By Edwin Hubbard. Yet I see notes on WikiTree from people declaring they "cleaning up" the descendants' line. . Ck out: Salem Witch Trials in History and Literature. Ive known since I was a teenager that I was related to her, but only just connected the dots via family tree recently. Growing up, my family never spoke about our connection to the witch trials. They are my 5th great grandparents. Rebecca married Francis Nurse, and they settled initially near North River in Salem. Massachusetts Gov. With the discovery of Proctors Ledge and what likely happened on it, genealogists with a connection to the witch trials have a more complete picture of what really happened to their ancestors than they did in the past, and this is always one of the most important parts of genealogy. 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. Will be merging children etc. (Years later, Noyes died of a brain hemorrhage; legend has it that he choked on his blood.) 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. One signer was General Israel Putnam's father. Rebecca was christened 21 on February 1620/21 in Norfolk, England, the daughter of Joanna (Blessing) and William Towne. I am so appreciative of thorough research of these despicable acts and am beginning to see parallels in our own society. It has been 89% photographed. Nurse was also the sister of accused witches, Mary Easty and Sarah Cloyce, and the daughter of suspected witch Joanna Blessing Towne. Rebecca (Towne) Nurse migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1620-1640). The daughter of William (c. 15981672) and Joanna a Towne (c. 1595/991682) (ne Blessing), Rebecca Nurse was born in Great Yarmouth, England in 1621. Rebecca (Towne) Nurse is my 8th great-grandmother through her son Benjamin. She died June 28, 1749 in her 90th year. Yet, historian Winfield S. Nevins doesnt agree and believes it was a different dispute that earned Rebecca Nurse the wrath of the Putnams, as he discussed in an article in New England Magazine in 1891: The first trouble appears to have come to this family after the purchase of the Bishop farm. A fanciful representation of Rebecca Nurse's trial from. Flowers have been left at the memorial in Salem to Rebecca Nurse, who was executed for witchcraft. In 1957, Massachusettsformally apologized for the trials, but It wasn't until 2001 that the last 11 of those convicted were fully exonerated. Nurse was also the sister of accused witches, Mary Easty and Sarah Cloyce, and the daughter of suspected witch Joanna Blessing Towne. It is far more likely that the Topsfield controversy engendered ill-feeling between the Village people and the Nurse family. (Nevins 718). Witch Trials. Ancestor charts showing the family relationships of Mitt Romney (1947-) to other famous people. Allen had guaranteed the title. Welcome to the Towne Family Association, Inc. site, dedicated to the descendants of William Towne and Joanna Blessing, who were married 401 years ago at St. Nicholas Church on April 25, 1620. Sarah Cloyce: Accused in the Salem Witch Trials, Profile of Elizabeth How, Persecuted Salem Witch, Abigail Williams of the Salem Witch Trials, Mary Easty: Hanged as a Witch in Salem, 1692, Biography of Martha Corey, Last Woman Hung in the Salem Witch Trials, Biography of Elizabeth Parris, Accuser in the Salem Witch Trials, A Brief History of the Salem Witchcraft Trials, Rev. Her family emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, settling in Salem, although most of the Towne family would eventually move inland to Topsfield. William Phips issued a reprieve, which was also met with protests and rescinded. She was fully exonerated fewer than twenty years later. Hi to all you new, and old relatives. I want to visit the house at night or dark hours. Father Rebecca (Towne) Nurse. I think they may be deleted, Mr. Putnam, please :-) Thanks. She was born on February 21, 1621 and her birthplace is England. She was the wife of Francis Nurse, with several children and grandchildren, and a well-respected member of the community. Chicago, Illinois. Rebecca Nurse was executed on July 19, 1692 on Proctor's Ledge at Gallows Hill. 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? 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. Famous descendants of rebecca nurse nr , Elizabeth Russell, Samuel Nurse, Benjamin Nurse, Sarah Bowden, Rebecca Preston, Mr. . Often the "afflicted" would break into fits and claim Nurse was tormenting them. Rebecca Towne Nourse is my ninth great grandmother on my mothers side. I have always been interested in the Salem Witch Trials now I know why! "Rebecca Towne Nurse, Mary Towne Estey, Sarah Towne Bridges Cloyes . Lewis, Jone Johnson. She was accused by townspeople Mary Walcott, Mercy Lewis, and Elizabeth Hubbard as well as by Ann Putnam Sr., who "cried out" during the proceedings to accuse Nurse of trying to get her to "tempt God and dye." Topsfield in the Witchcraft Delusion. The Historical Collections of the Topsfield Historical Society, vol. I need clarification . under CHILDREN - #2 Rebecca married Thomas, son of Robert.. When I was a kid, I found information in my grandmothers attic that showed we were descended from Rebecca Nurse, one of the women executed. Thank you for visiting the site! [11] In 1711, her children petitioned the government for a reversal of attainer and were granted compensation for Rebecca's wrongful death. Famous Kin of Mitt Romney . There is certainly a headstone for her in the family cemetery today, though it was erected long after the execution, in July 1885. Ann Putnam Jr's Apology: Salem has