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. Taylor Trade Publishing, 1993.Boyer, Paul S. Salem-Village Witchcraft: A Documentary Record of Local Conflict in Colonial New England. She inspired other dramatic treatments of the Salem Witch Trials. Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was born Rebecca Davis in 1831 in Christiana, Delaware to Absolum Davis and Matilda Webber. 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 was fully exonerated fewer than twenty years later. These sources are attached to each ancestor so that you can personally judge their reliability. Shes my 9x great grandma on my maternal grandmothers side. She was the wife of Francis Nurse, with several children and grandchildren, and a well-respected member of the community. O Christian Martyr who for Truth could die. 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 read the script and I see modern relevance in the play to the issues on our minds today.. Visitors walk by the Salem Witch Memorial. This made them wonder if any of the other accused witches were possibly innocent. Updated on July 21, 2019. One of her sisters, Sarah Towne Cloyce survived. It is far more likely that the Topsfield controversy engendered ill-feeling between the Village people and the Nurse family. (Nevins 718). 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. ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/rebecca-nurse-biography-3530327. Due to the rarity of such household goods, such artisans were esteemed. "Rebecca Towne Nurse, Mary Towne Estey, Sarah Towne Bridges Cloyes . Anyone who is a descendant is invited to leave the familys story on the productions website. Looking at old maps to discover where family farms were once located and where that property is today will give descendants at least a general idea of the resting places of their witch trial victim ancestors. thanks. Rebecca Nurse was executed on July 19, 1692 on Proctor's Ledge at Gallows Hill. Growing up, my family never spoke about our connection to the witch trials. She was born on February 21, 1621 and her birthplace is England. Rebecca Towne Nurse (1621-1692) - (daughter), 1637 immigrant Executed by hanging on 16 July 1692 at the Salem witch trials. [citation needed]. This is very, very interesting! The trees are majestic and you could almost go back in time just stand under one. Hi Era, she said that during her pre-trial examination on March 24. Geneanet. A plaque commemorating this family, donated by TFA hangs in St. Nicholas Church. The abuses of the Salem witch trials contributed to changes in U.S. court procedures, including the guarantee of the right to legal representation, the right to cross-examine ones accuser, and the presumption of innocence instead of guilt. However the jury had changed their verdict and sentenced Nurse to death on July 19, 1692. I am hopeful that sharing these historical events with others will prevent the Putnams of the 21st Century from having the the Nurses and the Martins of the world killed. We were fortunate enough to visit the homestead this Summer. Rebecca (Towne) Nurse was executed for witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials. The jury found Nurse not guilty but returned guilty verdicts for Good, Elizabeth How, Martin, and Sarah Wildes. 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. Well, somewhere the link has been erased between me and my many-times-over grandparents. Rebeccas great granddaughter Elizabeth Nurse married John Putnams great grandson Caleb. Hi to all you new, and old relatives. 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. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/rebecca-nurse-biography-3530327. Through my brother, I have learned that we are 6th 7th or 8 generation of her grandchildren through my father who was a Tracy. In 2017, the Proctors Ledge Memorial was built in Salem, Mass and a marker was established for Rebecca Nurse. Having a family connection to the witch trials is not unusual. Born in Yarmouth, England in 1621 to William Towne and Joanna Blessing, her entire family immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony sometime between the years 1638 and 1640. Women In Early America: Struggle, Survival, And Freedom In A New World. ", 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. Jone Johnson Lewis is a women's history writer who has been involved with the women's movement since the late 1960s. Rebecca is my 9th great grandma. Wait Winthrop, one of the Judges was a distant cousin. The family tree for Rebecca (Towne) Nurse should not be considered exhaustive or authoritative. The next day, a grand jury indicted Nurse and John Willard for witchcraft. 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. An artists depiction of a witch being led to her death. I am a descendant of Rebecca (Towne) Nurse who was unfortunately hanged during the Salem Witch Trials. The descendants of Salem's 'witches' are all around us. 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. However, Rebecca and her sister Mary Towne Easty were hanged. 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. Salem was a manufacturing town. 