Other Events:

• _FSFTID: L84F-G2T
• _UID: EF68D772A80146E78D9AF1B1E8DD06545EAA

Hannah married Samuel Barton in 1691 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Samuel (son of Mathew Barton and Martha) was born on 9 Jun 1664 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts; died on 12 Sep 1732 in Oxford, Worcester, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

1. Samuel Barton was born on 8 Oct 1691 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts; died in 1748 in Dudley, Worcester, Massachusetts.
2. Mercy Barton was born on 22 May 1694 in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts; died on 3 Oct 1730 in Woodstock, Massachusetts.
3. Joshua Barton was born on 24 Dec 1697 in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts; died on 13 Feb 1773 in Spencer, Worcester, Massachusetts.
4. Elisha Barton was born on 22 Apr 1701 in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts; died on 15 Oct 1776 in Granby, Hampshire, Massachusetts.
5. Caleb Barton was born on 9 Feb 1705 in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts; died in 1763 in Charlton City, Worcester, Massachusetts.
6. Jedediah Barton was born on 18 Sep 1707 in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts; died in in Ward, Massachusetts.
7. Mehitable Barton was born on 22 Aug 1710 in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts; died on 7 Nov 1742 in Worcester, Worcester, Massachusetts.
8. Edmund Barton was born on 5 Aug 1714 in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts; died on 13 Dec 1799 in Sutton, Worcester, Massachusetts; was buried in Millbury, Worcester, Massachusetts.

Other Events:

• Occupation: black smith and attorney
• _FSFTID: MVSS-VR3
• _UID: AD26A733A39C45E5A614AF880A026FCD4F31

Notes:

