James Oliver Smith, Jr - Genealogical Notes
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Elizabeth Berkeley
Elizabeth BERKELEY Parents: Sir John BERKELEY and UNKNOWN.

She was married to Henry LYGON. In the Nexus article, "Notable Kin," says, "by her was the great-grandfather of the Deighton sisters of Massachusetts--Katherine, wife of Samuel Hackburne, Gov. Thomas Dudley of Massachusetts Bay, and Rev. John Allyn; Frances, wife of Richard Williams of Taunton (forebears of a sizeable quantity of that town's colonial population)." Children were: Ellizabeth (Isabel) LYGON.
Source: http://www.mayflowerfamilies.com/cooke/d3.htm#P2035

Rebecca Nurse

Rebecca Nurse was the daughter of William Towne and Joanna Blessing.

The following information is taken from various web sources about the Towne Family. There is an association of the Towne Family with about 50,000 names listed. In addition, there is a Gen Forum page devoted to the Townes.

There seems to be disagreement with respect to the grandparents of Rebecca Towne Nurse, probably due to confusion about which William Towne was which. This was posted by Carrie Bodensteiner (http://genforum.familytreemaker.com/towne/messages/73.html): however there was a followup questionning the father of William Towne: "Are you sure of William Towne's parents? My notes show him as the son of either John Towne and Elizabeth Clarke or Richard Towne and Ann Denton, and I have not found anything that would show which lineage is the more reliable. If he is definitely the son of John and Elizabeth, I would like to know. " with a reply "From Vol XVII June 1997 ABOUT TOWNE Article entitled "Who Were William Towne's Parents Written by Jim Roome, Hist. indicates that Norfolk Record Office in Norwich, Eng. found an entry in the Parish Register for the St. Nicholas Parish Church of Yarmouth: "William jTowne, baptized 18th March 1598/99, son of John and Elizabeth. His marriage to Joanna and the baptism of six of their children are also recorded in the parish register."

However, Rebecca (Towne) Dubois noted that "William Towne (b. 21 May 1603) of St. Nicholas, Yarmouth, Norfolkshire, England. emigrated to America in about 1635. William was father of Rebecca Towne Nurse, Sarah Cloyes, and Mary Easty all of whom were convicted in the Salem witch trials of the 1690's. He was father of eight children. "


Descendants of John TOWNE:
1 John TOWNE 
. +Elizabeth CLARKE m: September 20, 1597 
....2 William TOWNE b: 1598 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, 
                    England d: June 24, 1673 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts 
..... +Joanna BLESSING b: 1599 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, , 
                       England m: April 20, 1620 in St. Nicholas church in
                       Yarmouth, England
                       d: 1682 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts 
                       Father: William BLYSSYNGE 
........3 Rebecca TOWNE b: 1622 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk,
                        England d: July 19, 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts,
                        hanged as a witch 
..........+Francis NURSE 
....... 3 Mary TOWNE b: 1634 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England 
                         d: September 22, 1692 in Gallows Hill, Salem,
                         Essex, Massachusetts (hanged as a witch) 
..........+Isaac ESTEY b: November 1627 in Freston, Suffolk, , 
                       England m: 1658 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk,
                       England d: 1711 in
                       Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts Father: Jeffrey
                       ESTEY 
                       Mother: Margaret PITT
............4 Isaac ESTEY b: Abt. 1656 in Topsfield, Essex, 
                          Massachusetts d: April 1714 in Lynn,
                          Massachusetts 
..............+Abigail KIMBALL b: March 22, 1666/67 in Ipswich, Essex, 
                               Massachusetts m: October 14, 1689 in
                               Topsfield, Essex,
                               Massachusetts d: February 12, 1760 in Reading, 
                               Middlesex Co., Massachusetts 
                               Father: John KIMBALL 
                               Mother: Mary JORDAN
................5 [2] Abigail ESTEY b: Abt.  January 08, 1692/93 d: 
                                    January 10, 1729/30 in of smallpox 
..................+[1] Joseph CUMMINGS b: Bef. January 26, 
                                       1689/90 in Topsfield, Essex County, 
                                       Massachusetts m: May 22, 1712 
                                       d: December 24, 1729 in of smallpox 
                                       Father: John CUMMINGS
                                       Mother: Susannah TOWNE
....................6 [3] Moses CUMMINGS b: October 09, 
                                              1726 in prob Massachusetts 
............. +[4] Esther ADAMS b: Abt. 1730 
                                             m: Aft.  November 02, 1754 
........3 Joseph TOWNE b: 1639 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts 
                       d: in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts 
......... +Phebe PERKINS b: 1644 Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts 
                         m: 1665 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts d: 1680 
                         Father: Thomas PERKINS Mother: Phebe GOULD
........... 4 Susannah TOWNE b: December 24, 1670 in Topsfield, Essex, 
                             Massachusetts d: September 13, 1766 in
                             Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts 
............. +John CUMMINGS b: June 07, 1666 in Topsfield, 
                             Essex Co, Massachusetts 
                             m: January 23, 1687/88 
                             d: Abt. June 1722 in Topsfield, Essex Co, 
                             Massachusetts Father: Isaac CUMMINGS
                             Mother: Mary ANDREWS
................5 [1] Joseph CUMMINGS b: Bef. January 26, 
                                      1689/90 in Topsfield, Essex County, 
                                      Massachusetts d: December 24,
                                      1729 in of smallpox 
................. +[2] Abigail ESTEY b: Abt.  January 08, 1692/93 
                                     m: May 22, 1712 d: January 10, 1729/30 
                                     in of smallpox
                                     Father: Isaac ESTEY
                                     Mother: Abigail KIMBALL
....................6 [3] Moses CUMMINGS b: October 09, 1726 
                                         in prob Massachusetts 
.......................+[4] Esther ADAMS b: Abt. 1730 
                                         m: Aft. November 02, 1754 
........3 Sarah TOWNE b: 1648 in Salem, Massachusetts 
......... +Peter CLOYSE


