Cotton Mather was born on March 19, 1663 in Boston Massachusetts and he died February 13, 1728 in his birthplace. Cotton Mather was a member of the puritan religion, the puritan religion was a group that broke away from the Church of England in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. His roles in the church were preacher, and historian. He was in charge of recording the church history and keeping it in order. He was also the youngest man to graduate from Harvard College. He is often associated with the Salem witch trials, which was a series of trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts where 19 people were accused and executed, and many others imprisoned for witch craft and wizardry. Cotton Mather was the son of Increase and Maria Mather,