Rebecca Nurse Family Returns to Danvers
Thursday September 27, 2007
From the Pagan/Wiccan news files: Over a hundred people visited the Rebecca Nurse homestead in Danvers, Massachussetts over the weekend. While it's not uncommon for that many tourists to drop in, this was a special event. The entire group was comprised of descendants of Nurse's parents, William and Joanna Towne. The Townes arrived in Massachussetts after leaving England in 1635, and had eight children. Of the eight, Rebecca and two of her sisters were accused of witchcraft. Rebecca and her sister Mary were hanged during the witch hysteria of 1692.
Some of the visitors were descended from Rebecca herself, and others from her brothers and sisters. Because of the insular nature of colonial society, many of Rebecca's descendants can also claim kinship with other "witch trial families", such as the Putnams. New Englanders have long memories, and for many of the families of the accused, the Homestead is a central place where they can meet to honor those who died in the trials. Mary Towne, a great-something-granddaughter of Rebecca's brother Jacob, probably summed things up best, when she said, "Chilling, the whole thing is chilling."
Some of the visitors were descended from Rebecca herself, and others from her brothers and sisters. Because of the insular nature of colonial society, many of Rebecca's descendants can also claim kinship with other "witch trial families", such as the Putnams. New Englanders have long memories, and for many of the families of the accused, the Homestead is a central place where they can meet to honor those who died in the trials. Mary Towne, a great-something-granddaughter of Rebecca's brother Jacob, probably summed things up best, when she said, "Chilling, the whole thing is chilling."
I was told by Lady June a High Prietess and Elder on the 28th of September 2007 while visiting Salem that I was a re-incarnate of Rebecka (Rebecca) Nurse. I was skeptical, but she was a 100% on with all other items. I have come to Salem each time we travel to New England as I am “drawn” to the town, and I can find my way around like having lived there for years. We toured the memorial for those accused and hanged (crushed) and I picked up a scent of some sort of flower between the Rebecca Nurse memorial and I believe Sarah Goode. No one else could smell it. This was the day before my reading. Anyone pick up anything on this idea of being an incarnate of Rebecca? Please let me know!
I think that would be something neat to go see, what her homestead was like back then. For it is so much different now to back then.
Rebecca Nurse was a Christian! How dare you post that on a Wiccan blog!
There is something perverse in the fascination of modern-day Wiccans with the Salem Witchcraft Delusion of 1692-93. And it was a delusion. Any true student of history knows that the accused were as Christian as their accusers, and that none–NONE!–had any experience of witchcraft. The whole sorry affair was triggered by hysterical adolescent girls and fueled by deep-seated hostilities within Salem Village and Massachusetts Bay as a whole. To claim spiritual kinship with these victims is to deny their Christian identity and falsely impose one’s own identity upon them.
Yes, Rebecca was a Christian. She was a healer, midwife, and woman. Yes, there was hysteria brought on by bored little girls who needed a bit of disciplining (as is evident of the “recovery” of the one young lady whose father spanked her and asked her what she thought she was doing). The reason this woman and her fellow accused are mentioned in Wiccan history is because we admire and want to reflect their amazing virtues as healers and women who stood firm in their beliefs. They are also revered as martyrs in our opinion. Rebecca was declared innocent not once but twice and still executed as a witch. There are times when the course of events that are to shape the here and now as well as the future are beyond any of our control. Please try to understand that it is not a “bad” thing that this amazing person is honored for her integrity. We remember her and all the others (men and women) in the highest of respect.