“Edmund’s father, also Edmund, was living in Topsfield in 1660. He came to Massachusetts in 1635 and is said to have lived in Lynn, Rowley, and Ipswich, to which he returned some years before his death. The name Edmund Bridges appears frequently in the Essex County Court Records, and it is not possible always to distinguish father from son. They both acted as witnesses as juryman and as “attorneys”....Edmund Bridges, Jr., was evidently considered familiar with legal procedure and skilled in the trade. He along with John and Nathaniel Putnam, with whom we will shortly become familiar, all appear over and over again as witnesses and attorneys in the county court records. This did not necessarily mean that they were notoriously litigious, but that they were asked to represent others in court.” (Currents of Malice - Persis W. McMillen)
1661; Commoner of Topsfield. Settled near father in law Towne. (History of Topsfield) 1664; Paid minister’s rate at Topsfield. (History of Topsfield)
“Sarah’s husband was a very busy man, for in addition to his legal activities, he had still another trade. He was a blacksmith... His blacksmith shop was a center of town activity, as was neighboring John Gould’s “ordinary”. (Currents of Malice - Persis W. McMillen)
“The Essex County Court records are full of a bewildering number of references to Edmund Bridges in connection with John Gould...In March, 1664, an individual called John Millington was sentenced to be whipped, or to pay a fine of ten pounds, “for his great misdemeanor” and also to be bound for twenty pounds. A person, whose name is deliberately left out, deposed that in January her brother, Edmund Bridges, asked her to go to Salem with him, but she did not go and Edmund and his wife left without her. Whilst they were gone, John Millington offered “uncleaness to her, and she told him that she would not yield to him for all of Topsfield”. Although Millington later prayed that she, the one to whom he had offered “uncleaness” would forgive him, Sarah Bridges acted as a witness in the resulting court case. She referred to her sister. It is not at all clear who this sister was...The reference may have been to Faith, one of Edmund Bridge’s sisters. Faith and her husband Daniel Black, were involved in domestic troubles, and at one point had been ordered to sit in the stocks for an hour. Danile was ordered to live peaceably with his wife, and to refrain from threatening her, while she, for her part, was to be orderly, not gad abroad or be in the company of other men. If either party disobeyed these rules, they were to be whipped.” (Currents of Malice - Persis W. McMillen)
“Edmund Bridges appears far more often in connection with John Gould in a bewildering series of cases connected with the ill-starred iron works. Iron works were established in Rowley Village (now Boxford) around 1668. They were sited not far from the Topsfield line upon some land left to Gould by his father Zaccheus...Although Edmund was not personally involved in the manufacture of iron, as a blacksmith he was deeply interested. It is a fact that the records show that Edmund was in debt to John Gould even before the establishment of the iron works. Court records are full of suits between the two men in which payments were ordered to be in bar iron. By November 1670, Bridges was in serious trouble and was sued for ‘not setting his hand to a bill of sale’. He was ordered to sign over the deed of his house and land in Topsfield, or to pay one hundred and fifty pounds to Gould. Since he did not have the money, he went to prison, losing eight acres of land, a dwelling house and a barn at the same time. However, Edmund, although down, was not out. He apparently realized enough from the sale of his property, and from the collection of other debts outstanding, to be able to buy a small piece of land near the waterfront in Salem. Here he built another house and a barn.” The family moved there. (Currents of Malice - Persis W. McMillen)
1668; Sold house and 8 acres of land to Ensign John Gould, bounded on ne by land of Thomas Perkins Sr., e and w e by that of Jacob Towne, w and s by John Robinson and Edmund Towne. Deed not given until 1670 when Edmund Bridges had moved to that part of Salem, now Danvers, not far from the Topsfield line. His house there is said to have stood on the se side of Rea’s hill, so called. The building was later purchased by John A. Sears, father of Judge George B. Sears, and moved to his farm in Putnamville. (History of Topsfield)
November 1670; John Robinson bought a house and eighteen acres of land from John Gould for 40 pounds which had formerly belonged to Edmund Bridges (jr or sr?). (History of Topsfield)
“Edmund Bridges and a certain William Becket owned part of a wharf on the Salem waterfront. Edmund also procured a license to sell alcholic beverages.” “Sarah became involved with running the waterfront tavern while her husband carried on with his legal practice, often appearing in Salem quarterly courts as attorney, arbitrator and as a witness.” (Currents of Malice - Persis W. McMillen)
1673; Petition got up by Robert Smith, John Ramsdell and he protesting reassignment of certain families from Topsfield to Rowley for tax purposes. (The Refiners Fire; Mormon Cosmology)
1678; “Edmund Bridges was involved in 1678 in a court case with a powerful Salem merchant, Mr. Edmund Batter... The character of Edmund Batter is described by Bernard Bailyn as “extraordinary in its brutality...” Edmund Bridges sued Batter for defamation of character for : “saying that (the said Bridges) was the leader of a factious company in Salem and that it was their design to overthrow all order and government in the town of Salem, and also for saying that the plaintiff was the caus of all trouble in Salem.” Bridges relations and some others came to his defense. Francis Nurse, a brother in law, and Isaac Cooke, deposed that in a public town meeting in the past spring, they had heard Batter make these charges. Jacob Towne, another brother in law, and John Hobb, testified that fifteen years earlier when Bridges had been a resident and voter in Topsfield, he had opposed those who did not have the right to vote by law. In other words, that Bridges was on the side of law and order. They also said that he had taken the required oath of fidelity twelve years earlier. Thomas Preston, a son in law of Rebecca and Francis Nurse and therefore another relative of Bridges, testified that he had heard Batter say that Edmund Bridges was the ringleader of the opposing company. He further deposed that, as he was generally at town meetings, he had never heard Bridges speak before he asked leave of the moderator. Bridges had told Preston that he wished to prevent disorder at the meetings.” The opposing side was a powerful group of elites, and the judges as well. The court ruled against Bridges and imposed a fine of two pounds, five shillings and eighpence to be paid to Batter.” (Currents of Malice - Persis W. McMillen)
May 1679; Selectman consented that Edmund Bridges could sit the seat in the gallery of the meeting house vacated by Sargeant Lake. Sarah could sit in the next seat behind the woman’s pew, but of course, as female, was not allowed to speak. (Currents of Malice - Persis W. McMillen)
September 12, 1682; “the widow of Edmund Bridges and her children were ordered out of Topsfield by the constable, September 12, 1682. She was Sarah Town, daughter of William, and had probably returned to Topsfield after the death of her husband which had occured a few months earlier. She soon became the second wife of Peter Cloyse and was accused of witchcraft but was not executed.” (History of Topsfield) November 28, 1682; Inventory of estate by Francis Nurse, John How. (History of Framingham)

