"The majority of the people that come in day. By Linda Greenstein Globe Correspondent, Updated October 14, 2019, 12:05 p.m. 16. She is my friends 9th Great-grandmother which is how I learned they were hanged the same day. she died july 19, 1692, and i was born july 17, 1995 its pretty awesome actually like i was so close. She was one of eight children, among them her sisters and fellow Salem defendants Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Cloyce. Rebeccas great granddaughter Elizabeth Nurse married John Putnams great grandson Caleb. Ben Wheatley's new adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's acclaimed novel Rebecca has an ending that differs considerably from the original story - though it stays true to the circumstances of Rebecca de Winter's death. TOWNE Family Genealogy Rebecca TOWNE was born 21 February 1621 in England. 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. , Hey Cuz! The first memorial to anyone accused of witchcraft in North America, the granite obelisk bears an inscription by poet John Greenleaf Whittier, who lived nearby at that time. A second exam later that day stated that several of the observed physical abnormalities had changed; they attested that on Nurse, the "Excresence appears only as a dry skin without sense" at this later exam. 5671, 111, 136, 268, 27089, 290, 292, 480, 483. Knowing the families probably buried all the victims on the family property will give those with witch ancestry a better idea of where their ancestor now rests. Ancestor charts showing the family relationships of Rebecca (Towne) Nurse (1621-1692) to other famous people. 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. Salem was a manufacturing town. Rebecca Nurse is a central character in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible. Rebecca Nurse was a 71-year-old grandmother and wife of a local artisan when she was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. 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. If so, login to add it. (#3579) Research devoted solely to this person has either not yet taken place or it is currently in progress. Login to find your connection. I was lucky enough to be stationed in Natick and took a trip to Salem to visit the site of the trials. 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. Ann Putnam Jr. Is my 2nd cousin 10x removed and Captain John Putnam was my 10 Great Grandfather. Key notable descendants are former Massachusetts Governor and current Utah Senator Mitt Romney, actor Zach Braff, and actress Lucille Ball. I read the script and I see modern relevance in the play to the issues on our minds today.. This is very, very interesting! She was my 9th great grandmother, through Bathsheba Nurse Newton, daughter of Joseph Nurse who fought in the Revolution. Aunt Sally, a cook for Florida's first self-made millionaire, ship salvager William Curry, gets the credit for making the first Key lime pie in the late 1800s. Nurse was the subject of Lectures on Witchcraft by Charles W. Upham. A warrant issued on March 23 for Nurse's arrest included complaints of attacks on Ann Putnam Sr., Ann Putnam Jr., Abigail Williams, and others. George Burroughs and the Salem Witch Trials, Biography of Martha Carrier, Accused Witch, M.Div., Meadville/Lombard Theological School. Taylor Trade Publishing, 1993.Boyer, Paul S. Salem-Village Witchcraft: A Documentary Record of Local Conflict in Colonial New England. Username and password are case sensitive. John Nurse (1673-1747) 4. The Putnams of Salem Village embodied this battle in their quarrels with the Nurse family, Mary Easty's brother-in-law. Nourse Farm History Nourse Farm was established in 1722 by William and Ebenezer Nurse, descendants of Rebecca Nurse, who was hung for witchcraft in July 1692. By Edwin Hubbard. "[9], In the end, the jury ruled Nurse not guilty. 1880. A fanciful representation of Rebecca Nurse's trial from. His family is of Mexican descent. 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. Back then it wasnt a big deal in my family, or in Salem. Today I learned that my boyfriend is the 10 Great Grandson of Rebecca Nurses brother Edmund. Rebecca Nurse was blamed for the death of all of Ann Putnam's children, except for one. Upham, Charles (1980). 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. An error has occured while loading the map. Help Rebecca Nurse Homestead Celebrate Rebeccas 400th Birthday! I am working on cleaning up this line. O Christian Martyr who for Truth could die. Updated on July 21, 2019. In response to their outbursts Nurse stated, "I have got nobody to look to but God. 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 . She is likewise a major character in Robert Wards Pulitzer Prize-winning operatic adaptation of Miller's play. https://www.thoughtco.com/rebecca-nurse-biography-3530327 (accessed March 1, 2023). The people who most like to visit, according to the curator and president of the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, Kathryn Rutkowski, are historians fascinated with the period and descendants of. [7], Her trial began on June 30, 1692. 