The critically tragic fact was specific community members testified in a false or delusional manner leading to the state executions. Rebecca Towne Nurse Famous memorial Birth c.21 Feb 1621. After emigrating to Salem MA, two additional children, Joseph and Sarah were born. His Salem State University biography states, This tragedy shapes his commitment to social justice and human rights.. https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Putnam-1362-2. I cant tell you how much horror and shame I have felt knowing what my ancestors did. [5] At age 71, she was one of the oldest accused. I need clarification . under CHILDREN - #2 Rebecca married Thomas, son of Robert.. She was born on February 21, 1621 and her birthplace is England. The Internet has built communities of people with witch trial lineage and there are gatherings where they share their history and connections. Nurse, a member of Salem Church, was known for her piety but also for occasionally losing her temper. She was the wife of Francis Nurse, with several children and grandchildren, and a well-respected member of the community. Thanks Ellen, that would be great as you mentioned that the Profile Manager hasn't been active for a while. One of her sisters, Sarah Towne Cloyce survived. Just one grandparent can lead you to many In the early 1850s, there was no formal school where one could become licensed as a nurse (the first one opened in 1873), so . Ann Putnam Jr's Apology: And also it gives a list of the descendants from each child. I am so appreciative of thorough research of these despicable acts and am beginning to see parallels in our own society. 43rd Governor of Michigan. 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. Linda Greenstein can be reached at greensteinlm@gmail.com. I am a descendant of Rebecca (Towne) Nurse who was unfortunately hanged during the Salem Witch Trials. Mary Ellen (mom) is now 81 and doesnt look her age at all. She was accused and arrested on April 8. 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. She knows its just for laughs, wow really idk what number she is to me but she is my great grandmother as well!!!! Key notable descendants are former Massachusetts Governor and current Utah Senator Mitt Romney, actor Zach Braff, and actress Lucille Ball. These sources are attached to each ancestor so that you can personally judge their reliability. Rebecca is my 9th great grandma. Another deposition detailed accusations of afflictions on March 21 and 23 caused by Nurse's specter. Rebecca Nurse, Yarmouth, England 1621. this site was amazing it helped me so much on my project thank you !!!!! Username and password are case sensitive. So over 300 years and half a country away, these two families have shared an almost 20 year friendship that turned into a loving and respectful relationship. Allen had guaranteed the title. Rebecca Towne Nurse of Salem Village, Massachusetts was probably the most famous of the "witches" of the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria.. Rebecca was one of three sisters accused and imprisoned for witchcraft. (Years later, Noyes died of a brain hemorrhage; legend has it that he choked on his blood.) [4] Thirty-nine of the most prominent members of the community signed a petition on Nurse's behalf. Story of a young woman who marries a fascinating widower only to find out that she must live in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca, who died mysteriously several years earlier. I pray your relationship with your boyfriend is flourishing. Rebecca Nurse is a central character in Arthur Miller 's play The Crucible. 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. The property was originally established by Townshend Bishop when he was . Also, the ground penetrating sonar has revealed no bodies at the site. Rebecca was portrayed by actress Shirley MacLaine in the 2002 CBS miniseries, Salem Witch Trials. Again, nine women signed the document. 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. However, the family of Rebecca Nurse, according to legend, got to her body, removed it from the ditch in Salem and possibly buried it in secret on the family farm in Salem Village (now Danvers . John Nurse (1673-1747) 4. She also had three brothers, Edmund (baptized June 1628), Jacob (baptized March 11, 1631 or 1632) and Joseph (born c. 1639). Could she get a "Notable Sticker" or is there some reason you don't want to do that? 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. Rebecca Towne was born in 1621 in England and moved to Salem, MA circa 1635 with her family. The Salem Witch Trials: A Reference Guide. [4], This occurred during a time when the Massachusetts colony was seized with hysteria over witchcraft and the supposed presence of Satan within the colony. Having a family connection to the witch trials is not unusual. ", Tradition has long said that the sons of convicted and executed witch Rebecca Nurse came back to the execution site under cover of darkness and removed their mothers body for burial in the family cemetery. XIII, 1908, pp: 23- 38.Baker, Emerson W. A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience. The list of descendants of Nurse includes former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, "Scrubs" actor Zach Braff and "I Love Lucy" star Lucille Ball. What an interesting and in depth article. A few years ago I learned that I was descended from the Putnam family. This is a cenotaph erected in Rebeccas memory. They had 9 children: Francis Nurse Jr.. The examining magistrates, John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin, who normally regarded the guilt of the accused as self-evident, took a notably different attitude in Rebecca's case, as they also did in the case of her sister Mary Eastey. 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. Biography of Rebecca Nurse, Victim of the Salem Witch Trials. Due to the rarity of such household goods, such artisans were esteemed. 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. Enter a grandparent's name. O Christian Martyr who for Truth could die. However, the family of Rebecca Nurse, according to legend, got to her body, removed it from the ditch in Salem and buried it in secret on the family farm in Salem Village (now Danvers, Massachusetts) .. Several years after her execution, it was agreed that she had been innocent of being a witch. That night, Nurse's family removed her body and buried it secretly on their family farm. According to Wikipedia: Rebecca Towne Nurse (or Nourse) (February 21, 1621 July 19, 1692) was executed for witchcraft by the government of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in New England in 1692, during the Salem witch trials. Jone Johnson Lewis is a women's history writer who has been involved with the women's movement since the late 1960s. Cummings : Descendants of Isaac Cummings (1601-1677) of Topsfield/Ipswich, his son Isaac Cummings Sr. (1633-1721) and grandson Isaac Cummings Jr. (1664-1746) and his wife Alice Howlett accused Elizabeth (Jackson) Howe (1637-1692) of witchcraft. Please include para on the "Towne" Sisters, . In 1992, the Salem Witch Trials Memorial was built in Salem, Mass and a marker was established for Rebecca Nurse. All but one of their children were married by 1692. Mary Towne Eastey (1634-1692) - (daughter) Executed by hanging on 22 Sept 1692 at Salem witch trials. On Ash Wednesday of 2017 I ran into my dad after our respectful services and Mass at Captian Ds restaurant. My maternal great grandfather was (Joseph) Josiah Nourse, his wife, Edith Sprague Please reply. 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. Thomas Satterwhite Noble painted "The Salem Martyr" in 1869. 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. [11] In 1711, her children petitioned the government for a reversal of attainer and were granted compensation for Rebecca's wrongful death. It is always preferable to locate primary records where possible. I am a descendent of Rebecca Nurse as well. When all about thee owned the hideous lie! 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. The verdict was not surprising as Nurse was well-liked in Salem and 39 people had risked their lives to sign a petition in support of her. 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