What is Rebecca Nurse?
[[File:Dulcibel-Nurse.jpg|thumb|Nurse in a picture from a 1907 book]] '''Rebecca Towne Nurse''' (13 February [[1621]] – July 19, 1692) was a pious 71-year-old grandmother when she was [[Salem Witch Trials|hanged as a witch]] in [[Salem Village]] on July 19, 1692.<ref>[http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-trial-of-rebecca-nurse/ Rebecca Nurse]</ref> Her death was the turning point in the [[Salem Witch Trials]]. People started to doubt the truthfulness of the girls said to be afflicted and tormented by those arrested and tried for [[witchcraft]]. ==Life== Nurse was born in [[Great Yarmouth]], [[England]] in 1621. In 1644, her family settled in Salem Village, [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] (now [[Danvers, Massachusetts]]). About 1644, she married Francis Nurse, a tray-maker. The couple were highly esteemed in the colony because few could work wood into trays, cups, mugs, dishes and other useful objects. They had eight children. The Nurses and the Putnams of Salem had several disputes over land. On March 23, 1692, a warrant was issued for Rebecca's [[arrest]] on suspicion of witchcraft. The Putnams were behind the arrest. Many villagers were angry that she had been accused of witchcraft. She was 70 years old and known to be a very [[pious]] woman. Her trial began on June 30, 1692. Many testified to her good character. The afflicted girls of the community however testified that she was tormenting them. She was found not guilty of witchcraft. Some wanted her found guilty and urged the [[Judge|judges]] to reconsider their verdict. They did, and she was found guilty. She was [[Hanging (death)|hanged]]. Her body was buried near the gallows with others who were hanged for witchcraft. In the night, her relatives dug up her body. They buried it on the family homestead. This homestead is now a landmark. Nurse is a character in [[Arthur Miller]]'s ''[[The Crucible]]''. == References == {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Nurse, Rebecca}} [[Category:1621 births]] [[Category:1692 deaths]] [[Category:Executed American people]] [