Elizabeth CLARKE , John TOWNES. She was my 9th great grandmother, through Bathsheba Nurse Newton, daughter of Joseph Nurse who fought in the Revolution. According to local legend, Nurses son, Benjamin, secretly rowed a boat after nightfall to the execution site to claim his mothers body so he could give her a Christian burial at her home. I truly believe it was "greed" and "land grab"I have both the Putnams & Towns in my tree. History Lesson Plans History Class Us History Family History American Literature, Discover the family tree of Rebecca Nurse for free, and learn about their family history and their ancestry. In doing research on my Great-Great Great Grandgfather, Benjamin Nourse Fairbanks, I learned that I am a descendant of Rebecca Towne Nurse (her grandson changed spelling to Nourse and moved to Westborough, MA). I believe it the 7th generation. Torrey in "New England Marriages to 1700" is equivocal about their marriage date and location, saying this: NURSE, Francis (-1695, ae 77) & Rebecca [TOWNE] (1621-1692); 24 Aug 1646, ca 1645? descendants. Another sister, Sarah Cloyce, was also accused of witchcraft. The list of descendants of Nurse includes former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, "Scrubs" actor Zach Braff and "I Love Lucy" star Lucille Ball. . It was later written that Rebecca had "acquired a reputation for exemplary piety that was virtually unchallenged in the community," making her one of the "unlikely" persons to be accused of witchcraft. CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. When all about thee owned the hideous lie! 2008 - 2023 INTERESTING.COM, INC. Memorial plaque located on Masonic Temple. This also makes sense, as the soil on the ledge is too thin to make a shallow grave for even one person, much less a pit for nineteen convicted witches] not deserving of a Christian burial due to the charge of witchcraft. Wait Winthrop, one of the Judges was a distant cousin. In 1885, Nurse's descendants, members of the First Church of Danvers (originally known as The Church of Christ in Salem Village), and local townspeople, dedicated the Rebecca Nurse Monument in her memory. Women In Early America: Struggle, Survival, And Freedom In A New World. An Undergraduate Course, University of Virginia"As land became scarcer, quarrels regarding boundaries between the settlement to become known as Topsfield and Salem went on for a century. The world redeemed from Superstition's sway. Lewis, Jone Johnson. Executed for Witchcraft, Salem 1692. There is certainly a headstone for her in the family cemetery today, though it was erected long after the execution, in July 1885. In accordance with the procedures at the time, Mrs. Nurse, like others accused of witchcraft, represented herself since she was not allowed to have a lawyer. Rebecca Nurse was executed on July 19, 1692 on Proctor's Ledge at Gallows Hill. Upon hearing of the accusations, the frail 71-year-old Nurse, often described as an invalid, said, "I am innocent as the child unborn, but surely, what sin hath God found out in me unrepented of, that He should lay such an affliction on me in my old age. Her mother was Margaret Joy Rahn (maiden name was Rahn). Executed for witchcraft in the Salem witch trials, Born on February 21, 1621 The accusers and spectators protested loudly when the verdict was announced. George Romney. When the verdict not guilty was, the honoured court was pleased to object against it, saying to them, that they think they let slip the words, which the prisoner at the bar spake against her self which were spoken in reply to Goodwife Hobbs and her daughter, who had been faulty in setting their hands to the devils book, as they have confessed formerly; the words were what, do these persons give in evidence against me now, they used to come against us. After the honoured court had manifested their dissatisfaction of the verdict, several of the jury declared themselves desirous to go out again, and thereupon the hounored court gave leave; but when we came to consider the case, I could not tell how to take her words, as evidence against her, till she had a further opportunity to put her sense upon them, if she would take it; and then going into court, I mentioned the aforesaid, which by one of the court were affirmed to have been spoken by her, she being then at the bar, but made no reply, nor interpretation of them; whereupon these words were to me principal evidence against her. Rebecca TOWNE was the child of William TOWNE and Joanna BLESSING Rebecca was an immigrant to the United States, arriving by 1637. The court asked the jury to reconsider the verdict; they found her guilty after reviewing the evidence and discovering that she had failed to answer one question put to her (perhaps because she was nearly deaf). A fictional character believes her to be pious and registers surprise when seeing Nurse on her way to her execution. LOL nice to meet you all cousins! Rebecca Nurse HomesteadWebsite: www.rebeccanurse.orgAddress: 149 Pine Street, Danvers, Mass, Salem Witch Trials MemorialAddress: Liberty Street, Salem, Mass, Proctors Ledge MemorialAddress: 7 Pope Street, Salem, Mass, Site of the Salem Witch Trials ExecutionsAddress: Proctors Ledge, wooded area between Proctor Street and Pope Street, Salem, Mass. [11] In 1711, her children petitioned the government for a reversal of attainer and were granted compensation for Rebecca's wrongful death. . A B The examining magistrates, John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin, who normally regarded the