Rebecca Nurse: Victim of Salem Witch Trials

Rebecca Nurse was born Rebecca Towne to William and Joanna Towne in Great Yarmouth, England in 1621. In 1640 her family moved to Salem Village. Nurse had two sisters who were also accused of witchcraft. Around or about 1645, Nurse married Francis Nurse and together they had eight children in their marriage. Francis Nurse was a "tray maker" and because of the uncommonness of the trade, they were considered esteemed. Francis served as Salem's Constable in 1672. Nurse was a frequent church goer and was well respected in the community.

With being such a pillar of the community and church, why then was Nurse accused of witchcraft? Well the answer lies in where Nurse lived. Nurse along with her family lived on a vast homestead. This made her a target for the Putnam family as; they had been in several hostile land disputes with them.

In a weird twist to this, old court records show that several of the Putnam family spoke for Rebecca Nurse.

Nathaniel Putnam SR, spoke for her and described godliness. He told that while he knew of her to differ with her neighbors, he had never knew or heard any that accused her of what she was being charged of.

John Putnam and his wife Rebecca Putnam spoke on behalf of Nurse also. They both testified that their daughter Rebecca Shepard and their son-in-law John Fuller had died a violent death. They went on to testify that they both had died of a malignant fever and that there was no suspicion of witchcraft involved. They also testified that neither one of them could accuse Nurse of witchcraft.

Many other people would also speak on behalf of Rebecca Nurse during her trail. 39 prominent members of the community had signed a petition on behalf of Nurse. But just as many would speak against her. More over many of the Putnam family would make accusations against her.

Ann Putnam Jr, spoke out against Nurse accusing her of witchcraft. In Ann Putnam Jr's testimony she claimed that she saw an apparition of Nurse that afflicted her. She claimed that she did not know her name at the time but she did know where Nurse had sit in their Meeting House. She also testified that Nurse would bite her, pinch her and prick her, all the while trying to get her to write in her book. Ann Putnam Jr also accused Nurse of torturing her during Nurse's examination and several times afterwards. She also claimed to see the Apparition of Nurse go and hurt other girls.

Thomas Putnam along with Nathaniel Ingersoll and Samuel Parris testified against Nurse claiming that Ann Putnam Sr and Ann Putnam Jr were tortured several times by Nurse during her examination. They also testified that the afflicted women had confirmed that during the examination they seen a black man whispering in her ear along with the fact that they seen birds.

These are just a few of the testimonies against Nurse. Other Putnam family members included Ann Putnam Sr, John Putnam Jr and his wife Hannah and Edward Putnam.

Many of the testimonies spoke of the same thing as the others. All with the intent of condemning her a witch. What some of these people gained from their testimony is unknown. The Putnam family gained a lot when the homestead of Nurse and her family came into the Putnam family possession 1784.

In a physical examination done Rebecca Nurse along with Elizabeth Procter and Alice Parker, testimony was given that there was unusual flesh between what is now known as the vagina and the anus. It was described in the court records as looking like teats and being unusual in women. And that this unusual flesh was found in the same place on all three women.

This unusual flesh that was used against Nurse at her trial to confirm she was a witch could have easily been what we now know is hemorrhoids. After all she was 71 years old at the time and had given birth to eight children.

Originally Nurse was found not guilty but as with the way things went back then a public outcry caused the magistrate to ask the jury to reconsider their ruling. Nurse was then sentenced to death on July 19, 1962.

Nurse's body was buried in a shallow grave near the gallows since she was believed to be unfit for a Christian burial. Her family would not leave her there though. At night they went back and removed her body from the shallow grave and gave her a proper burial on the family homestead.

To Ann Putnam Jr credit she did give a public apology a little to late to the Nurse family for accusing innocent people.