John Hathorne was born in Salem on August 5, 1641 to William Hathorne and Anne Smith. He was the fifth of nine children. He was Nathaniel Hawthorne's great grand-father. He served as a judge in the Salem Witch Trials. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born July 4th 1804. The Salem witch trials took place in 1692 in colonial Massachusetts, specifically in the town of Salem. The trials began when a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several women of witchcraft. The accusations quickly spread, leading to the arrest and trial of dozens of individuals, many of whom were found guilty and executed. The Salem witch trials were a dark chapter in American history, fueled by superstition, fear, and religious intolerance. Colonel Jon Hathorne (Nathaniel's great grandfather) was a prominent figure during the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692, (Railton.) As a respected member of the community and a magistrate, Hathorne played a significant role in the prosecution of those accused of witchcraft. Hathorne's involvement in the trials was displayed by his relentless pursuit of justice, often resorting to harsh interrogation tactics to extract confessions from the accused. His unwavering belief in the existence of witches and his determination to rid Salem of their kind led to numerous convictions and executions. Colonel John Hathorne, was the judge that found over a hundred women guilty of witchcraft and oversaw at least 20 hangings, (Railton.)  In 1825, Hawthorne began using the last name "Hawthorne" instead of "Hathorne." It is said that he made this change to distance himself from his family's past and to create a new identity for himself as a writer. The addition of the "w" to his last name not only phonetically changed the pronunciation but also gave it a more distinctive and poetic quality. Hawthorne's decision to alter his last name reflects his complex relationship with his own heritage and the desire to forge his own path in the world of literature, (Lohnes.) By changing his name, he was able to symbolically break free from the constraints of his family history and create a new persona that was separate from the legacy of his ancestor. Nathaniel Hawthorne's works are deeply connected to the Salem Witch Trials, as he used the events of the trials to explore themes of sin, guilt, and redemption. Through his writing, Hawthorne grappled with the dark history of his hometown and shed light on the timeless human struggles that were at the heart of the witch trials.

Works Cited:

https://americanwritersmuseum.org/nathaniel-hawthorne-and-the-horrors-of...

https://crimereads.com/nathaniel-hawthornes-salem-deliberate-evil/