Rebecca Towne

1621 - 1692  (71 years)  Submit Photo / Document    Has 31 ancestors and 8 descendants in this family tree.

• Name	Rebecca Towne
  Birth	13 Feb 1621	Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England
  Gender	Female
  Death	19 Jul 1692	Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
  Burial	22 Jul 1692	Danvers, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
  Initiatory (LDS)	4 May 1922	SLAKE
  FamilySearch ID	9421-W84
  Person ID	I3943	mytree
  Last Modified	25 Feb 2024

  
  

  Father	William Towne,   b. 18 Mar 1599, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England d. 30 Apr 1685, Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States (Age 86 years)
  Mother	Joanna Blessing,   c. 22 Jun 1595, Holy Trinity Church, Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk, England d. 22 Jun 1675, Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States (Age ~ 80 years)
  Marriage	25 Mar 1620	Minster Church of St. Nicholas, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England
  Family ID	F2669	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Frances Nurse,   b. 18 Jan 1618, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England d. 22 Nov 1695, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States (Age 77 years)
  Marriage	24 Aug 1644	Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
  Children	1. Sarah Nurse,   b. 1644, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States   2. John Francis Nurse,   b. 1645, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States d. 10 Dec 1716, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States (Age 71 years)   3. Rebcca Nurse,   b. Abt 1648, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States d. 1719, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States (Age 71 years)   4. Samuel Nurse,   b. 3 Feb 1649, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States d. 15 Jul 1715, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States (Age 66 years)   5. Mary Nurse,   b. 1653, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States d. Abt 28 Jun 1749, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States (Age 96 years)   6. Elizabeth Nurse,   b. 9 Jan 1665, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States d. 22 Dec 1733 (Age 68 years)   7. Francis Nurse,   b. 3 Feb 1660, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States d. 5 Feb 1716, Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States (Age 56 years)   8. Benjamin Nurse,   b. 1665, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States d. 1747, Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States (Age 82 years)
  Family ID	F2672	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	21 Nov 2024

