[5] At age 71, she was one of the oldest accused. FamousKin.com cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy and reliability of these sources. Rebecca Towne Nurse (21 Feb 1621 19 Jul 1692) was executed for witchcraft by the government of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in New England during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Elizabeth born January 9, 1665; married William Russel, son of William and Elizabeth Russell, of Salem Village on October 25, 1678 [25: 8m: 1678]. Although Nurse didnt respond when questioned about it in court, after the trial Nurse wrote a statement explaining that she only meant Hobbs was a fellow prisoner, not a fellow witch. I truly believe it was "greed" and "land grab"I have both the Putnams & Towns in my tree. thanks. d. after 1733. On April 3, Nurse's younger sister, Sarah Cloyce (or Cloyse), came to Nurse's defense. What an interesting and in depth article. This is a brief summary of my line back to Rebecca (Towne) Nurse: Sarah Craggen (?-?) This so-called incriminating statement refers to when Nurse called accused witch Goody Hobbs one of us during her trial. 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. Greenwood Press, 2008. On June 2, Nurse, Bridget Bishop, Proctor, Alice Parker, Susannah Martin, and Sarah Good were forced to undergo physical examinations by a doctor with a number of women present. Her mother was Margaret Joy Rahn (maiden name was Rahn). I once lived in Danvers Mass and of all places on Putnam Street. Nurse can also be found as a supporting character in Katherine Howe's historical fiction, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. My maternal great grandfather was (Joseph) Josiah Nourse, his wife, Edith Sprague Please reply. My great grand father 9th removed, William Russell b.1647, England, d.22 Dec 1733, Essex Co. Mass. Released on Netflix, Rebecca stars Lily James as an unnamed protagonist who marries the wealthy heir Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer) during a whirlwind romance in Europe. Grandmas siblings were siblings were Dora, William & Frances (female). Thank you! Yardley, PA: Westholme, 2021. 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 Meticulously researched, Gagnon traces the history and biography of Nurse and her family through their New World settlement; the dramatic . CENOTAPH FOR REBECCA NURSE: A cenotaph was erected in July 1885 in Rebecca's memory. In 2017, the Proctors Ledge Memorial was built in Salem, Mass and a marker was established for Rebecca Nurse. Rebecca Nurse is a central character in Arthur Miller 's play The Crucible. I pray your relationship with your boyfriend is flourishing. 094) Rebecca Nurse, Examination of Rebecca Nurse of Salem Village, https://www.thoughtco.com/rebecca-nurse-biography-3530327, The Historical Collections of The Topsfield Historical Society, https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Putnam-1362-2, Nurse Homestead Cemetery, Danvers, Massachusetts, Salem Witch Trials Memorial, Salem, Massachusetts. [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. [1][2], She and her five siblings migrated with their parents to Salem in New England by 1639. "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane", Hyperion, 1401340903. Youre welcome Kayla! Remembering is a painful process., The legacy of what transpired here crosses into the imaginations and consciousness of our community, our Commonwealth, and even our country, said Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll. 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. Again, nine women signed the document. (#3579) Elizabeth CLARKE , John TOWNES. Nurse was arrested and examined the next day. Her married sisters Mary Eastey and Sarah Cloyce were also accused. I descend from their son Samuel. Just one grandparent can lead you to many The city of Salem is already planning some kind of memorial for the place, which will likely be small in keeping with the character of the residential neighborhood where it is. In the first and much acclaimed television adaption by the BBC in 1980 she was played by Ann Dyson. Her entire family, including several siblings, immigrated to theMassachusetts Bay Colonysometime between 1638 and 1640. Public accusations of witchcraft in Salem Village began on Feb. 29, 1692. Thomas Fisk. Im also a descendant of Rebbeca Nurse on my mothers side of the family .. Shes my 10 great grandmother too! Will be merging children etc. This work was adapted for films in 1957 and 1996; Nurse was portrayed by actresses Marguerite Coutan-Lambert and Elizabeth Lawrence, respectively. Thomas Putnam became involved in the suit. Rebecca Nurse was born on Feb. 21, 1621 (some sources give this as her baptism date), in Yarmouth, England, to William Towne and Joanna Blessing. That night, Nurse's family removed her body and buried it secretly on their family farm. I have more information on most of these people in my genealogical database which I have not posted here yet. She was the wife of Francis Nurse, and had several children. Their names were John Nurse (born 1645), Rebecca Nurse (born 1647), Samuel Nurse (born 1649), Elizabeth Nurse (born 1655 or 1656), Mary Nurse (born 1657 28 June 1749), Francis Nurse (born 1660 or 1661), Sarah Nurse (born 1662) and Benjamin