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. https://www.thoughtco.com/rebecca-nurse-biography-3530327 (accessed March 1, 2023). Shortly afterwards, the Towne family immigrated to Topsfield, Massachusetts. Mary Eastey was born Mary Towne to William Towne and Joanna Towne ( ne Blessing) in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. Fiske waited briefly, then returned to the jury, and soon came back with a verdict of guilty. In the original Broadway production in 1953 she was played by Jean Adair, who died shortly afterwards. FamousKin.com cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy and reliability of these sources. [5] At age 71, she was one of the oldest accused. [2] Her husband was a "tray maker" by trade, who likely made many other wooden household items. The human legacy of the witch trials is equally important. Rebecca Nurse is my 10th great grandmother. Nurse was then indicted for witchcraft. Death 19 Jul 1692 (aged 71) . Its a legacy that speaks to the need for the rule of law and the impartiality of the judiciary.. It would seem that Putnam, if anything, was united with Allen and Nurse in fighting Endicott. https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/640804/nurse-homestead-cemetery. Mom is Mary Ellen, a very fair shinned, blue eyed redhead (copper) and an extremely pretty lady, mom is an artist. 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. Witnesses testified for and against Nurse on June 29 and 30. John Keenan, a descendant of Rebecca Nurse, at the Salem Witch Memorial, where a stone bears the witchs name. This is a brief summary of my line back to Rebecca (Towne) Nurse: Sarah Craggen (?-?) The dispute culminated in John Putnam and members of his family meeting the Eastys and the Townes on the disputed land where they got into a heated argument. 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. Stoughton suggested that perhaps the the jury had not heard Rebecca make an incriminating statement when another prisoner was brought in to testify against her. She is my friends 9th Great-grandmother which is how I learned they were hanged the same day. The daughter of William and Joanna Blessing Towne, Rebecca was born in Great . By Linda Greenstein Globe Correspondent, Updated October 14, 2019, 12:05 p.m. 16. Rebecca, the daughter of William Towne and Joanna Blessing, was baptized Feb 21, 1621 in England. John, we hope you will continue to watch over this profile. This guide goes over what we do know about Rebecca and explains . Rebecca Nurse, Yarmouth, England 1621. A few years ago I learned that I was descended from the Putnam family. The jury asked Rebecca to explain her remark that another accused witch, Deliverance Hobbs, was "of her company", the implication being that they had both signed a pact with the Devil. 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. My dad has been working on our linage for many years now and several years ago he connected us as direct descendants of John and Priscilla Alden (their son John Alden was an accused witch but escaped from prison never to be found). And also it gives a list of the descendants from each child. This occurred during a time when parts of the government and people of the Province of Massachusetts Bay were seized with witch-phobia. Then we are related in some way because her brother Edmund is my 8th great-grandfather! 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 . This was very helpful, thank you! Sarah Towne Cloyse (1642-1703) - (daughter) accused of witchcraft, but released from custody. "Biography of Rebecca Nurse, Victim of the Salem Witch Trials." Im an 8th grader currently working on my project focused on the Salem Witch trials and your article helped me so much! 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. Research devoted solely to this person has either not yet taken place or it is currently in progress. Who is Rebecca Nurse in the Crucible?She was a real person living in Salem, MA, during the 17th century. Rebecca was christened 21 on February 1620/21 in Norfolk, England, the daughter of Joanna (Blessing) and William Towne. Nurses numerous accusers testified that she regularly appeared at their homes in spirit form to torment and attack them. CENOTAPH FOR REBECCA NURSE: A cenotaph was erected in July 1885 in Rebecca's memory. and sourcing their bios. According to local legend, Nurses son, Benjamin, secretly rowed a boat after nightfall to the execution site to claim his mothers body so he could give her a Christian burial at her home. I thought Thomas was the son of ROGER and Martha Preston. Rebecca Nurse Homestead: Check their website for hours. The couple had eight children: four daughters and four sons. I found your ROYAL connections.King George I (and should I say, the worst King in history)..really dad you couldnt do better than that?. Three Sisters all accused of witchcraft. Just change it when you see it. 1857.Roach, Marilynne K. The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-By-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege. 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. (Years later, Noyes died of a brain hemorrhage; legend has it that he choked on his blood.) After emigrating to Salem MA, two additional children, Joseph and Sarah were born. Famous Kin of Mitt Romney . .. Rebecca passed away on July 19 1692, at age 71 in Salem, Essex Co. .. 