By Morgan Shaker

 My name is Rebecca Nurse.  I was born in about 1621, in Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England  I am the daughter of William Towne and Joanna Blessing.  I was baptized on February 21, 1621

 When I was 19 years old, my family and I moved to Salem, Mass.  There, I met my husband Francis Nurse, who I married in 1645  My husband was a few years older than I, but had much to show. He was a prospering tray maker and Salem’s constable in 1672  We made off well and were able to buy 300 acres of land, which we could share with our 8 children

 Throughout my years in Salem, I had been involved in several land disputes that may have caused hatred toward my family and I  At age 71, I was accused of witchcraft and a warrant was issued for my arrest as a suspect  I was indicted in June and given a physical examination. A “mark of the devil” was found and when I asked for a reexamination, it was denied

The Trial  I was tried on June 29, 1692  My son, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law all spoke in my defense, but it made little difference  39 members of the community, including friends and family signed both a community and individual petition in favor of me  The judge handling my case did not believe I was guilty because of my age, character, and appearance

The Verdict  On June 30, I was found “Not Guilty”  After the decision was made, one of my friends I had met in jail had said, “she is one of us.” (Goody Hobbs)  The judge had asked me what it had meant, but I did not hear the question so it was assumed that I was guilty  I later found out, that “one of us” meant that we were in prison together

The Aftermath  On July 3, I was excommunicated or “abandoned to the devil and eternally damned.”  On July 19, I was taken to Gallows Hill where I was to be hanged with four other women

Family Accusations  My sister Mary Easty was accused of witchcraft and arrested on April 21. She was found guilty on September 9 and hanged on September 22.

 My other sister Sarah Cloyce was accused on April 8. The charges against her were dismissed and she was released on January 3, 1693 after paying for her prison fees

 In 1703, the General Court began repaying families, like mine, who had lost others to false accusations  My family received 25 pounds worth of payments  In 1712, the pastor cancelled my excommunication  My family was eventually welcomed back into the community

My husband Francis passed away on November 22, 1695 The house where I used to live is still in good condition and the historical society now owns it

Works Cited  Drake, Samuel Adams. “Nooks and corners of the New England coast.” Rebecca Nurse: A Tragedy of Injustice New York. Harper & brothers. October <  Madden, Matt. “Salem Witch Trials in History and Literature.” Examination of Rebecca Nurse of Salem Village University of Virginia. October <  Linder, O. Douglas. “The Salem Witchcraft Trials 1692.” The Trial of Rebecca Nurse. September October < bnur.htm  Lewis, Johnson Jone. “Women’s History.” Sarah Cloyce, Salem Witch Trials. About.com. October < Cloyce.htm.