----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prepared as part of the history of the Scripps, Clark, Revelle, and Dougan families by William Revelle.
last updated April 2, 1999.
comments and corrections to William Revelle wr@revelle.net.

Source: http://www.revelle.net/revelle/revellehistory/Clark-Revelle/Towne.html

*****************************************************************************

(1) Rebecca Town Nurse (February 21, 1621-July 19, 1692) Rebecca Town was born and baptized in Yarmouth England and moved to Salem in 1632/1640. Her parents were William Towne and Joanna Blessing. (William Towne was either the son of John Towne and Elizabeth Clarke or Richard Towne and Ann Denton. For extensive links to the Towne Family as well as the Russells, see John Berry's pages.

The Nurse Homestead was in Danvers and is now a memorial to her, those killed with her, and the good citizens of Danvers and Salem who protested her slaying. She was hung as a witch following the Salem witch trials in 1692.

See the biography of Rebecca Nurse and a discussion of the Salem witch trials by Tapley: Charles Sutherland Tapley, Rebecca Nurse: Saint but witch victim. Marshall Jones, Boston, 1930. (reprinted 1993 by Danvers Alarm List Company, Danvers, Mass. and available from the Eastern National Parks and Monument Assoc. in Salem, Mass. There are a good deal of web pages devoted to Rebecca Nurse and her fellow victims. Among those are guides for students and genealogists. Among the most useful is the work of David L. Beckwith who has organized 5 generations of the Nurse family. Also see the web discussion of the Salem trials and Rebecca Nurse prepared by Allan Gilbertson who is descended from Francis Nurse II. A pseudo newspaper of old New England contains articles on Rebecca Nurse: the Tradgedy of Injustice as well as articles on the Salem Witch Trials.

A very extensive discussion of the trials, the accusations of the Towne sisters, and the aftermath of the trials may be found on pages developed by John Berry.

She married Francis Nurse (born, 18 January, 1618, Yarmouth, Bristol, England, who died in Salem, 22 November, 1695. He was "an early settler, and had lived for some forty years, 'near Skerry's,' on the North River, between the main part of the settlement in the town of Salem and the ferry to Beverly. He is described as a 'tray-maker.' The making of these articles and similar objects of domestic use was an important employment in a new country remote from foreign supply. He appears to have been a very respectable person, of great stability and energy of character; whose judgment was much relied on by his neighbors. No one is mentioned more frequently as umpire to settle disputes, or arbitrator to adjust conflicting claims. He was often on committees to determine boundaries or estimate valuations, or on local juries to lay out highways and assess damages. " David L. Beckwith

Their children were:

