RESOURCES: Legacy of Watt Espy’s Research Lives on After His Death

Probably the most complete collection of information on executions carried out in the United States from colonial times to the modern era was assembled by Watt Espy of Headland, Alabama. Espy died on August 13, 2009 at age 76, but his files and catalog of executions was preserved and transformed over the years into a searchable database by friends and scholars who appreciated his work. Much of his archive is now located at the State University of New York at Albany. DPIC has information from this database on our Espy File page. In addition to a downloadable Excel file of Espy’s catalog of executions, DPIC offers three pdf files that can be viewed online, containing information on over 15,000 executions sorted by date of execution, state, and alphabetically by defendant’s name.

(See Espy obituary, RickeyStokesNews.com, Aug. 13, 2009). See Executions.