwright Arthur Miller, written in 1953. The Crucible was Miller's way of comparing hysteria over suspected communists with the Salem witch trials.
