William Towne (1599-1685)

William Towne (1599-1685) was a devout Puritan that immigrated to America in 1637.

Vital Statistics
Son of Richard Towne and Ann Denton

1599-Mar-15 : Birth at Great Yarmouth, Norfolkshire, England

1620-Mar-25 : Marriage to Joanna Blessing (1595-1682) at St Nicholas Church, Yarmouth, Norfolkshire, England

1637-Apr : Immigration to America with wife and six children aboard the Rose of Yarmouth.

1685-Apr-30 : Death at Topsfield, Essex Co, Massachusetts Colony

Biography
Joanna Blessing (1595-1682) married William Towne and they were Rebecca's parents. Joanna was born in Great Yarmouth and died in Topsfield, Essex county, Massachusetts. The couple had eight children, Rebecca, Edmond, Jacob, Joseph, Mary, Sarah, John and Susannah.

All but Sarah and Joseph were born in England.William Towne and Joanna Blessing possibly left England on the ship "Rose of Yarmouth" in April 1637. The exact date they left England and name of the ship used is not known for sure. He was a puritan and apparently left England because of religious persecution like most of the people who left England for Massachusetts at that time.

Children of William Towne and Joanna Blessing
The couple had eight children, Rebecca, Edmond, Jacob, Joseph, Mary, Sarah, John and Susannah.


 * 1) Rebecca Towne (1621-1692) - Daughter that Married Francis Nurse and died in Salem Witch Trials
 * 2) John Towne (1622-1672) - was baptized February 16, 1622 in Great Yarmouth, England. He was listed as an apprentice in England at age 13. John married Phebe Lawson, and he died in 1672 [at age 49].
 * 3) Suzanna Towne (1625-1672) - was born October 20, 1625 in Great Yarmouth, England. Suzanna was baptized on October 26, 1625. Suzanna was named after her aunt. Suzanna died in July 29, 1672 [at age 47]. Suzanna was spared her sister's anquish and pain. She was not targeted as a witch.
 * 4) Edmund Towne (1628-?) - was born on June 22, 1628 and was baptized on July 28, 1628, in Great Yarmouth. Edmund apprenticed to Henry Skerry of Great Yarmouth. He sailed on either the Rose of Great Yarmouth, or the Henry and Dorothy of Ipswich. Both ships were commanded by William Andrews and his son, William. Skerry and his family settled in Salem, MA. Edmund married Mary Browning in 1652 [at age 24]. Their children were: ..... Abigail Towne married Thomas Perley..... Samuel Towne married Elizabeth Knight [her line goes to U.S. President Calvin Coolidge].....Elizabeth Towne married (2) Elisha Perkins (1654-1791) of Topsfield in 1715.
 * 5) Jacob Towne (1632-1704) - was baptized on March 11, 1632. Jacob married Catherine Symonds, daughter of Samuel Symonds (1693-1772) and Elizabeth Andrews, on June 26, 1657. He died November 22, 1704, in Topsfield, MA. [at age 72]. Their son: ..... John Towne married Mary Smith......Katherine Towne (1662-1714) married Elisha Perkins in 1680.
 * 6) Mary Towne (1634-1692) - was baptized August 24, 1634. He married Isaac Estey/Eastie. Mary was hanged on September 22, 1692, during the Salem witch trials [at age 58]. Their son was: ..... Isaac Estey, Jr. married Abigail Kimball.
 * 7) Joseph Towne (1639-?) - born on September 3, 1639, in Salem, MA. Joseph married Phebe Perkins in 1665. Their children were: ..... Joseph Towne, Jr. married Margaret Case...... Susanna Towne married John Cummings..... Martha Towne married Isaac Larrabee.
 * 8) Sarah Towne (1642-?) - born circa 1642, in Salem, MA. He married (1) Edmund Bridges (2) Peter Cloyes. Sarah Cloyes was accused of witchcraft, in 1692 [at age 53], and put into prison, and later released. She pressed charges for her unlawful arrest and the killing of her sisters. She received three gold sovereigns for each of them. The movie, Three Sovereigns For Sister Sarah is about this event. Her daughter was: ..... Hepzibah Cloyce, married Ebenezer Harrington.

References:

 * http://www.peraugust.com/nurse_witch_project.htm - Nurse Witch Project
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials - Wikipedia Article for Salem Witch Trials -
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Nurse - Wikipedia Biography of Rebecca Towne Nurse
 * http://www.rebeccanurse.org/RNH/nursehomestead.htm - Rebecca Nurse Homestead
 * http://www.townefolk.com/ - The Towne Family Association