Edmund married Sarah Towne on 11 Jan 1659 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts. Sarah (daughter of William Towne and Joanna Blessing) was born on 11 Jan 1638 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts; died about 1703 in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• _FSFTID: LZSS-S4L
• _UID: E44A26AE026643229E6B2ABE61BA483C5FD7
• Baptism: 3 Sep 1648, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts

Notes:

Salem Witch Trials notes: Accused in Apr 1692 during the Salem witch trials, she escaped conviction. Sarah's sister, Rebecca Nurse, 71, was accused of witchcraft by Abigail Williams on March 19, 1692. She was visited by a local delegation on March 21, and arrested the next day. Magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin examined Rebecca Nurse on March 24. March 27: Easter Sunday, which was not a special Sunday in the Puritan churches, saw Rev. Samuel Parris preaching on "dreadful witchcraft broke out here." He emphasized that the devil could not take the form of anyone innocent. Tituba, Sarah Osborne, Sarah Good, Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey were in prison. During the sermon, Sarah Cloyce, likely thinking of her sister Rebecca Nurse, left the meetinghouse and slammed the door. On April 3, Sarah Cloyce defended her sister Rebecca against charges of witchcraft -- and found herself accused the next day On April 8, she and Elizabeth Proctor were named in warrants and arrested. On April 10, the Sunday meeting at Salem Village was interrupted with incidents identified as caused by the specter of Sarah Cloyce. On April 11, Sarah Cloyce and Elizabeth Proctor were examined by magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin. Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth, Isaac Addington (secretary of Massachusetts), Major Samuel Appleton, James Russell, and Samuel Sewall were also present, as was the Rev. Nicholas Noyes, who gave the prayer. Rev. Samuel Parris took notes. Sarah Cloyce was accused in testimony by John Indian, Mary Walcott, Abigail Williams, and Benjamin Gould. She shouted out that John Indian was a "grievous liar" and refused to confess. Among those who accused Sarah Cloyce was Mercy Lewis, whose paternal aunt Susanna Cloyce was Sarah's sister-in-law. Mercy Lewis took a less active role in accusing Sarah Cloyce than she did in accusing others including Sarah's sisterRebecca Nurse. That night, Sarah Cloyce, her sister Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey, Dorcas Good, and John and Elizabeth Proctor were transferred to Boston prison. John Indian, Mary Walcott, and Abigail Williams claimed to be tormented by Sarah Cloyce even after her jailing. Mary Easty was arrested on April 21 and examined the next day. She was briefly set free in May but returned when the afflicted girls claimed to have seen her specter. A grand jury indicted Rebecca Nurse in early June; on June 30 the trial jury found her not guilty. The accusers and spectators protested loudly when that decision was announced. The court asked them to reconsider the verdict, and they found her guilty, discovering on reviewing the evidence that she had failed to answer one question put to her (perhaps because she was nearly deaf). She, too, was condemned to hang. Gov. Phips issued a reprieve but this was also met with protests and was rescinded. Rebecca Nurse was hanged, with Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin and Sarah Wildes, on July 19.
Mary Easty's case was heard in September, and she was found guilty on September 9. Together, Sarah Cloyce and Mary Easty petitioned the court for a "fayre and equall hearing" of evidence for them as well as against them. They argued that they had no opportunity to defend themselves and were not allowed any counsel, and that spectral evidence was not dependable. Mary Easty also added a second petition with a plea was focused more on others than herself: "I petition your honors not for my own life, for I know I must die, and my appointed time is set .... if it be possible, that no more blood be shed." But Mary's plea was not in time; she was hanged with Martha Corey (whose husband Giles Corey had been pressed to death on September 19), Alice Parker, Mary Parker, Ann Pudeator, Wilmott Redd, Margaret Scott and Samuel Wardwell on September 22. Rev. Nicholas Noyes officiated at this last execution in the Salem witch trials, saying after the execution, "What a sad thing it is to see eight firebrands of hell hanging there." In December, a brother of Sarah Cloyce helped pay the bond to release William Hobbs from jail. Charges against Sarah Cloyce were dismissed by a grand jury on January 3, 1693. Her husband Peter had to pay the prison for her fees before she could be released. Sarah and Peter Cloyce moved after her release, first to Marlborough and then to Sudbury, both in Massachusetts. In 1706, when Ann Putman Jr. publicly confessed in church her contrition for her part in the accusations (saying that Satan had put her up to it), she pointed to the three Towne sisters: "And particularly, as I was a chief instrument of accusing of Goodwife Nurse and her two sisters [including Sarah Cloyce], I desire to lie in the dust, and to be humbled for it, in that I was a cause, with others, of so sad a calamity to them and their families...." In 1711, an act of the legislature reversed the attainders on many who had been convicted, but since Sarah Cloyce's case was eventually dismissed, she was not included in that act. Sarah Cloyce was the key character in the 1985 American Playhouse dramatization of her story in "Three Sovereigns for Sarah," starring Vanessa Redgrave as Sarah Cloyce in 1702, seeking justice for herself and her sisters. - http://womenshistory.about.com/od/salempeople/a/Sarah-Cloyce.htm

