Rebecca Nurse

Born in February of 1621 in Yarmouth, England, Rebecca was the daughter of William Towne and Joanna Blessing. In 1640, Rebecca and her family moved to Salem, Massachusetts. Later in 1645, she married Francis Nurse and they had 8 children.

During their time in Salem the Nurse family became involved in several land disputes that made some citizens in Salem feel uneasy. However, a majority of the townspeople were friendly with the Nurse family and recognized Rebecca’s noble character. She was known to be among Salem’s most religious citizens.

In March of 1692, during the height of the Salem witch trials, Rebecca Nurse had been suspected of witchcraft by Edward and John Putnam and was arrested. Interestingly, the Putnam family had been one of the families involved in land disputes with Rebecca Nurse.

In June, after Rebecca’s indictment, she was forced to undergo a physical examination. She was thought, by some of her examiners, to be marked by the devil. The rest of the examiners; however, disagreed.

In July, Rebecca was excommunicated and sent to Gallows Hill along with four other women, where she was hanged.