You know Sarah Jessica Parker as the shoe-obsessed Carrie Bradshaw, or maybe as the ditzy, hopscotching Sarah Sanderson from Hocus Pocus. But there’s a weird, almost eerie layer to her life that sounds like a Hollywood scriptwriter’s fever dream. It turns out, when she was flying around on a vacuum cleaner in 1993, she had no clue she was actually carrying a "witch" legacy in her DNA.
Life is funny like that.
The Connection Between SJP and the Salem Witch Trials
Most people think "Sarah Jessica Parker witch" is just a reference to her iconic Disney role. It’s not. In 2010, Sarah appeared on the show Who Do You Think You Are? and things got real, fast. She went in expecting maybe some dusty records of shopkeepers or sailors. Instead, she found Esther Elwell.
Esther was Sarah’s 10th great-grandmother.
In 1692, the air in Salem and surrounding Gloucester was thick with paranoia. Esther was officially accused of "sundry acts of witchcraft" and specifically of choking a neighbor named Mary Fitch. Imagine being the descendant of one of the few women actually named in those terrifying court documents. It’s heavy stuff.
How Esther Elwell Narrowly Escaped the Noose
Honestly, Esther should have been a goner. By the time her name popped up in November 1692, the body count in Salem was already high. People were being hanged for far less than "spectral strangulation."
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But Esther got lucky.
The court was essentially falling apart. Public opinion was shifting because, frankly, people were tired of seeing their neighbors die. The use of "spectral evidence"—the idea that a witch’s spirit could leave their body to attack someone—was finally being banned. Because that was the only "proof" against her, the case against Esther Elwell collapsed. She didn't just survive; she lived to be 82. In the 1600s, that’s basically reaching immortal status.
Sarah Sanderson: A Role with Unexpected Roots
When SJP signed on for Hocus Pocus, she was just a young actress looking for a fun gig. She played the youngest Sanderson sister, a blonde siren who lured children with a haunting song.
"Come little children, I'll take thee away..."
It’s a bit chilling to realize she was singing that while her own ancestor had once been accused of doing something similar in the same geographic area. SJP has mentioned in interviews that finding this out changed her perspective on the movie. It wasn't just "a bunch of hocus pocus" anymore. It was her family history.
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The Weird Paradox of the Sanderson Sisters
- The Fiction: Sarah Sanderson was hanged in 1693 for being a literal, child-eating witch.
- The Reality: Esther Elwell was accused in 1692 for being an "other"—a woman who didn't fit the Puritan mold.
- The Irony: SJP became more famous for playing the "evil" version of her ancestor than the actual woman who suffered through the trials.
Why the Internet is Still Obsessed with SJP's "Witch" Link
People love a full-circle moment. The fact that Sarah Jessica Parker played a witch from Salem before knowing she was related to an accused witch from Salem is the kind of coincidence that makes you look for a glitch in the matrix.
But there's also a deeper reason.
The Salem Witch Trials represent a dark stain on American history where fear won over logic. Seeing a modern icon like SJP trace her roots back to that madness makes it feel less like a textbook story and more like a personal one. It reminds us that these weren't "witches" in the Disney sense; they were vulnerable people caught in a societal meltdown.
Fact vs. Fiction in Hocus Pocus
We have to be careful here. Movies like Hocus Pocus and its 2022 sequel are campy fun. They portray the witches as villains who worship "the Master" (the devil).
In the real world?
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Historians like Emerson Baker have shown that the real victims of the trials were often just people involved in property disputes or those who didn't go to church enough. Esther Elwell wasn't brewing potions in a cauldron. She was likely just a woman who had a disagreement with the wrong person at the absolute worst time in history.
What This Means for You (The Actionable Part)
If you're fascinated by the Sarah Jessica Parker witch connection, don't just stop at celebrity trivia. There is a lot to learn about your own history and how we treat "outliers" today.
1. Dig into your own genealogy You don't need a TV crew to find your "Esther Elwell." Sites like Ancestry or FamilySearch have digitized records that were once impossible to find. You might find a hero, a villain, or someone who just barely escaped a tragedy.
2. Visit the real sites, not just the movie sets If you’re ever in Massachusetts, skip the "witch kitsch" shops for a second. Go to the Salem Witch Trials Memorial. It’s a quiet, somber place. Seeing the names carved in stone—including the names of those who weren't as lucky as Esther—puts the whole "SJP witch" story into a much-needed perspective.
3. Recognize modern-day "witch hunts" The Salem trials happened because of mass hysteria and a lack of due process. Honestly, that hasn't totally gone away. Whether it’s social media dogpiling or actual systemic prejudice, the "witch hunt" mentality is still a part of human nature. Recognizing it is the first step to stopping it.
Sarah Jessica Parker’s story is a reminder that our past is never truly "past." It’s tucked away in our bloodlines, waiting for a genealogy show—or a cult classic movie—to bring it back to the light.
Start by looking up your own family tree today; you might be surprised who’s waiting for you in the branches.