The Cloyes were members of the Salem Village congregation of Rev. Parrish. Like the Nurse family, the Cloyes were also displeased with issues revolving around the Parris ministry and by 1692 were also "absenting" themselves from Sabbath. After Sarah's arrest, she was examined and refused to confess. She was fitted with hand and leg irons and placed in Salem jail with her sister Rebecka. Later she was removed to a Boston prison, and then with her sister Mary to Ispwich, and them back to Salem again. Two weeks after Rebecka's execution, a charge of 20 pounds sterling was presented by the blacksmith "for making fouer payer of iron ffetters and two payers of hand Cuffs and putting them on to ye legs and hands of Goodwife Cloys."
Sarah's grandneice Rebecca Townes testified against her, just as she had testified against her great aunt Mary, and an indictment followed. Her husband Peter was truly devoted and toiled diligently for her release. Danvers church records note his devotion to her that summer: "Brother Cloys hard to be found at home being often with his wife in Prison in Ipswich for Witchcraft." Peter did the only intelligent thing as the shadow of the hangman's rope drew near in the new round of trials of January 1693. He broke Sarah out of jail and fled south.
According to the book "Framingham Historical Reflections,"Clayes was imprisoned in Ipswich and smuggled out along with friends who had come to visit her ... conveyed by night to Framingham." Certainly Peter had been petitioning for a recognizance for his wife and it always possible they simply skipped bail. However they managed Sarah's escape, it was deep in New England winter when they made their way southwest to Framingham, then known as Danforth Plantation, and marked in old records of the times as "the wilderness." This is full 40 miles as the crow flies, but they did not undertake such an unlikely journey on speculation. They knew somehow they had a safe (albeit cold) haven waiting at Danforth Plantation in the wilderness. The only cross-country roads in 1693 were the early bridal paths that followed the old Indian trails. The only such path going southwest toward Framingham wasthe Old Connecticut Path. This wound its way from Watertown southwesterly through the wilderness lands until eventually reaching the shores of the Connecticut River near Hartford. Peter knew Old Connecticult Path, having grown up in Watertown. It was the main path southwest. In fact, it was the only path southwest. He had probably walked the eastern end extensively as a young man.The Cloyes would have carefully picked their way to Boston by night, avoiding encounters. It is unlikely they would have been unable to manage this portion of the trek without assistance from friends who helped smuggle Sarah out of Ipswich jail. For one thing, Sarah wasn't well. Having reached Boston safely, they would have gone west to Watertown and picked up the trailhead of the Old Connecticut Path. The Cloyes traveled this path southwesterly abuot 10 miles, entering the eastern side of the new town of Sudbury (now Wayland), following the lower contour of Reeve's Hill, well above the icy wet river meadows, and then crossing the frozen Cochituate Brook at the ancient wading place. Shortly thereafter they would have entered what is now the northeast corner of Framingham, crossing the Sudbury River at an ancient fordway, and then preceding southwest, a five-mile journey as the crow flies from Wayland.
Refuge at Danforth Plantation. It's a strange thing, but Danforth Plantation where the Cloyes sought asylum was owned by one of the early Judges at the Salem Witch Trials. Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth had sat on the early Tribunal. But he had left the tribunal n May, everal months before the hangings began, harboring a secret disgust and ill-ease with the proceedings. In fact, Judge Sewall, a prominent withc trial judge, wrote in his diary that Danforth had done much to put an end "to the troubles under which the country groaned in 1692."
It may also be that Danforth's departure from the tribunal in May might have to do with the fact that he was Deputy Governor under Governor Bradstreet, and the Governorship changed hands to Sir William Phips on May 14, 1692. He may simply no longer have had the position or authority to sit on the tribunal. Judging by his later actions, this may have been a disastrous loss for the accused. Danforth had acquired at least 16,000 acres of land in Colonial government grants between 1660 and 1662. This was originally known as Danforth Farm or Plantation, and later renamed Framingham. In a 1999 newspaper article, Herring is quoted as saying he believes that Danforth was the secret "guardian angel" who helped the Cloyes, and more than a dozen other escaping Salem area families who were "all related by blood or marriage," to fine refuge on his Plantation. Danforth subsequently turned over almost 800 acres to Salem families seeking asylum and safety, including the Towne, Nurse, Bridges, Easty and Cloyes families. The new settlement quickly became known as Salem End Road. They came fearing for their lives, seeking a safe haven, and found it on Danforth's Plantation, living in safety on his land as a reparation for their treatment in Salem. The Cloyes' escape and deliberate journey to the Plantation, the subsequent steady arrival of Salem Witch Trial refugees and the awaiting farmland, all smacks of a shadowy hand moving behind th scenes, and a loose network of helpful friends. In short, there are glimmers of a primitive "underground railway" in operation, quietly moving Towne sisters and related families out of Salem Village to a more hospitable locale.