1. . I have a book written in 1930 by Charles Sutherland Tapley all about the family and the trial. I must tell a story. this site was amazing it helped me so much on my project thank you !!!!! Today with the focus on tourism, there is much more interest in being a descendant.. I Thomas Fisk, the subscriber hereof, being one of them that were of the jury the last week at Salem-Court, upon the trial of Rebecca Nurse, etc., being desired by some of the relations why the jury brought her in guilty, after her verdict not guilty; I do hereby give my reasons to be as follows, viz. On July 3, just days after Nurse was convicted, she was taken to the church and publicly excommunicated, according to the book Salem-Village Witchcraft: 1692, July 3 After sacrament, the elders propounded to the church, and it was, by unanimous vote, consented to, that our sister Nurse, being a convicted witch by the court, and condemned to die, should be excommunicated; which was accordingly done in the afternoon, she being present.. Her family emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, settling in Salem, although most of the Towne family would eventually move inland to Topsfield. In the first and much acclaimed television adaption by the BBC in 1980 she was played by Ann Dyson. I am also a descendant. On July 3, the Salem Church excommunicated Nurse. The Nurse family remained in the home for many generations. She was the wife of Francis Nurse, with several children and grandchildren, and a well-respected member of the community. Genealogy charts for Rebecca (Towne) Nurse may include up to 30 generations of ancestors with source citations. Claudia, I started looking into your Josiah Nourse-131 (which had no sources) and added some sources, including father Ira (who did not initially have a profile here on wikitree). By Edwin Hubbard. In 1672, Francis Nurse served as Salem's Constable. Rebecca Nurse (February 13, 1621 - July 19, 1692) was a woman who was accused of witchcraft and executed by hanging in New England during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. 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. }Customer Service. Rebecca married Francis Nurse, who also came from Yarmouth, around 1644. All five were hanged on July 19 on Gallows Hill. Home > Mitt Romney Genealogy > Famous Kin. Rebecca TOWNE was the child of William TOWNE and Joanna BLESSING Rebecca was an immigrant to the United States, arriving by 1637. Interestingly, 12 year old accuser Ann Putnam Jr. formally apologized by age 26, saying she had been under Satan's delusion and the providence of God.bringing "the guilt of innocent blood" upon the community. On April 21, another sister, Mary Easty (or Eastey), was arrested after defending their innocence. Btw Salem is a fascinating place, I was there twice. "[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. 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. The Salem Witch Trails were something I read about in school, but never knew I would have such close ties to them. Rebecca Nurse was my 8th great grandmother. I have more information on most of these people in my genealogical database which I have not posted here yet. The statements had no effect on the courts decision and Nurse was hanged at Proctors Ledge on July 19, along with Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin and Sarah Wildes. Rebecca Nurse (February 13, 1621 July 19, 1692) was a woman who was accused of witchcraft and executed by hanging in New England during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Mary married John Tarbell at Salem, on October 25, 1678. 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. 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. Doing our family tree I found out Rebecca was my 8th great grandmother. She married Isaac Estey, a farmer and barrel-maker, in . 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. "Biography of Rebecca Nurse, Victim of the Salem Witch Trials." Yet I see notes on WikiTree from people declaring they "cleaning up" the descendants' line. This page has been accessed 22,910 times. 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). [citation needed]. Thomas Satterwhite Noble painted "The Salem Martyr" in 1869. 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. Many historians believe that the Putnam family was behind the accusations against Nurse. On December 17, 1711, the General Court awarded the Nurse family 25 in restitution for Rebeccas wrongful conviction and death. The property was originally established by Townshend Bishop when he was . I pray your relationship with your boyfriend is flourishing. Rebecca (Towne) Nurse is my 8th great-grandmother through her son Benjamin. Leave a message for others who see this profile. 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 by townspeople Mary Walcott, Mercy Lewis, and Elizabeth Hubbard as well as by Ann Putnam Sr., who "cried out" during the proceedings to accuse Nurse of trying to get her to "tempt God and dye." 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. Martha C. This is the most delightful news to me, how God can bring unity to families over the generations. We suspect, from an examination of the charges brought against her at the courts, that she had several times severely rebuked the accusing girls for their folly and wickedness, when meeting in their circles. Her trial and death are elements of the Doctor Who novel The Witch Hunters. Rebecca married Francis Nurse, and they settled initially near North River in Salem. 