had historical amnesia. Michele, c'mon You know that's an artifact of early wikitree formatting. Updated on July 21, 2019. There will be 10 performances from Oct. 17 to 27; tickets start at $19.50. In 1699 the Nurses' children were able to officially purchase the farm outright and remained for multiple generations. Rebecca Nurse was hanged with my 7th great-grandmother (Susannah North Martin). Thought Co. She was born at Salem 1: 2m: 1671, daughter of John and Margaret (Buffum) Smith. Nurse was arrested and examined the next day. Wadsworth Publishing Co, 1972.Records of Salem Witchcraft: Copied from the Original Documents, Volume 1. Oxford University Press, 2014.Fowler, Samuel P. An Account of the Life, Character, & c. of Reverend Samuel Parris. . In 1885, the descendants of Rebecca Nurse placed a granite memorial at her grave at what is now known as the Rebecca Nurse Homestead cemetery, located in Danvers . Salem Witchcraft. 8th great-grandmother Francis Nurse (c1618 - 1695) Great . Sometimes we are assisting someone looking for a connection to a different event and they get surprised to find their ancestors were connected to the witch trials.. [8] Such so-called "spectral evidence" was allowed into the trial to show that Satan was afflicting others in the community at the behest of the accused. While she displayed a gentle spirit in the early recordings in thLabane Bible, there is much questionable behavior in the . [1][2], She and her five siblings migrated with their parents to Salem in New England by 1639. This place has a very earthy smell too it and seemed to always have a hazy cloud hovering above it. 2008 - 2023 INTERESTING.COM, INC. I pray your relationship with your boyfriend is flourishing. On October 17, 1711, the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill restoring some of the names of the Salem Witch Trials victims, including Rebecca Nurse. O Christian Martyr who for Truth could die. 43rd Governor of Michigan. Biography of Rebecca Nurse, Victim of the Salem Witch Trials. She is a former faculty member of the Humanist Institute. Lewis, Jone Johnson. Thomas Putnam became involved in the suit. Anyone who is a descendant is invited to leave the familys story on the productions website, www.punctuate4.org, and get a discount on a ticket. According to oral tradition, Nurse's family secretly returned after dark and dug up her body, which they interred properly on their family homestead. Goodcursed the presiding clergyman, Nicholas Noyes, from the gallows, saying "if you take away my life God will give you blood to drink." If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. In May 1693, Phips pardoned the remaining defendants accused of witchcraft. As a direct descendant of Rebecca Nurse, I appreciate the depiction of her as dignified and the court proceedings as unconscionable. My maiden name is Tracy. 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. Yardley, PA: Westholme, 2021. JAIME CAMPOS/Staff photo Jaime Campos DANVERS Beth. Rather it reads as if the state somehow incorrectly decided she was a witch. Many historians believe that the Putnam family was behind the accusations against Nurse. Rebecca TOWNE was the child of William TOWNE and Joanna BLESSING Rebecca was an immigrant to the United States, arriving by 1637. 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. Rebecca Nurse. [citation needed]. On April 21, another sister, Mary Easty (or Eastey), was arrested after defending their innocence. She is my great grandmother 10th removed. Doing our family tree I found out Rebecca was my 8th great grandmother. CENOTAPH FOR REBECCA NURSE: A cenotaph was erected in July 1885 in Rebecca's memory. Are we never to point out errors which common sense should have prevented in the first place? Nurse was accused of witchcraft by Ann Putnam, Jr, Ann Putnam, Sr, and Abigail Williams of Salem village, as well as several others, including Reverend Deodat Lawson of Boston, who claimed to have seen Nurses spirit tormenting Ann Putnam, Sr, at her home that March. As with any good genealogical research, if you discover a link to your own family tree, consider it a starting point for further research. Stoughton sentenced her to be executed on July 19, 1692.. In 1712, Salem Church reversed Nurse's excommunication. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. She was the wife of Francis Nurse, with several children and grandchildren, and a well-respected member . Cheryl, I see the pm hasnt been here lately. They were considered unfit for a Christian burial in a churchyard. "Biography of Rebecca Nurse, Victim of the Salem Witch Trials." The place of the executions is a great connector to the past, said Marilynne Roach, a Watertown author and scholar who was part of the Gallows Hill Project. Benjamins grandmother was Sarah Nourse, great great grandaughter of Rebecca. Although her exact resting place has never been confirmed her descendants erected a tall granite memorial in the family plot in 1885 at the Rebecca Nurse Homestead cemetery in Danvers (formerly Salem Village), Massachusetts. Rebecca is my 9th great grandma. She is my 10 great grandmother on my mothers paternal side of the family. Public accusations of witchcraft in Salem Village began on Feb. 29, 1692. I was shocked to learn of her history. She was fully exonerated fewer than twenty years later. Rebecca Nurse is a central character in Arthur Miller 's play The Crucible. I am descended from Rebecca Nurse through her son, Samuel Nurse Sr. through my maternal grandfather (Smith line). 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