1. John, b. ca. 1645; d. 1719; m. (1st) Elizabeth Smith; m. (2nd) Elizabeth Very
2. Sarah,b 1648, m. Michael Bowden 15 Dec 1669
3. Rebecca, b. 1647; d. 1719; m. Thomas Preston
4. Samuel, b. ca. 1649; d. 1719/20; m. Mary Smith
5. Mary, b. 1655; m. John Tarbell
6. Elizabeth, b. Jan. 9, 1656/57; m. William Russell
7. Francis, b. Feb. 3, 1660/61; d. Feb. 5, 1715/16; m. Sarah Craggen
8. Benjamin, b. Jan. 26, 1665/1666; d. ca. 1748; m. Tamesin Smith


Source: http://www.revelle.net/revelle/revellehistory/Clark-Revelle/RebeccaNurse.html

*****************************************************************************

Rebecca Nurse
Rebecca (Towne) Nurse was baptized at Yarmouth, England, on February 21, 1621/22, the daughter of William Towne and Joanna Blessing. She came to Salem with her family in 1640.[1] In about 1645,[2] she married Francis Nurse, who was born in England between 1618 and 1620. Francis was a tray maker who probably also made other wooden household items. He was Salem's constable in 1672.

In 1692, the "black cloud of the witchcraft delusion descended upon Salem Village."[3] Rebecca was a 71-year-old invalid who had raised a family of eight children. The Nurse family had been involved in several land disputes which could have caused ill-feeling among some of the residents of Salem. Nevertheless, most of her contemporaries sympathized with her. The dignity and nobility of her character which she showed throughout the trials undoubtedly helped turn public opinion against the trials. Her story is well-known, and has been written in many historical and fictionalized accounts of the trials, including Arthur Miller's play The Crucible.

Soon after the first of the women had been accused of witchcraft, Rebecca Nurse discovered that her name had also been mentioned as a suspect. She is reported to have said "I am innocent as the child unborn, but surely, what sin hath God found out in me unrepented of that He should lay such an affliction on me in my old age."[4] On March 23 a warrant was issued for her arrest upon the complaint of Edward and John Putnam. (The Putnam family was among those that had been involved in land disputes with Rebecca and her husband.)

As in other cases, Rebecca's examination by judges was accompanied by "great noyses by the afflicted."[5] She repeated her assertion that she was innocent but was committed to the Salem jail. Needless to say, the procedure was a travesty of justice. Belief in witchcraft was widespread in New England at that time, but even in that climate it is surprising that convictions could occur as a result of hearsay, slander and hysteria.

Rebecca was indicted on June 2 and subjected to a physical examination by a jury of women. They found what a majority of them believed to be a mark of the devil -- although two of the women disagreed, saying the mark was due to natural causes. Rebecca asked that others examine her before she was brought to trial, but the request was denied.

Rebecca Nurse was tried on June 29, 1692. Her accusers included the four young girls who initiated the witchcraft hysteria in Salem, Rev. Parris and several members of the Putnam family. Rebecca's son, son-in-law and daughter-in -law spoke in her defense. In addition, some 40 members of Salem Village signed a declaration defending her character.

The jury at first returned a verdict of "not guilty." Some who had been accused confessed to practicing witchcraft in hopes that their death sentences would be dropped. One of these women, Goody Hobbs, had muttered "she is one of us." In light of this the judge asked that the verdict be reconsidered. When Rebecca was asked what Goody Hobbs had meant, she didn't answer. Later she said that she had not heard the question, as she was hard of hearing, and that "one of us" had meant that they were imprisoned together. The Governor granted a reprieve, but when Rebecca's accusers renewed their outcry it was withdrawn.[6]

On July 3, Rebecca Nurse was excommunicated -- "abandoned to the devil and eternally damned."[7] On July 19 she was driven in a cart with four other women to Gallows Hill where she was hanged. Tradition says that at midnight Francis Nurse, his sons and sons-in-law found Rebecca's body in the common grave where it had been flung and carried it home for a proper burial.[8]

One of Rebecca's sisters, Mary (Towne) Estey, was also hanged on charges of being a witch. The last of the executions in Salem took place in September 1692. In all, 20 people were put to death (including five men), and eight others died in jail.[9] The trials ended perhaps because too many people of good reputation had been accused.[10] By 1703 the General Court made payments to the heirs of the victims and 25 pounds was paid to the heirs of Rebecca Nurse. In 1706, Ann Putnam, one of the original four hysterical young women, made a written statement of remorse. She said that the devil had deceived her into accusing innocent people and mentioned "Goodwife Nurse" in particular.[11] In 1712 the pastor who had cast Rebecca out of the church formally cancelled the excommunication.[12]

Francis Nurse survived until November 22, 1695. The house where he and Rebecca lived still stands and is maintained by an historical society.