guilt of the accused as self-evident, took a notably different attitude in Rebecca's case, as they also did in the case of her sister Mary Eastey. The notes about merging at the top of this profile are from March 2019. This fact, along with the lack of reports of any gallows being built for the witch trial executions, and no debris being found at the site led researchers to conclude the convicted witches were hanged from trees. The Salem Witch Trails were something I read about in school, but never knew I would have such close ties to them. Thanks! This occurred during a time when parts of the government and people of the Province of Massachusetts Bay were seized with witch-phobia. They told Rebecca openly that if she was innocent, they prayed that God would show her innocence, for "it is a sad thing to see church members accused". d. after 1733. Rebecca married Francis Nurse, who also came from Yarmouth, around 1644. An artists depiction of a witch being led to her death. I am also a descendant. As with all family trees on this website, the sources for each ancestor are listed on the family group pages so that you can personally judge the reliability of the information. I am also a descendant of Rebecca, very interesting to find out. A deposition written by Thomas Putnam, signed on May 31, detailed accusations of torment of his wife, Ann Putnam Sr., by Nurse's and Corey's "specters," or spirits, on March 18 and 19. She was fully exonerated fewer than twenty years later. He said well I have good news and (laughing) bad news. She is my great grandmother 10th removed. It has been 89% photographed. The film depicts Nurse and her family members as the main characters. Mary Eastey was born Mary Towne to William Towne and Joanna Towne ( ne Blessing) in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. They raised their family in Salem village (modern day Danvers, Massachusetts). Rebecca, the daughter of William Towne and Joanna Blessing, was baptized Feb 21, 1621 in England. According to Boyer and Nissenbaum in Salem Possessed, considering the bitterness between these families". So over 300 years and half a country away, these two families have shared an almost 20 year friendship that turned into a loving and respectful relationship. She is my 10 great grandmother on my mothers paternal side of the family. On July 3, just days after Nurse was convicted, she was taken to the church and publicly excommunicated, according to the book Salem-Village Witchcraft: 1692, July 3 After sacrament, the elders propounded to the church, and it was, by unanimous vote, consented to, that our sister Nurse, being a convicted witch by the court, and condemned to die, should be excommunicated; which was accordingly done in the afternoon, she being present.. There is some new evidence that her family removed the body and had it buried elsewhere, perhaps near the location of this cenotaph: Find A Grave: Site of Salem Witch Trial Hangings Discovered: Why Its Important to Genealogists: The Towne Family Memorial: Compiled from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Towne Manuscripts, Public and Family Records; for A.N. Username and password are case sensitive. Some children appear to be incorrect - have no sources that indicate that there were more children than these eight: John, Samuel, Francis, Benjamin, Mary Tarbell, Sarah Boden, Rebecca Preston and Elizabeth Russell, all named in Francis division of his estate. By Linda Greenstein Globe Correspondent, Updated October 14, 2019, 12:05 p.m. 16. , Hey Cuz! Leave a message for others who see this profile. She expressed great remorse for her role against Rebecca and her two sisters, Mary Eastey and Sarah Cloyce, in particular: "I desire to be humbled before God for that sad and humbling providence that befell my father's family in the year about '92; that I, then being in my childhood, should, by such a providence of God, be made an instrument for the accusing of several persons of a grievous crime, whereby their lives were taken away from them, whom now I have just grounds and good reason to believe they were innocent persons. On Ash Wednesday of 2017 I ran into my dad after our respectful services and Mass at Captian Ds restaurant. That was before Nurse and 21 others of the 33 who had been convicted were exonerated in 1711 by the state, which paid compensation to the families of the victims. This lack of a response, probably due to Rebeccas partial deafness, was unexpected. The PBS film Three Sovereigns For Sarah features Vanessa Redgrave as one of Rebecca Nurse's sisters, Sarah Cloyce; although accused, she escaped execution. However, Rebecca and her sister Mary Towne Easty were hanged. The accusations continued throughout the spring and into the summer but opposition to the trials began to grow. Genealogy charts for Rebecca (Towne) Nurse may include up to 30 generations of ancestors with source citations. Wrong username or password. Nurse's trial was featured in an episode of the CBS radio program "CBS Is There," which aired on July 28, 1947. He was soon called upon to defend it against the claims of Zerubabel Endicott, who claimed a boundary line to the Endicott possessions that pushed back the eastern bounds of the Bishop farm. The statements had no effect on the courts decision and Nurse was hanged at Proctors Ledge on July 19, along with Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin and Sarah Wildes. . Nurse can also be found as a supporting character in Katherine Howe's historical