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 13 Feb 1621 - Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England Marriage - 24 Aug 1644 - Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States Death - 19 Jul 1692 - Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States Burial - 22 Jul 1692 - Danvers, Essex, Massachusetts, United States Initiatory (LDS) - 4 May 1922 - SLAKE  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  Death: Convicted of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials of 1692 in colo n ial Massachusetts. She was executed by hanging in Salem. Rebecca Nurse, hanged in Salem in 1692, age 71, and later exonerated i n t he general revulsion against the persecution, whose relatively moder n mon ument in Danvers, Mass., says in part: Accused of witchcraft She declared 'I am innocent and God will clear my innocency.' Once acquitted yet falsely condemned she suffered death July 19, 1692, h e r Christian character even then fully attested by forty of her neighbor s Rebecca (Towne) Nurse to her accusers: "You do not know my heart. The Lord knows I have not hurt them: I am a n i nnocent person." "I am innocent as the child unborn, but surely, what sin hath God foun d o ut in me unrepented of, that He should lay such an affliction on me i n m y old age." (Salem Witch Trials of 1692) Rebecca (Towne) Nurse was an older citizen of Salem, Massachusetts, kno w n for her virtue and piety, at the time of the tragedy which took her l if e. During the Witch Hysteria of 1692, the aged Rebecca was taken fro m he r sick-bed and imprisoned for possible witchcraft. Those who witness ed he r arrest, say she was bewildered and shocked by the charges. She wa s even tually found guilty (falsely accused) and executed by hanging on 1 9 Jul y 1692, at the age of 71. The original verdict was one of innocence to the charges, but upon a fre n zied uproar by her young accusers, the jury was sent back out for delib er ation, wherein they came back with a guilty verdict. Rebecca's last words at her trial were: "I can say before my Eternal Fat h er I am innocent, and God will clear my innocency." (Rebecca Nurse, Mar c h 24, 1692, from the Reverend Parris' account of the examination at Sal e m Village Meeting House.) Her husband and many of her neighbors and friends signed a petition fo r h er release, witnessing to her moral character and decency. This petit io n was ignored. She also had trouble hearing, and could not always understand or answe r t he questioning correctly - which many believe attributed to the fina l gui lty verdict. Before her execution, Rebecca and others were excommunicated from the Ch u rch in Salem - an act which must have greatly distressed her faithful s ou l. Nevertheless, from her own words, we know that she knew of her inno cen ce and of her standing before God. Historians believe that Rebecca may have been targeted because her husba n d was a prominent citizen in Topsfield, involved in the ongoing disput e o ver land boundaries along the border of Salem Village on Putnam famil y la nd. Her husband Francis was also an outspoken leader of a committe e tha t believed the Reverend Parris should be removed as minister. The Putnams were the leader faction supporting Reverend Parris. Their yo u ng daughter Annie Putnam was Rebecca's main accuser. In addition, Rebec c a was a local midwife and one of her clients had had several miscarriag es . She accused Rebecca of causing them. Family history/lore, states that after her execution, Rebecca and Franci s ' youngest son Benjamin retrieved her discarded body by nightfall, so t ha t she could receive a secret Christian burial on their homestead. A mo num ent to this dear woman and grandmother stands at the Nurse homestea d in D anvers, Massachusetts, in the family cemetery. Those of us who are her descendants (and there are many), are grateful f o r the heritage of faithfulness and courage that she left us. (From a gr at eful descendant). Rebecca Nurse’s petition reads: “We whose nams Are heareunto subscribed being desired by goodman Nurs e t o declare what we knewe concerning his wives conversation for time pa st : we cane testyfie to all whom it may concerne that we have knowne he r fo r: many years and Acording to our observation her: Life and conversa tio n was Acording to her profession and we never had Any: cause or groun ds t o suspect her of Any such thing as she is nowe Acused of Israel Porter Elizibeth Porter Edward Beshep sen Hana Beshep Joshua Rea Sarah Rea Sarah Leach John Putnam sen. Rebeckh Putnam Joseph Hucheson sen Leda Hucheson Joseph Holten sen Sarah Holten Daniell Andrew Sara Andrew Jonathan Putnam Lydia Putnam Walter Phillipps senior Nathaniel Felton Sen: Margaret Philips Taitha Phillipps Joseph Houlton Junior Sam’ll Endecott Elizabeth Buxtston Samuel Aborn senr Isaack Cooke Benjaman Putnam Sarah Putnam Job Swinerton Esther Swinerton Joseph Herrick sen Samuell Sibley Hephzibah Rea Elisabeth Cooke William Osborne Hanah Osborne Daniell Rea Sarah Putnam Joseph Putman (Putnam)” The records of the First Church in Salem: "1692, July 3. After sacrament, the elders propounded to the church, a n d it was, by an unanimous vote, consented to, that our sister Nurse, be in g a convicted witch by the Court, and condemned to die, should be exco mmu nicated; which was accordingly done in the afternoon, she being prese nt." On October 17, 1711, the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill restori n g some of the names of the Salem Witch Trials victims, including Rebec c a Nurse. On December 17, 1711, the General Court awarded the Nurse family £25 i n r estitution for Rebecca’s wrongful conviction and death. In 1909, Rebecca Nurse’s home in Danvers, Massachusetts was purchase d b y the Rebecca Nurse Memorial Association and opened to the public a s a hi storic house museum In 1957, the State of Massachusetts formally apologized for the trials. ********************* *From the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, Danvers, Massachusetts website: "Follow the tree lined path to the back of the property to the ancient N u rse Family Cemetery. It has been a longstanding family tradition that R eb ecca’s son and husband retrieved her body after her execution and secr etl y buried it here. A monument with a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier w as e rected in 1885 to commemorate her. In 1992, 300 years after his wron gfu l execution, another victim of the Hysteria, George Jacobs, was burie d he re after being found on his former property in a lone unmarked grave . H e remains the ONLY known burial site of anyone convicted of witchcraf t du ring the Salem trials."