Ann Putnam Jr's Apology: we call are grandmother a witch ever since we found out as a joke (Shes okay with it though considering I can be called a witch by inheritance/ wizard), Our grandmother* BTW when I mean shes okay with it, I mean the annoyed but not grounded okay with it. We were fortunate enough to visit the homestead this Summer. The name Rebecca literally means to tie up, a noose, or frequently translated secured. Through my brother, I have learned that we are 6th 7th or 8 generation of her grandchildren through my father who was a Tracy. [16], Rebecca Nurse is the ancestor of several notable people, including Mitt Romney, Zach Braff, and Lucille Ball.[17]. "[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. Shortly afterwards, the Towne family immigrated to Topsfield, Massachusetts. Rebeccas My 9th Great Grandmother. He then proceeded to say, Well then maybe you will find the next bit of news good news then. Rebecca (Towne) Nurse migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1620-1640). In 1712, Salem Church reversed Nurse's excommunication. Her entire family, including several siblings, immigrated to theMassachusetts Bay Colonysometime between 1638 and 1640. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. Former Site of the Salem CourthouseAddress: Washington Street (about 100 feet south of Lynde Street), opposite the Masonic Temple, Salem, Mass. Rebecca married Francis Nurse, and they settled initially near North River in Salem. 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. 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. 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. She is my great grandmother 10th removed. The following day, at the request of the Nurse family, Fiske gave a statement explaining why the jury changed their verdict to guilty: July 4, 1692. Francis Jr., born February 3, 1661; died February 5, 1716 at Reading, Massachusetts. Massachusetts Gov. Genealogy charts for Rebecca (Towne) Nurse may include up to 30 generations of ancestors with source citations. She is my ninth great grandmother, Im 62. The world redeemed from Superstition's sway. Women In Early America: Struggle, Survival, And Freedom In A New World. Thank you for visiting the site! During October, tourists flock to the North Shore city from around the world to celebrate the contemporary idea of witchcraft tied to Halloween. Rebecca Towne was born in 1621 in England and moved to Salem, MA circa 1635 with her family. [5] At age 71, she was one of the oldest accused. Please try again. 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. Thanks you! I have always enjoyed the puzzle of genealogy, said Child. The Rebecca Nurse homestead is still a museum. Nurse denied all of the accusations, stating during her examination on March 24: I can say before my Eternal Father I am innocent and God will clear my innocencyThe Lord knows I have not hurt them. This is a cenotaph erected in Rebeccas memory. Also located at the homestead is the Nurse family cemetery and a replica of the Salem Village Meetinghouse. Visitors walk by the Salem Witch Memorial. She is also mentioned in passing in Robin Cook's suspense novel Acceptable Risk. CENOTAPH FOR REBECCA NURSE: A cenotaph was erected in July 1885 in Rebecca's memory. d. after 1733. Just one grandparent can lead you to many 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. The descendants of Salem's 'witches' are all around us. The notes about merging at the top of this profile are from March 2019. 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. Geneanet. From Wikepedia: In 1678 they were offered the opportunity to lease-to-own a 300-acre (120ha) farm in the rural village area of Salem (today Danvers, Massachusetts), originally a part of a grant given to Townsend Bishop in 1636. 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. Rebecca's main appearances and dialogue can be found during the scenes of the sentencing and execution of those accused of witchcraft. 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. If you take all the people associated with the trial the accused, judges, witnesses, jurors, court officers and you multiply that by nine or 10 generations, you get about one million people around the world that have a family connection, said Baker. 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. On July 12, Judge William Stoughton signed death warrants for Nurse, Good, Martin, How, and Wildes. S. Nancy Newton . descendants. 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. His famous parents were Pilgrims John Alden (c. 1599-1687) and Priscilla Mullins of the Mayflower. She was one of eight children, among them her sisters and fellow Salem defendants Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Cloyce. Born February 13, 1621, her baptism is recorded as February 21, 1621. At the end of her trial in June of 1692, Nurse was found not guilty by the jury. In doing my family tree I have found that I am a descendent of Rebecca Nurse. In the original Broadway production in 1953 she was played by Jean Adair, who died shortly afterwards. The Internet has built communities of people with witch trial lineage and there are gatherings where they share their history and connections. I thought Thomas was the son of ROGER and Martha Preston. Leave a message for others who see this profile. 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. Rebecca (Towne) Nurse Family Tree along with family connections to other famous kin. Im also a descendant of Rebbeca Nurse on my mothers side of the family .. Shes my 10 great grandmother too! Rebecca, the daughter of William Towne and Joanna Blessing, was baptized Feb 21, 1621 in England. However, Rebecca and her sister Mary Towne Easty were hanged. In the early 1850s, there was no formal school where one could become licensed as a nurse (the first one opened in 1873), so . Thomas Fisk. Shes my 9x great grandma on my maternal grandmothers side. Thanks Ellen, that would be great as you mentioned that the Profile Manager hasn't been active for a while. He admits to being influenced by his connection to Rebecca Nurse. Salem has had historical amnesia. [citation needed]. It would seem that Putnam, if anything, was united with Allen and Nurse in fighting Endicott. He said well I have good news and (laughing) bad news. 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 . ; Salem citing his usual copious sources.