Danforth had been on the Tribunal through May, long enough to have observed the character of all three Towne sisters. Records show that the three sisters repeatedly behaved with dignity, piety, firmness and good character to such an extent that the magistrates hesitated repeatedly with their cases. ... The minister of Topsfield vouched for both Mary and Sarah, but to no avail. Sarah wrote elegant appeals that were ignored. It seemed the fates were blindly determined that they should die regardless of the laws of man and god. Many were rightfully impressed with the Towne sisters and deeply distressed with the proceedings. Danforth seems to have been one of those and afterwards made it his business to take in and see to the welfare and reparations of the surviving Towne sister's families, starting with Sarah (Towne) Cloyes herself. Ironically, in Arthur Miller's play The crucibloe, Danforth was unflatteringly portrayed as a "Black-robed paragon of Puritan rectitude." However it was that the Danforth haven became known to those fleeing the accusations and executions, a large boulder on Salem End Road was said to be the official landmark that signaled escaping families that they were on the Plantation and safe at last.
A Cold Winter in the Rocks: It is unknown exactly where the Cloyes spent that first bitter winter in Danforth Plantation. But local legend has always claimed it w was in a network of small boulder caves in a steep cliff face (Witch Cliffs) on the Framingham-Ashland line. These caves have always been called Witch Caves. I have explored these caves twice; once in 2001 and more recently in 2007. One thing I can assure above anything else is that these caves are small, cold, drafty, and hard. Little improvement over the stone cell of Salem Town Prison. Of course, I am sure they would have blocked the holes tight with snow, stuffed the place full of leaves, made spruce-bough beds, built a lean-to of logs in front of the entrance, and made a door flap with birch bark. That's pretty much what any outdoorsman would do faced with such a situatoin. Add a fire under the lean-to, and it's a slight much better, and warmer, than you might expect. Peter Cloyes had been an Indian Fighter in the 1675-76 King Philip's war and lived in Wells, Maine, and was likely a rough and tumble woodsman of necessity. I don't think he would have have much trouble turning the caves into a snug burrow for the winter.
Sarah was hardly in good health when she escaped Ipswich. She was 50 years old, and had spent nine months in various jails routinely shackled in irons, in unheated quarters, subsiding only on what her family was able to provide her. She emerged from jail that cold winter night a sick and fragile woman. She was very lucky to have survived the ensuing winter in the caves. Having survived the winter in the caves, the spring of 1693 brought new hope and a new start for the Cloyes. Danforth gave them permission to build a house on his land and that year they constructed a new house for themselves on Plantation property. Herring comments on the location, "There was the Cowasock Brook nerby and a relatively friendly Indian village. Just across what must've been a trail then (now Salem End Road), there's an enormous glacial boulder you can see today that probably served as a good landmark. This boulder is the one that escaping families looked for. ... The initial trickle of refugees intensified to a migration, and by 1700 when Peter signed the township petition for Framingham, at least 50 people related to the Towne sisters had re-settled from the Salem Village area to the Salem End Road district, with more than 800 acres given away to them by Danforth. Among the new arrivals included the families of Sarah's two sons from her first marriage, Caleb and Benjamin, Benjamin arriving in the spring of 1693, with Caleb following shortly thereafter. Rebecca's youngest son Benjamin Nurse also relocated with his family in 1693, as did Mary's son John Easty and his family a few years later.
The Towne family was also represented early in the migration. Lt. John Towne and his son Israel Towne both relocated their families by 1698 and built on Danforth-gifted land. Lt. John, one of Framingham's original selectmen, was the son of the Towne sister's brother. Needless to say, grandneice Rebecca (Towne) Knight did not join them in Salem End Road. The Nurses changed the spelling of their name to Nourse to distance themselves from Salem, and if you examine Framingham's Old Burying ground, you will find many Towne, Nourse, Bridges, Easty, and Cloyes names represented throughout the years. (One Cloyes, John, was struct down by lightning in 1777.) The Townes did not saty long in the area, but the other "witch" names became part of the founding fabric and ongoing life of the town, and descendants still live there. The earliest existing grave marker left of the original emigres is that of Benjamin Bridges, who died in 1723. This marker, a rough field stone with the crudely cut epitaph, reads, "When he served his generation, by the will of God he fell asleep." ...
Three Sovereigns for Sarah: After the court of Oyer and Terminer was dissolved, and all the witchcraft cases cycled through by May of 1693, the processes of petitioning for compensation and overturning the earlier verdicts began. At the fore of this effort was Mary's husband, Isaac Easty. It took almost 20 years, but on October 17, 1710, the General Court passed an act that, "the several convictions, judgments, and attainders be, and hereby are, reversed, and delcared to be null and void." Further, on December 17, 1711, Governor Dudley issued a warrant awarding Isaac 20 pounds sterling in compensation for the injustice of the 1692 verdict against Mary. Mary's sister Sarah received 3 gold Sovereigns, each worth 1/4 of a pound. Sarah retrieved them herself, in her first and only return to Salem. - http://www.boudillion.com/witchcaves/witchcaves.htm:

"Sarah was the fourth child of William Towne and Joanna Blessing of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England and Topsfield, Massachusetts. She was their first born in New England, on January 11, 1638, in Salem, Massachusetts, and baptised there on September 3, 1648, along with some siblings. Later, the family moved to Topsfield, Massachusetts, where Sarah married, on January 11, 1659/60, Edmund Bridges, Jr., the son of Edmund Bridges and his wife, Elizabeth. Edmund was born about 1637. Sarah and Edmund had three children in Topsfield by 1667, then moved to Salem, Massachusetts, before 1669, where they had two more children, including Hannah. Edmund died about 1682 in Salem. After the death of Edmund, Sarah married Peter Cloyes of Salem Village, and apparently had 2 children, Benoni, baptised September 2, 1683, and Hepzibah, who married February 3, 1708, Ebenezer Harrington. In 1692, Sarah, along with her sisters Rebecca Nurse and Mary Esty, were accused in the Salem Witch trials. Rebecca and Mary were hanged, but Sarah, who had also been condemned, escaped from the jail in Ipswich. In the spring of 1693, members of the Towne, Bridges, Barton, Cloyes and Elliott families moved away from Salem, no doubt because of the witch trials, and settled in the new community of Framingham, Massachusetts, where Sarah died about 1703. Information for this biography from the privately published book, The Bartons, by Ray Barton Jr.; NEHGR, v. 84, 'The Bartons of Oxford, Massachusetts'; New England Marriages Prior to 1700, by Torrey; Genealogical Dictionary of New England, by Savage; Early Settlers of Rowley, Massachusetts (1933), by Blodgett & Jewett, pg 42; the vital records of Ipswich, Topsfield, Salem and Framingham, Massachusetts." - Ken Smith (findagrave.com)

