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Salem Witch Trial Defendant. Born in Yarmouth, England, the daughter of Joanna Blessing and William Towne. The Towne family emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony between 1638 and 1640. They first settled in Northfields, then, in 1651, they moved to Topsfield. Around 1655, Mary wed Isaac Easty, a farmer and barrel maker; the couple had seven children. The family had in the past reportedly drawn the ire of the Putnam family, hence speculation as to why Mary her sisters Rebecca Towne Nurse, Sarah Towne Cloyce were all accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch hysteria, since Mary had a very good reputation in the village. She was examined on April 21, 1692, calmly pleading innocence. Magistrate John Hathorne even asked the plaintiffs if they were sure they had accused the right person. She was released on her own recognizance on May 18, and all of the accusers, except one, seemed willing to let their accusations ease off. The final accuser, however, went into fits and claimed Mary was trying to kill her. The accuser's fits did not ease until Mary had been returned to prison and placed in irons in a clear demonstration of the power of the accusers. From prison, she and her sister wrote a petition to the magistrates asking for a fair trial, and that the testimony of accusers be dismissed since 'spectral evidence' lacked legality. Their petition was disregarded, and she was convicted and sentenced to hang. A second petition pleaded that "no more innocent blood may be shed" and suggested court strategies to prohibit collusion between accusers. She was herself, however, hanged as a witch. In 1711, the colony passed a bill clearing her name, among others, and paid restitution of £20 to her family for her wrongful execution. In 1957, the state of Massachusetts formally apologized for the witch trials. Family links: Parents: William Towne (1598 - 1673) Joanna Blessing Towne (1595 - 1682) Spouse: Isaac Easty (1627 - 1712) Children: Joseph Estey (1658 - 1739)* Isaac Esty (1662 - 1714)* Hannah Esty Abbott (1667 - 1741)* Siblings: Rebecca Towne Nurse (1621 - 1692)* John Towne (1624 - ____)* Susan Towne (1625 - 1630)* Edmund Towne (1628 - 1678)* Jacob Towne (1631 - 1704)* Mary Towne Easty (1634 - 1692) Sarah Towne Clayes (1637 - 1703)* Joseph Towne (1639 - 1713)* Cause of death: Hanged Burial: Salem Witch Trials Memorial * Salem Essex County Massachusetts, USA Find A Grave Memorial# 8301
William B.