Children:
1. Rebecca, b. 1647; d. 1719; m. Thomas Preston
2. Sarah, m. Michael Bowden
3. John, b. ca. 1645; d. 1719; m. (1st) Elizabeth Smith; m. (2nd) Elizabeth Very
4. Samuel, b. ca. 1649; d. 1719/20; m. Mary Smith
5. Mary, b. 1655; m. John Tarbell
6. Elizabeth, b. Jan. 9, 1656/57; m. William Russell
7. Francis, b. Feb. 3, 1660/61; d. Feb. 5, 1715/16; m. Sarah Craggen
8. Benjamin, b. Jan. 26, 1665/1666; d. ca. 1748; m. Tamesin Smith


Source: http://www.wizard.net/~aldonna/rn.htm

*****************************************************************************

Links to Sites mentioning Rebecca Nurse: In-Memory of "Witches" Executed in Salem Village



William Town

Source: "History of Salem Massachuesetts" by author Sidney Perley.
Volume 1. Page 5. Printed 1924.


**William Towne married Joanna Blessing in St. Nicholas Parish church April 25, 1620; removed to Topsfield in 1652; died in 1673; she survived him; children: 1. Rebecca, baptized Feb. 21, 1621; married Francis Nurse; 2. John, baptized Feb. 16, 1623-4; died without issue; 3. Susanna, baptized Oct. 20, 1625; died without issue; 4. Edmund, baptized June 28, 1628; came to America, at the age of 9, as an apprentice to Henry Skerry of Salem on the ship Rose, which sailed from Great Yarmouth in 1637; lived in Topsfield; married Mary Browning; died in 1678; she died in 1717; had children.; 5. Jacob, baptized March 11, 1632; husbandman; married Catherine Symonds June 26, 1657; died Nov. 27, 1704; had children.; 6. Mary, baptized Aug. 24, 1634; married Isaac Estey; 7. Sarah, baptized Sept. 3, 1648; married, first, Edmund Bridges; second, Peter Cloyes; 8. Joseph, baptized Sept. 3, 1648; lived in Topsfield; married Phebe Perkins; died in 1713; she was his widow in 1715.


John Uriah Vining

VINING, John U., Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by Mike Miller

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Desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent
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Vining, John Uriah, of Amite, Tangipahoa parish, minister of the Baptist church, and clerk of the police jury, was born in Tangipahoa parish, Aug.16, 1861 son of the late James B. Vining, a native of Virginia, and Nancy (Bahm) Vining, of New Orleans. Mr. Vining received his education in parish schools, joined the Baptist church and became a minister. He is a member of the democratic party and has occupied tile positions of city treasurer, member of the town council, and has been clerk of the police jury since July, 1912. Mr. Vining was 3 times married. By the first marriage there were 2 children, Florence Ethel, now Mrs. S. W. Hoskins, and Lena Alma, now Mrs. L. Butler, both of New Orleans. The children born of the second marriage are: Gracie Marguerite, James F. Gordon, Edwin Johnston, Elva Dexter, Julia Ruth, Jno. Tilman, Aubrey Elliott. By his third marriage, Dec. 18, 1911, to Miss Annie Morgan, daughter of James and Melissa D. (Dugas) Morgan, of Hammond, La., 1 son, Theo. Underwood, was born.

Source: Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, volume 3, p. 743. Edited by Alc e Fortier, Lit. D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.

===================================
Copyright 1998 by Sandra McLellan

Source: ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/la/tangipahoa/biographies/vining.txt

******************************************************************

AMITE CITY CEMETERY, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisian
Submitted by Sandra McLellan

Donated to be put on the USGenWeb archives By:
Donald W. Johnson
29087 Weston Hano Roa
d Holden, La., 70744-6222
A big thanks to him for the Donation!


USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only.

AMITE CITY CEMETERY, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana Amite, Louisiana

4-583
Amelia D. Vining
b. Apr. 5, 1873 d. Mar. 1, 1911

4-582
John U. Vining
b. Aug. 16, 1861 d. May 14, 1928


Source: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ifetch2?/u1/data/la+index+20844146743851+F