Other Events:

• Occupation: black smith
• _FSFTID: L52F-QB9
• _UID: E76CBA0B18C04CA0901B7C7AB5CBCC80494B
• Arrival: 1635, Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts; from London aboard the James
• Civil: 7 Sep 1639, Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts; was made a Freeman

Notes:

He was an immigrant from England aboard the Ship "James" in July, 1636, giving his age as 23 years old. He settled at Lynn, Massachusetts and followed his trade as a Blacksmith. He was admitted a freeman September 7, 1639 and was one of the proprietors of the town. He removed to Rowley and was living there in 1641 when he had a suit of law at Ipswitch. he was also a proprietor of Rowley. The general court, May 26, 1647 ordered him to answer at the Essex court for "neglect to further public service by delaying to shoe Mr. Symond's horse when he was about to come to the General Court". That was before the days of labor unions and strikes in America. he deposed in 1658 that he was aged about 48 years of age. he removed to Ipswich and was a subscriber to the Denison fundin 1648. he was a commoner of Ipswich as early 1664 and a voter in 1679. He administered on the estate of of his wife's third son, John Littlehale, Nov. 25, 1675. He removed finally to Topsfield (Ipswich), where he died Jan 13, 1684/5. His will is dated Jan 6, 1684/5 and proved Mar 31, 1685. The inventory amounted to 235 pounds. - Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, Vol.2, William Richard Cutter

Edmund married Elizabeth about 1636 in Essex Co., Massachusetts. Elizabeth was born about 1612; died on 31 Dec 1664 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• _FSFTID: LYQQ-M47
• _UID: 4FFF1594177F42459DC37C274BEB14CB2CDD

Other Events:

• _FSFTID: 9MTJ-YTD
• _UID: AD3196639F784BD4928CD9F71076EEEB5A9E
• Birth: Bef 18 Mar 1599, Great Yarmouth, England
• Baptism: 18 Mar 1599, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England
• Arrival: 1635, Salem, Massachusetts
• Arrival: Abt 1635; in Massachusetts from Great Yarmouth, England
• Death: 24 Jun 1673

Notes:

Although there is no known record of immigration, it is believed by Savage and Virkus that the family came to America in 1635. The first record of William Towne in America appears in the town book of Salem some time between 1635 and 1640 (undated) when he received a land grant "a littleneck of Land right over against his house on the other side of the River" in the area called North Fields. In 1651, he purchased land in the neighboring town of Topsfield from William Paine, which consisted of forty acres, part plow land, meadow, and unplowed land. He sold his Salem property to Henry Bullock in 1652 and bought additional land at Topsfield in 1656. He was made a commoner in Topsfield in 1664. When his son Joseph married Phebe Perkins, he deeded 2/3 of his property to Joseph. - www.findagrave.com
Estate of William Towne of Topsfield. Essex Probate Docket # 27923 Administration granted April 24, 1673 to Johana Towne on the estate of Wm Towne, her late husband, and she was to bring in an inventory to the next Ipswich court.
Petition for settlement of a small estate left the undersigned by their father, who died ten years ago leaving no will, but left his estate in the hands of their mother who was appointed admininistratrix and the estate remained unsettled until her death, and now they desire that the following division may be allowed: the land to be divided equally to his three sons, Edmund, Jacob, and Joseph and the moveables equally to the three daughters, Rebecka, Mary and Sarah; also the three brothers to pay all debts now due and what charges shall after arise in settlement of the estate to be equally borne by all six. Dated Jan 17, 1682. Signed by Mary (her mark) Towne relict of Edmond, Jacob Towne, Joseph (his mark) Towne, Francis (his mark) Nurs with the consent of Rebeka, Mary (her mark) Esty, formerly Mary Towne, Sarah (her mark) Bridges. Witness: John How John Pritchet Allowed by the court at Ipswich April 10, 1683. Source: Ipswich Deeds, vol 4, page 515
William Towne was cited by the Archbishop of Norwich County, England, for failing to appear for communion and was noted as a "Separatist" [not a member of the Church of England]. His family was Puritan. William Towne came to America on the "Rose" from Great Yarmouth. They left Ipswich and arrived in June 1637. William came to Massachusetts with his wife and children. He was a basketmaker and a gardener.
On March 20, 1647, William Towne and son-in-law Francis Nurse asked for a grant of land. By 1651, William Towne bought land in Topsfield, from William Paine of Ipswich, and William Howard. This property bordered Topsfield and Salem and was known as "Salem Farms" and "Salem Village." The Towne children were all brought up in a house which was located at the intersection of South Main Street and Salem Street. This house was built in 1651.
In 1681, Jacob Towne testified, at age 50, that the house of William Towne, was bought some 30 years previous and William paid for it with wheat. Remember barter was the way most people obtained property at this time. When his father moved to Topsfield, he was said to have sold the twenty acre lot to Nathaniel Felton.
In 1682 Jacob Towne acted as an witness to end the bitter dispute between Salem and Topsfield over the boundary line. This event is considered to have birthed repercussions that resulted in the witchcraft accusations in 1692.
William died June 24, 1673. His estate was NOT immediately proved since he left no will. William was a basketmaker and gardener. Joanna administered his estate, which was not divided between his heirs until her own death in 1682 in Topsfield. Joanna was buried at Pine Hill Cemetary in Topsfield, Essex County, MA. - unknown
``Goodman William Towne was a man of character, substance and social position, but about a quarter of a century after his death three of his daughters were brought under the condemnation of a fanatical court on the charge of witchcraft, and two of them suffered death on the gallows while the third barely escaped a like fate at the hands of an unthinking and illadvised judicial body. The name of Rebecca Nourse, who suffered the death of a martyr, will endure with time through centuries yet to come, and they who are her defendants, and descendants of her martyr sisters, will look back with pleasure to the fact that she and they are their ancestors, for they were good, innocent and unoffending women, the victims of fanaticism as unjust in its accusations as it was cruel and barbarous in meting out its punishments. This unfortunate episode in the history of the Towne family brought no disgrace upon the name, and there lives not one descendant of either Rebecca Towne Nourse or her sister Mary Towne Esty who cannot feel a just pride in the noble characters of those martyr mothers.´´ - William Richard Cutter

