Rebecca Towne Nurse - Accused and Executed in Salem Witch Trials
Family Connection - 8th Great-grandmother of Ruth Ann Bradley
Rebecca Nurse Homestead, Danvers, Massachusetts
Rebecca Towne was born on Feb. 21, 1621 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, to parents William Towne and Joanna Blessing Towne. The family migrated to Salem in 1635.
In 1644, Rebecca married Francis Nurse (sometimes spelled Nourse) in Salem. They had eight children:
John b. 1645
Rebecca b. 1647
Samuel b. 1649
Sarah b. 1651
Elizabeth b. 1656
Mary b. 1657
Frances Jr. b. 1660
Benjamin b. 1666
Francis was a woodworker, and was often called upon to arbitrate disputes about land boundaries and other disputes between townspeople. His business prospered, and on April 29, 1678, he purchased the 300 acre Bishop Farm in Salem. His sons built their homesteads on that property as well.
The first three women accused of witchcraft in 1692 Salem were a slave, a beggar, and an invalid who made a scandalous marriage. But in mid-March, a woman named Ann Putnam, Jr. claimed to see a "specter" or an old woman sitting in her grandmother's chair. It is believed that other members of the Putnam family encouraged her to name the specter as Rebecca Nurse. Next, Abigail Williams and Ann Putnam, Sr. claimed to be tormented by the specter of Nurse. A former Salem Village minister visited the Putnam home and watched as Ann Putnam Sr. wrestled with a specter that he could not see.
A committee of four townsmen visited Nurse in her home - she was ill in bed when the men told her she had been accused. she was amazed and wondered what she had done to have God afflict her this way in her old age.
The exact reason why she was accused is not known, but it is believed that the prosperity of her family and her husband's role as arbitrator might be a source of conflict and jealousy.
Johnathan and Edward Putnam swore a complaint against Nurse, and she was arrested on March 24th. She was examined at the Salem Village Meetinghouse, and Ann Putnam, her mother, and four other women writhed and twisted in her presence, claiming to be tormented by her specter. They said they saw the Devil whispering in her ear, and "familiars" in the shape of birds flying around the room.
Her response when questioned was "I am as innocent as the child unborn." She was ordered to be held in the Salem jail.
In a sermon in the church three days later, the Rev. Samuel Parris preached about how the devil could be found even within the church.
In April, Rebecca's sisters Sarah Cloyse and Mary Easty were also accused of witchcraft and jailed.
In early June, Rebecca's body was examined and a "suspicious mark" or Devils mark was said to be found.
Her trial began on June 29th. She continued to claim her innocence, and when asked about her "specter", she said the Devil can appear in any shape. A neighbor with a grudge over pigs also testified. A petition was presented to the court, signed by 39 members of the community asserting Nurse's innocence. including family members of some of her accusers.
Nurse was found not guilty, but the "afflicted" continued to act wildly in the courtroom. The Chief Justice was not satisfied by the verdict, and questioned Nurse, but she was hard of hearing and did not answer his questions. The court then reversed the verdict, she was found guilty.
On July 3, Nurse was excommunicated from the church. On July 19, 1692, Rebecca Nurse was executed by hanging on Proctor's Ledge at Gallows Hill. Her body was to be thrown in a shallow ditch the next day, but was gone the next morning. It was believed that her husband and sons cut down her body and buried it secretly on the family property.
On October 17,1711, Governor Joseph Dudley signed "An Act to Reverse the Attainders of George Burroughs and Others for Witchcraft". clearing Rebecca Nurse's name and all the others found guilty in Salem.
Monument to Rebecca Nurse, erected in1885
Thanks to the Rebecca Nurse Homestead website for much of this information.
Rebecca Towne Nurse > Francis Nurse, Jr. > Benjamin Nurse > Mary Nurse > Susanna Bolton > Nancy Pratt > Mary Washburn > Lurette Lakin > William Darwin Fogg > Bessie Lakin Fogg > Ruth Ann Bradley
Rebecca Towne Nurse is in the second ring from the outside in the orange section, near the yellow section in the top fan chart. The person in the center of the top fan chart, Nancy Pratt, is in second ring from the outside, yellow section, next to the orange section in the bottom fan chart.
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