[6]. The accusations continued throughout the spring and into the summer but opposition to the trials began to grow. Sometime around 1644, she married Francis Nurse (or Nourse; 16181695), who was also born in England. Admission pieces: Adults are $9, seniors (62+) are $7, children (six to 16) are $6, and children under six are free. She was the wife of Francis Nurse, with several children and grandchildren, and a well-respected member of the community. (2020, August 26). Will be merging children etc. My great grand father 9th removed, William Russell b.1647, England, d.22 Dec 1733, Essex Co. Mass. Rebecca Towne (1621-1692) 2. 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. Anyone who is a descendant is invited to leave the familys story on the productions website. 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. 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. The play focuses on the true story of Haverhill Judge Nathaniel Saltonstall, who served on the court and questioned the fairness of the trials. She was the wife of Francis Nurse, with several children and grandchildren, and a well-respected member of the community. [1][2], She and her five siblings migrated with their parents to Salem in New England by 1639. Thanks! I once lived in Danvers Mass and of all places on Putnam Street. Allen had guaranteed the title. The trees are majestic and you could almost go back in time just stand under one. Rebecca Nurse was the daughter of William Towne, of Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England where she was baptized Feb. 21, 1621. [citation needed]. discoveries. I read the script and I see modern relevance in the play to the issues on our minds today.. Both women were church members and respected, prominent members of the community. This was taken from the book. 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.. Her sister Mary (also accused and put to death for witchcraft) married Isaac Easty. Executed for Witchcraft, Salem 1692. Would it be possible to somehow mention that her main accuser, Ann Putnam,Jr., recanted in 1706. Rather it reads as if the state somehow incorrectly decided she was a witch. 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. At some point in the mid 1700s they migrated to Nova Scotia where i was born. I am a direct descendant of Rebecca Towne Nourse and Francis Nourse. Rebecca (Nurse), Mary (Esty) and Sarah (Bridges Cloyse) were victims of the witchcraft hysteria of 1692. Thank you for visiting rebecca towne nurse family tree page. LOL nice to meet you all cousins! Oftentimes the family trees listed as still in progress have derived from research into famous people who have a kinship to this person. She was my 9th great grandmother, through Bathsheba Nurse Newton, daughter of Joseph Nurse who fought in the Revolution. The Nurse family remained in the home for many generations. My husband is a descendant of Rebecca Nourse. The Salem Witch Trials Victims: Who Were They. Taylor Trade Publishing, 1993.Boyer, Paul S. Salem-Village Witchcraft: A Documentary Record of Local Conflict in Colonial New England. Rebecca Nurse is my 8th great grandmother. and sourcing their bios. Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 04:05, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Cultural depictions of the Salem witch trials, "Map: Sites in the Life of Rebecca Nurse", "Petitions relating to the trial of Rebecca Nurse for witchcraft", "Salem Witch Trials: Court Examination of Rebecca Nurse", "Celebrating The 400th Birthday Of Salem Witch Trials Victim Rebecca Nurse", Appletons' Cyclopdia of American Biography, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rebecca_Nurse&oldid=1141255675, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 04:05. Several spectators adopted head motions indicating that they were in Nurse's thrall. The accusers and spectators protested loudly when the verdict was announced. 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". Today I learned that my boyfriend is the 10 Great Grandson of Rebecca Nurses brother Edmund. Rebecca Nurse, Yarmouth, England 1621. The Rebecca Nurse homestead still stands in Danvers, the new name of Salem Village, and is open to tourists. 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. In 1992, the Salem Witch Trials Memorial was built in Salem, Mass and a marker was established for Rebecca Nurse. Ancestor charts showing the family relationships of Mitt Romney (1947-) to other famous people. They had 9 children: Francis Nurse Jr.. Anderson in the "Great Migration Directory" lists a William Towne of unknown origin who immigrated to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1635 and a William Towne of Great Yarmouth who immigrated to Salem in 1639 making it seem most likely that this family, known to have lived in Salem, were the 1639 immigrants. Rebecca Towne Nurse Famous memorial Birth c.21 Feb 1621. Towne Esq., San Francisco, Cal. The film depicts Nurse and her family members as the main characters. During the witch trials, many of the accused had been enemies of thePutnams, and Putnam family members and in-laws were the accusers in many cases. Help Rebecca Nurse Homestead Celebrate Rebeccas 400th Birthday! How very terrified she and her sisters must of been. She died June 28, 1749 in her 90th year. In response to their outbursts Nurse stated, "I have got nobody to look to but God. , Hey Cuz! The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. Then on March 12, Martha Corey was accused; Nurse followed on March 19. She inspired other dramatic treatments of the Salem Witch Trials. Hi to all you new, and old relatives. I must tell a story. I believe it the 7th generation. The property was originally established by Townshend Bishop when he was . St. Nicholas Church at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/640804/nurse-homestead-cemetery, Site of Salem Witch Trial Hangings Discovered: Why Its Important to Genealogists, https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5818f6cee93790ec8b81a8b3, https://archive.org/details/salemwitchcraftw02upha_0/page/268, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-FSRB, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-ZTS2, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-S45M, http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/n12.html#n12.4, https://www.mass.gov/doc/resolves-of-1957-chapter-145/download, https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2001/Chapter122, https://ancestralfindings.com/site-of-salem-witch-trial-hangings-discovered-why-its-important-to-genealogists, The Salem Witchcraft Papers (SWP No. pennsylvania nurse aide registry reciprocity. I am also a descendant. 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