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. If not, at least good will eventually triumph over evil 30,000 descendants is quite a legacy ; ). They raised four sons and four daughters on a farm in Salem Village, nowDanvers, Massachusetts, 10 miles inland from the bustling port community of Salem Town, now Salem. According to the book Women in Early America, Nurses conviction and execution marked the beginning of the end of the Salem Witch Trials. Rebecca married Francis Nurse, who also came from Yarmouth, around 1644. Nurse, to be sure, was only indirectly interested in the suit. Elizabeth born January 9, 1665; married William Russel, son of William and Elizabeth Russell, of Salem Village on October 25, 1678 [25: 8m: 1678]. During October, tourists flock to the North Shore city from around the world to celebrate the contemporary idea of witchcraft tied to Halloween. Knowing where the site of the hangings took place means descendants of those involved in the trials can visit it and honor their ancestors there. The accusations continued throughout the spring and into the summer but opposition to the trials began to grow. Twenty women and men were executed following the trials 19 were hanged, one was crushed to death and another five died in jail. . The Nurses officially remained members to the Salem Towne church until their deaths, despite being very active within the village community. Rebecca was christened 21 on February 1620/21 in Norfolk, England, the daughter of Joanna (Blessing) and William Towne. And also it gives a list of the descendants from each child. I cant tell you how much horror and shame I have felt knowing what my ancestors did. Towne Esq., San Francisco, Cal. Rebecca Nurse. 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. d. after 1733. This place has a very earthy smell too it and seemed to always have a hazy cloud hovering above it. RebeccaNurse.org. Are we never to point out errors which common sense should have prevented in the first place? She was the wife of Francis Nurse, with several children and grandchildren, and a well-respected member . Please try again. Salem, Mass., 1692. Its a legacy that speaks to the need for the rule of law and the impartiality of the judiciary.. He said well I have good news and (laughing) bad news. Witch Trials. As was the custom, after she was hanged, her body was buried in a shallow grave near the execution spot. 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.. It has a tendency to look away from its tragic past, said Baker, who was part of a team of scholars that in 2016 actually confirmed the site where the accused witches were executed. She is my 10 great grandmother on my mothers paternal side of the family. Grandmas siblings were siblings were Dora, William & Frances (female). 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. Rebecca (Towne) Nurse was executed for witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials. John Keenan, a descendant of Rebecca Nurse, at the Salem Witch Memorial, where a stone bears the witchs name. [1] This farm still exists, and is today preserved as the Rebecca Nurse Homestead. Salem, Mass., 1692.O Christian Martyr who for Truth could dieWhen all about thee owned the hideous lie!The world redeemed from Superstition's swayIs breathing freer for thy sake today. There is certainly a headstone for her in the family cemetery today, though it was erected long after the execution, in July 1885. Rebecca Towne Nurse (1621-1692) - (daughter), 1637 immigrant Executed by hanging on 16 July 1692 at the Salem witch trials. Thank you! display: none; Genealogy and finding ancestry through DNA are popular, and many people are surprised when they find a family connection to the trials. A fictional character believes her to be pious and registers surprise when seeing Nurse on her way to her execution. Many people described Nurse as "the woman of self-dignity", due to her collected behavior on the gallows. Death 19 Jul 1692 (aged 71) . Rebecca married Francis Nurse, and they settled initially near North River in Salem. Rebecca (Towne) Nurse migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1620-1640). Goodcursed the presiding clergyman, Nicholas Noyes, from the gallows, saying "if you take away my life God will give you blood to drink." Mary Eastey was born Mary Towne to William Towne and Joanna Towne ( ne Blessing) in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. In the first and much acclaimed television adaption by the BBC in 1980 she was played by Ann Dyson. descendants. "Biography of Rebecca Nurse, Victim of the Salem Witch Trials." discoveries. 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. Thomas Satterwhite Noble painted "The Salem Martyr" in 1869. Massachusetts Gov. From Wikepedia: On May 25, judges John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin ordered the Boston jail to take custody of Nurse, Corey, Dorcas Good (Sarah's daughter, age 4), Cloyce, and John and Elizabeth Parker for acts of witchcraft committed against Williams, Hubbard, Ann Putnam Jr., and others. 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. [11] In 1711, her children petitioned the government for a reversal of attainer and were granted compensation for Rebecca's wrongful death. 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. While she displayed a gentle spirit in the early recordings in thLabane Bible, there is much questionable behavior in the . ", The Nurse family accepted Ann's apology and were reconciled with her:[10] by contrast, they never forgave Samuel Parris, the village minister, whom they held personally to blame for their bereavement "none can know what we suffered by the loss of such a mother" and they did not rest until Parris was removed from office in 1697. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. 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. 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. Visit this site's About page to find out more about Rebecca. Rebecca (Towne) Nurse Family Tree along with family connections to other famous kin. Ive known since I was a teenager that I was related to her, but only just connected the dots via family tree recently. Thank you! 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. This page has been accessed 22,910 times. Yet I see notes on WikiTree from people declaring they "cleaning up" the descendants' line. She and the Putnam family had fought in court several times over land. 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