William married Joanna Blessing on 25 Apr 1620 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. Joanna (daughter of John Blyssynge and Joan Preaste) was born in 1595 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England; died in 1682 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts; was buried in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• _FSFTID: LZ2Y-D2J
• _UID: E79A7362023240D39DA553B7EA9CCEA2DF8D
• Baptism: 22 Jun 1595, Caister Parish, Norfolk, England

Notes:

Buried:
Pine Grove Cemetery

Other Events:

• _FSFTID: L87F-59J
• _UID: 17D68629598B46F1923E5D8BFC43C040AE5D
• Baptism: 11 May 1566, Haydor, Lincolnshire, England

John married Elizabeth Clarke on 20 Sep 1597 in Blundeston, Suffolk, England. Elizabeth (daughter of John Clarke and Rose Fenne) was born in 1571 in Suffolk, England; died on 7 Sep 1630 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• _FSFTID: 9N5L-G9J
• _UID: 58EFC7D3BD22478190C863A843373C94350A
• Baptism: 19 Aug 1571, Blundeston, Suffolk, England

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• _FSFTID: LVW9-RJ7
• _UID: 4D133F86E84D41F78F9122908FF56953A4E0

John married Joan Preaste on 15 Oct 1569 in Somerleyton, Norfolk, England. Joan was born about 1555 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England; and died. [Group Sheet]

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• _FSFTID: LZD2-3D8
• _UID: C58805B89AB74D8AB90C63CE04E1AED99433

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• _FSFTID: LT7Q-LTP
• _UID: 0DB621CC859B4F7AA281C706C7C9EA1114A4

Leonard married Ellen Greene on 6 Aug 1565 in Haydor, Lincolnshire, England. Ellen was born on 25 Mar 1544 in Haydor, Lincolnshire, England; died on 24 Mar 1602 in Haydor, Lincolnshire, England. [Group Sheet]

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• _FSFTID: L5TD-CVL
• _UID: 9A38345E9B7B42DF8D070772346835991286

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• _FSFTID: 961J-VRK
• _UID: 0671A9897A7E4BFD9772C47A05D537CC0DC4

John married Rose Fenne on 12 Oct 1563 in Blundeston, Suffolk, England. Rose was born about 1538; died in 1619 in Blundeston, Suffolk, England. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• _FSFTID: HVQK-H4G
• _UID: 31BFC2AEFB544FF6BFF8C9B44F349F8CD66B