William Towne

Notes:

William Towne, son of John Towne, was baptized in the church at St. Nicholas, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England on March 18, 1598/9. He married Joanna Blessing/Blyssyne on April 25, 1620 in the same church in England.

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.

Administration was granted April 24, 1673 to "Johana" Towne on the estate of William Towne.

The estate of William Towne of Topsfield appears on Essex Probate Docket #27923

Admitted Jan. 17, 1682. Petition for settlement of the estate of William Towne who died 10 years before leaving no will, but left his estate in the hands of their mother which remained unsettled until her death. Now they desire that it be divided equally between the three sons: Edmund, Jacob and Joseph; and the moveables equally to the three daughters: Rebecka, Mary and Sarah. Signed by Mary, relict of Edmund Towne, Jacob Town, Joseph Towne, Francis "Nurs" consort of Rebeka, Mary Esty, and Sarah Bridges.

William married Joanna Blessing on 25 Apr 1620 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. Joanna was born on 3 Jun 1595 in Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk, England; died in 1682 in Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts; was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Salem Witch Trials Defendant. Convicted of practicing witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. In most cases, the bodies of those hanged or pressed were cast off into a shallow ditch, not deserving of a Christian burial due to the charge of witchcraft. However, the family of Rebecca Nurse, according to legend, got to her body, removed it from the ditch in Salem and possibly buried it in secret on the family farm in Salem Village (now Danvers, Massachusetts). Where, exactly, is lost to history. Several years after her execution, it was agreed that she had been innocent of being a witch.

Rebecca married Francis Nurse on 24 Aug 1644 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts. Francis was born on 18 Jan 1618 in Bristol, Somerset, England; died on 22 Nov 1695 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jacob married Katherine Symonds on 26 Jun 1657 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts. Katherine was born on 18 Apr 1630 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts; died on 27 Nov 1714 in Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Sarah was a victim and survivor of the Salem witchcraft hysteria of 1692. Her name may be indexed as Sarah Towne, Sarah Bridges, Sarah Clayes, Sarah Cloyce, Clayce, Cloys, etc. She is called Sarah Cloyce in Nathaniel Hawthorne's story "Young Goodman Brown."

A note about Sarah's surname. Before Sarah was tried for witchcraft, the surname was spelled as Cloyes, Cloyce, etc. After Sarah escaped a near-certain execution, she and her husband moved to Danforth's Farms, where they were known as Peter and Sarah Clayes. The Sarah Clayes house still stands in Framingham. This memorial honors the name the couple chose for themselves: Clayes.

Sarah's date of birth is sometimes given as 11 Jan 1637, but a primary source has not been identified, and the year of birth might be 1636. She was baptized at Salem on 3 Sep 1648. Her exact date of death is unknown, and her grave is not marked.

Witchcraft Allegations

"Then Sarah Cloyse asked for water, and sat down as one seized with a dying fainting fit, and several of the afflicted fell into fits, and some of them cried out, 'Oh! Her spirit is gone to prison to her sister Nurse!'"
—"The Witchcraft delusion of 1692," NEHGR v 24, p 396

Sarah Towne, wife of Peter Clayes, was wrongly accused of witchcraft at Salem in 1692, and imprisoned. She escaped execution and moved to Danforth's Farms (incorporated in 1700 as Framingham). Her sisters, Rebecca Towne Nurse and Mary Towne Estey, were wrongly convicted of witchcraft, and were hanged.

In 1692, Danforth's Farms was owned by Thomas Danforth, one of the magistrates who imprisoned Sarah and deputy governor under Simon Bradstreet. Some historians believe that Thomas Danforth invited Sarah and members of her family to settle on his land as a gesture of reparation.

The third of three indictments against Sarah Clayes (Cloyce):

Essex in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England ss// Anno RR's & Reginae Gulielmi & Mariae Angliae &c Quarto Annoq'e Domini 1692

The Jurors for our Sover' Lord and Lady the King & Queen doe present that Sarah Cloyce Wife of Peter Cloyce of Salem -- In the County of Essex Husbandman -- In & upon the Ninth Day of the Inst September -- In the yeare aforesaid and Divers other Days and times as well before as after Certaine Detestable arts called Witch-craft and Sorceries Wickedly Mallitiously and felloniously hath used practised and Exercised At and in the Towne of Salem in the County of Essex -- aforesaid in upon and against one Rebeckah Towne of Topsfeild in the County of Essex aforesaid Single Woman -- by which said Wicked Acts the said Rebeckah Towne the Day & yeare -- aforesaid and divers other Days and times both before and after was and is Tortured Aflicted Consumed Pined Wasted and Tormented, and also for sundry other acts of Witchcraft by the said Sarah Cloyce -- Comitted and done be fore and Since that time against the Peace of our Sov'rn Lord and Lady the King & Queen theire Crowne and Dignity and the forme of the Stattute In that case made and Provided.

(Reverse)
Ignoramus
*Robert Payne
foreman

(Suffolk Court Records Case No. 2677, p 8)

Sarah married Edmund Bridge on 11 Jan 1659 in Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts. Edmund was born in 1636; died on 24 Jun 1682. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sarah married Peter Clayes about 1683. Peter (son of John Cloyes and Abigail Mournings) was born on 27 May 1639 in Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts; died on 18 Jul 1708 in Framingham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Catherine married Elisha Perkins on 23 Feb 1679 in Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts. Elisha (son of Deacon Thomas Perkins and Phebe Gould) was born in 1656 in Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts; died on 18 Feb 1741 in Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts; was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mary married Captain John Swain on 1 Dec 1720 in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. John was born on 5 Aug 1698 in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts; died on 12 Jan 1774 in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts; was buried in Old Burying Ground, Wakefield, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Hephsibah Nurse on 11 Apr 1754 in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Hephsibah was born about 1713; died on 24 Oct 1800 in Winchester, Cheshire County, New Hampshire. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Elizabeth married Edward Flint in 1782. Edward (son of Captain Thomas Flint and Priscilla Porter) was born on 27 Apr 1748 in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts; died on 16 Jan 1814 in Strong, Franklin County, Maine; was buried in Hunter Cemetery, Strong, Franklin County, Maine. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Moses Morrell. Moses (son of John Morrell and Abigail Hodgdon) was born on 11 Dec 1796 in Maine; died on 11 Nov 1890 in Lake County, Ohio; was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Painesville, Lake County, Ohio. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Elizabeth Warren on 23 Feb 1845 in Lake County, Ohio. Elizabeth was born on 23 Apr 1828 in Ohio; died on 16 Sep 1911; was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Painesville, Lake County, Ohio. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Ethelyn married Charles Arthur Dinsmore on 11 Jun 1904 in Trumbull County, Ohio. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Isabelle married Herbert Michael Wallace on 8 Dec 1930 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. Herbert (son of Herbert Michael Wallace and Mary Emily Newsome) was born on 10 Sep 1908 in Bolton, Lancashire, England; was christened on 27 Sep 1908 in St. Edmund’s Church, Bolton, Lancashire, England; died in 1970; was buried in Hamburg Cemetery, Hamburg, Livingston County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Noreen married Darel Cloyd Hardesty on 16 Jul 1955 in Whitmore Lake, Livingston County, Michigan. Darel (son of Cloyd Hardesty and Eletha Blanche Mullen) was born on 25 Jul 1934 in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Michigan; died on 9 Apr 2024. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]