Nurse (born in 1665 or 1666). It is always preferable to locate primary records where possible. Mary Towne Eastey (1634-1692) - (daughter) Executed by hanging on 22 Sept 1692 at Salem witch trials. [citation needed]. After all, all of Rebecca Nurses accusers, including Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam, Jr, Ann Putnam, Sr., Edward Putnam, Thomas Putnam, Henry Kenney, Mary Walcott, and Elizabeth Hubbard were either Putnam family members or friends of the family. Another deposition detailed accusations of afflictions on March 21 and 23 caused by Nurse's specter. Rebecca Nurse was hanged with my 7th great-grandmother (Susannah North Martin). I will be taking a trip to Salem this September as a tribute to my beloved 9th great-grandmother. George Burroughs and the Salem Witch Trials, Biography of Martha Carrier, Accused Witch, M.Div., Meadville/Lombard Theological School. Rebecca Nurse Homestead: Check their website for hours. The next day, a grand jury indicted Nurse and John Willard for witchcraft. Nurse filed a petition protesting the verdict, pointing out she was "hard of hearing and full of grief.". Today I learned that my boyfriend is the 10 Great Grandson of Rebecca Nurses brother Edmund. I am a descendent of Rebecca Nurse as well. She was tried and convicted in the spring and summer of 1692 and executed on July 19. On October 17, 1711, the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill restoring some of the names of the Salem Witch Trials victims, including Rebecca Nurse. This page has been accessed 22,910 times. Nurse was also the sister of accused witches, Mary Easty and Sarah Cloyce, and the daughter of suspected witch Joanna Blessing Towne. While she displayed a gentle spirit in the early recordings in thLabane Bible, there is much questionable behavior in the . John Keenan, a descendant of Rebecca Nurse, at the . Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/rebecca-nurse-biography-3530327. In response to their outbursts Nurse stated, "I have got nobody to look to but God. [citation needed]. 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. The accusers and spectators protested loudly when the verdict was announced. However the jury had changed their verdict and sentenced Nurse to death on July 19, 1692. Rebecca & Mary both hanged, Sarah later released. Geo A. Kimball, 1892.Mays, Dorothy A. Rebecca's main appearances and dialogue can be found during the scenes of the sentencing and execution of those accused of witchcraft. Rebecca Nurse (February 21, 1621July 19, 1692) was a victim of the notorious Salem witch trials, hanged as a witch at 71 years of age. Rebecca married Francis Nurse in 1640 and raised a family of eight children on a farm in Salem Village. Rebecca was made famous in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, which was about the witchcraft hysteria in Salem Village. 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? Please note: The ancestor reports on this website have been compiled from thousands of different sources, many over 100 years old. 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. Ann Putnam Jr. Is my 2nd cousin 10x removed and Captain John Putnam was my 10 Great Grandfather. The family tree for Rebecca (Towne) Nurse should not be considered exhaustive or authoritative. Enter a grandparent's name. I thought Thomas was the son of ROGER and Martha Preston. In May 1693, Phips pardoned the remaining defendants accused of witchcraft. Rebecca(Preston) then had 1715.Charles A Towns of Park Ridge , IL, who is collecting records of the descendants of William and Joanna Blessing Towne, parents of Rebecca Nurse, now has a record of 15,203 descendants of Rebecca Nurse and believes that these are at least 30,000 descendants of this worthy woman. Rebecca Towne Nourse is my ninth great grandmother on my mothers side. 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. "Biography of Rebecca Nurse, Victim of the Salem Witch Trials." 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. We need to confirm that Ira was son of Ebenezer of Framingham, Mass., then I think we can confirm the lineage back to Salem. When all about thee owned the hideous lie! Father Rebecca (Towne) Nurse. [4] Thirty-nine of the most prominent members of the community signed a petition on Nurse's behalf. In 1712, the Salem Towne church reversed the verdict of excommunication it had passed on her: "that it be no longer a reproach to her memory or an occasion of grief to her children".[12]. Famous Kin of Mitt Romney . An artists depiction of a witch being led to her death. Salem has had historical amnesia. Despite being a fervent churchgoer and an upstanding member of the communitya newspaper of the day referred to her as "saint-like" and "a perfect example of good Puritan behavior"she was accused, tried, and convicted of witchcraft and put to death without the legal protections Americans would come to enjoy. "The majority of the people that come in day. Born February 13, 1621, her baptism is recorded as February 21, 1621. Shes my 9x great grandma on my maternal grandmothers side. In the original Broadway production in 1953 she was played by Jean Adair, who died shortly afterwards. How very terrified she and her sisters must of been. Jone Johnson Lewis is a women's history writer who has been involved with the women's movement since the late 1960s. It looks like he is alive today making him well over 300 years old if he does indeed have firsthand knowledge of this woman. I cant tell you how much horror and shame I have felt knowing what my ancestors did. Just change it when you see it. 