fiction, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/640804/nurse-homestead-cemetery. }Customer Service. Thank you! It would seem that Putnam, if anything, was united with Allen and Nurse in fighting Endicott. In 1992, the Salem Witch Trials Memorial was built in Salem, Mass and a marker was established for Rebecca Nurse. If you are not a descendant, then you probably know someone that is., Keenans career as an assistant district attorney, legislator, and college president has focused on social justice. Upham, Charles (1980). Youre welcome Kayla! [1][2], She and her five siblings migrated with their parents to Salem in New England by 1639. In the first and much acclaimed television adaption by the BBC in 1980 she was played by Ann Dyson. If not, at least good will eventually triumph over evil 30,000 descendants is quite a legacy ; ). The trials as a metaphor for the persecution of minority groups remained powerful images into the 20th and 21st centuries, particularly in playwrightArthur Miller's "The Crucible"(1953), in which he used events and individuals from 1692 allegorically for the anti-communist hearings led by Sen.Joseph McCarthyduring theRed Scareof the 1950s. Howe, Katherine (2009). Please try again. Rebecca Nurse is my 8th great grandmother. Started with her husband Francis Nurse. Some of the most recently added connections of famous kin for Rebecca (Towne) Nurse William Towne (c1598/9 - c1673) Great Migration Immigrant 1639 Father Francis Emroy Warren 1st Governor of Wyoming 5th great-grandson Mary (Towne) Eastey Executed for Witchcraft, Salem 1692 Sibling via William Towne Grace (Goodhue) Coolidge Just change it when you see it. In 1712, Salem Church reversed Nurse's excommunication. Massachusetts Gov. It is believed that her family came and collected her body that evening, taking her home to be buried in an unmarked grave on the homestead. ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/rebecca-nurse-biography-3530327. Her family emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, settling in Salem, although most of the Towne family would eventually move inland to Topsfield. John Nurse (1673-1747) 4. The Rebecca Nurse homestead is still a museum. [citation needed]. Visit this site's About page to find out more about Rebecca. T > Towne | N > Nurse > Rebecca (Towne) Nurse, Categories: English Immigrants to America | Salem, Massachusetts | Salem Witch Trials | Accused Witches of New England | Death by Hanging | Nurse Homestead Cemetery, Danvers, Massachusetts | Salem Witch Trials Memorial, Salem, Massachusetts | Puritan Great Migration | Notables, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. This made them wonder if any of the other accused witches were possibly innocent. One signer was General Israel Putnam's father. Rebecca Nurse was the daughter of William Towne, of Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England where she was baptized Feb. 21, 1621. My dad has been working on our linage for many years now and several years ago he connected us as direct descendants of John and Priscilla Alden (their son John Alden was an accused witch but escaped from prison never to be found). SOURCE: Site of Salem Witch Trial Hangings Discovered: Why Its Important to Genealogists. Topsfield in the Witchcraft Delusion. The Historical Collections of the Topsfield Historical Society, vol. "Biography of Rebecca Nurse, Victim of the Salem Witch Trials." You are the (8? Rebecca Nurse was blamed for the death of all of Ann Putnam's children, except for one. The Rebecca Nurse homestead still stands in Danvers, the new name of Salem Village, and is open to tourists. Mary married John Tarbell at Salem, on October 25, 1678. This was very helpful, thank you! I thought Thomas was the son of ROGER and Martha Preston. They were considered unfit for a Christian burial in a churchyard. The family tree for Rebecca (Towne) Nurse should not be considered exhaustive or authoritative. Sometime around 1644, she married Francis Nurse (or Nourse; 16181695), who was also born in England. lol! Lewis, Jone Johnson. Some of the most recently added connections of famous kin for Rebecca (Towne) Nurse. [5], "In most cases, the bodies of those hanged or pressed were cast off into a shallow ditch [ Update September 2021: There is no room to build gallows on Proctors Ledge. And particularly, as I was a chief instrument of accusing of Goodwife Nurse and her two sisters, I desire to lie in the dust, and to be humbled for it, in that I was a cause, with others, of so sad a calamity to them and their families; for which cause I desire to lie in the dust, and earnestly beg forgiveness of God, and from all those unto whom I have given just cause of sorrow and offense, whose relations were taken away or accused. Rebecca (Towne) Nurse was executed for witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials. The Dowling Family Tree with over half a million relatives,contains thousands of pictures and over four thousand GeneaStars.We are all related! i hope you will like it, Rebecca Towne Nurse Family Tree Check All Members List, Coretta Scott King Family Tree View Complete Tree. Born in Yarmouth, England in 1621 to William Towne and Joanna Blessing, her entire family immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony sometime between the years 1638 and 1640. RebeccaNurse.org. Rebecca Nurses arrest on March 24, 1692 came as a complete surprise to the citizens of Salem because she was considered such a pious and upstanding citizen.
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