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. When the verdict not guilty was, the honoured court was pleased to object against it, saying to them, that they think they let slip the words, which the prisoner at the bar spake against her self which were spoken in reply to Goodwife Hobbs and her daughter, who had been faulty in setting their hands to the devils book, as they have confessed formerly; the words were what, do these persons give in evidence against me now, they used to come against us. After the honoured court had manifested their dissatisfaction of the verdict, several of the jury declared themselves desirous to go out again, and thereupon the hounored court gave leave; but when we came to consider the case, I could not tell how to take her words, as evidence against her, till she had a further opportunity to put her sense upon them, if she would take it; and then going into court, I mentioned the aforesaid, which by one of the court were affirmed to have been spoken by her, she being then at the bar, but made no reply, nor interpretation of them; whereupon these words were to me principal evidence against her. One particular point was emphasized, and the jury requested a second chance of deliberation (a legal practice used in those days). 1880. Thanks Ellen, that would be great as you mentioned that the Profile Manager hasn't been active for a while. 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. Rebecca Nurse was the daughter of William Towne, of Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England where she was baptized Feb. 21, 1621. While she displayed a gentle spirit in the early recordings in thLabane Bible, there is much questionable behavior in the . This cemetery is referred to as GR2 Nurse private burial ground, off Pine Street in the "Vital Records of Danvers, Massachusetts to the end of year 1849, Volume II, Marriages and Deaths". New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 2 vv., v. 1 p.80, v. 2 pp. Nine women signed the document attesting to the exam. This place has a very earthy smell too it and seemed to always have a hazy cloud hovering above it. Memorial plaque located on Masonic Temple. Rebecca Nurse is a central character in Arthur Miller 's play The Crucible. Linda Greenstein can be reached at greensteinlm@gmail.com. "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; and that it was a great delusion of Satan that deceived me in that sad time, whereby I justly fear I have been instrumental, with others, though ignorantly and unwittingly, to bring upon myself and this land the guilt of innocent blood; though what was said or done by me against any person I can truly and uprightly say, before God and man, I did it not out of any anger, malice, or ill-will to any person, for I had no such thing against one of them; but what I did was ignorantly, being deluded by Satan. 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 play focuses on the true story of Haverhill Judge Nathaniel Saltonstall, who served on the court and questioned the fairness of the trials. 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. Salem Witchcraft. According to Boyer and Nissenbaum in Salem Possessed, considering the bitterness between these families". She appears to have been an amiable and exemplary woman, and well educated for the times in which she lived. Have you taken a DNA test? 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 . Thank you for adding the Notables tag to her! 43rd Governor of Michigan. John Keenan, a descendant of Rebecca Nurse, at the . The Dowling Family Tree with over half a million relatives,contains thousands of pictures and over four thousand GeneaStars.We are all related! A B There will be 10 performances from Oct. 17 to 27; tickets start at $19.50. 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. Nurse, to be sure, was only indirectly interested in the suit. Upham, Charles (1980). The Rebecca Nurse homestead still stands in Danvers, the new name of Salem Village, and is open to tourists. I once lived in Danvers Mass and of all places on Putnam Street. 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. So many of us are descendants of Rebecca Nurse. 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. View entire list of famous kin for Rebecca (Towne) Nurse. Rebecca was portrayed by actress Shirley MacLaine in the 2002 CBS miniseries, Salem Witch Trials. When all about thee owned the hideous lie! Biden claims he had an ICU nurse who would whisper in his ear and BREATHE on him to make sure there was a 'human connection' President Joe Biden awkwardly gushed about the good treatment he . She died June 28, 1749 in her 90th year. She knows its just for laughs, wow really idk what number she is to me but she is my great grandmother as well!!!! 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. Rebecca was a well-respected member of the community. Enter a grandparent's name. Sarah born in 1663; testified in June 1692 as being aged 28; married Michel Bowden of Marblehead and Salem after that date. Elizabeth CLARKE , John TOWNES. As a result of his search for the truth, he was put on trial and his family placed in peril. Nurse was also the sister of accused witches, Mary Easty and Sarah Cloyce, and the daughter of suspected witch Joanna Blessing Towne. A "preternathurall Excresence of flesh" was reported on the first three. 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. Executed for witchcraft in the Salem witch trials, Born on February 21, 1621 Executed for Witchcraft, Salem 1692. Rebecca (Nurse), Mary (Esty) and Sarah (Bridges Cloyse) were victims of the witchcraft hysteria of 1692. Shortly afterwards, the Towne family immigrated to Topsfield, Massachusetts. 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? She was the wife of Francis Nurse, with several children and grandchildren, and a well-respected member of the community. 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