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. Advance Praise for A Salem Witch: "Dan Gagnon has written a highly readable and first scholarly biography of Rebecca Nurse, perhaps the most famous of the Massachusetts Salem witchcraft victims of 1692. Sarah born in 1663; testified in June 1692 as being aged 28; married Michel Bowden of Marblehead and Salem after that date. Fiske waited briefly, then returned to the jury, and soon came back with a verdict of guilty. Her sister Mary (also accused and put to death for witchcraft) married Isaac Easty. She was my 9th great grandmother, through Bathsheba Nurse Newton, daughter of Joseph Nurse who fought in the Revolution. She appears to have been an amiable and exemplary woman, and well educated for the times in which she lived. By the autumn, the court banned the use of spectral evidence in trial, rendering most of the accusations baseless and eventually brought the trials to an end in 1693. The film depicts Nurse and her family members as the main characters. Witch Trials. I think they may be deleted, Mr. Putnam, please :-) Thanks. Keenan and Child plan to see the play, and Baker will be a guest speaker following the performance Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 20, there will be a special descendants performance at 2:30 p.m., followed by a post-show conversation with Roach and Rachel Christ, director of education at the Salem Witch Museum. Her family emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, settling in Salem, although most of the Towne family would eventually move inland to Topsfield. "Biography of Rebecca Nurse, Victim of the Salem Witch Trials." Since my Mother is a Noyes her Great x 12 Grandfather was Nicholas Noyes (The Minister giving Sarah her last rites) Its amazing how each one of us have cross over each others path throughout the ages. In addition, Rebecca Nurse often criticized the afflicted girls for dabbling in fortune-telling prior to the witch trials, according to the book An Account of the Life, Character, & c. of Reverend Samuel Parris: It had been said that Rebecca Nurse was an object of special hatred to Parris, but this we have failed to discover. 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. The Salem Witch Trails were something I read about in school, but never knew I would have such close ties to them. "[3], A public outcry greeted the accusations made against her, as she was considered to be a woman of very pious character, who lived in amity with her neighbours, and had a reputation for benevolence as well as piety: even her neighbor Sarah Holton, who had accused Rebecca of acting quite unreasonably in a quarrel over some trespassing pigs, later changed her mind and spoke in Rebecca's defence. https://www.thoughtco.com/rebecca-nurse-biography-3530327 (accessed March 1, 2023). Genealogy and finding ancestry through DNA are popular, and many people are surprised when they find a family connection to the trials. She is my great grandmother 10th removed. XIII, 1908, pp: 23- 38.Baker, Emerson W. A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience. Rebecca (Rebekah) is the daughter of Bethuel, the well-loved wife of Isaac, mother of the twins Jacob and Esau, and the sister of Laban. Rebecca Nurse. She is my 10 great grandmother on my mothers paternal side of the family. Doing our family tree I found out Rebecca was my 8th great grandmother. Rebecca married Francis Nurse, and they settled initially near North River in Salem. Ancestor charts showing the family relationships of Mitt Romney (1947-) to other famous people. [2] Her husband was a "tray maker" by trade, who likely made many other wooden household items. She was fully exonerated fewer than twenty years later. Growing up, my family never spoke about our connection to the witch trials. Could she get a "Notable Sticker" or is there some reason you don't want to do that? From Wikepedia: 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. "Biography of Rebecca Nurse, Victim of the Salem Witch Trials." Thank you for visiting the site! Married Rebecca Nurses daughter Elizabeth Nurse, b. Upham, Charles (1980). Rebecca is 16 degrees from Jennifer Aniston, 16 degrees from Drew Barrymore, 19 degrees from Candice Bergen, 19 degrees from Alexandre Dumas, 15 degrees from Carrie Fisher, 24 degrees from Whitney Houston, 13 degrees from Hayley Mills, 13 degrees from Liza Minnelli, 15 degrees from Lisa Presley, 14 degrees from Kiefer Sutherland, 17 degrees from Bill Veeck and 17 degrees from Brian Nash on our single family tree. This work was adapted for films in 1957 and 1996; Nurse was portrayed by actresses Marguerite Coutan-Lambert and Elizabeth Lawrence, respectively. Well, somewhere the link has been erased between me and my many-times-over grandparents. Genealogy charts for Rebecca (Towne) Nurse may include up to 30 generations of ancestors with source citations. William Towne (c1598/9 - c1673) Great Migration Immigrant . 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