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| Birth: | 18 Jan 1617 in Yarmouth, Bristolshire, England |
| Death: | 22 Nov 1695 in Salem Village, Essex County, Massachusetts |
| Sex: | M |
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| Rebecca Towne (Wife) b. 13 Feb 1622 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolkshire, England
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| Marriage: | 24 AUG 1644 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts |
| Children: | |
 John Nurse b. 1645 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts
- Rebecca Nurse b. 1647 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts
 Sarah Nurse b. 1648 in Marblehead, Essex County, Massachusetts
- Samuel Nurse b. 1 Mar 1648 in Salem Village, Essex County, Massachusetts
- Michael Nurse b. 1651 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts
- Nathaniel Nurse b. 1651
- Mary Nurse b. 1655 in Salem Village, Essex County, Massachusetts
- Francis Nurse Jr. b. 3 Feb 1660 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts
- Sarah Nurse b. in Salem Village, Essex County, Massachusetts
- Elizabeth Nurse b. 2 Jan 1664 in Salem Village, Essex County, Massachusetts
- Benjamin Nurse b. 26 Jan 1665 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts
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Individual:
- 1640; Appeared in Salem, Massachusetts about age 19. He wasdescribed as a youth - indentured servant? The first mention ofhim in Salem, lightly crossed out in court records, probably bya sensitive descendant, is the presentment on March 31, 1640, of"Francis Nurse a youth for stealing of victualls and forsuspicion of breaking a house." (Records & Files of QuarterlyCourts of Essex County 1:16) = December 1642; Involved in suit against Emanuel Downing for"defamation". (Currents of Malice - McMillen) About 1645, Nurse married Rebcca Towne, and for the next 30years they lived in the more thickly settled part of Salem,"near Skerry's" not far from where the bridge now crosses toBeverley. By trade Nurse was a tray maker and artisan. Inaddition, he worked a small farm. (The Ancestry of Sarah Johnson1775-1824, Wife of Joseph Neal of Litchfield Maine) = February 1648; With Thomas Odingsells, to pay a fine or sit instocks for defaming Daniel Rea. (Currents of Malice - McMillen) November 1653; Being sued by Richard Waters for trespass andimpounding three cows and one heifer. (Currents of Malice -McMillen) 1654; Involved in slander suit versus Jonathan Porter and hiswife, Eunice. The court ruling in his favor, and "Eunice alsomade acknowledgement, which the court accepted". (Currents ofMalice - McMillen) = He was discharged from training in June 1656, which mayindicate some physical injury as he was much too young to beexcused from military service. (The Ancestry of Sarah Johnson1775-1824, Wife of Joseph Neal of Litchfield Maine) 1664: The town granted him 20 acres. March 1672; With Bartholomew Gedney and Samuel Gardner appointedby town to "inquire what land there was about the Farms, that itmight be improved to pay Mr. Higginson's debts" (Salem'sminister). It might have been at this time that he found OrchardFarm to purchase from the absentee landlord, Mr. Allen ofBoston. (Currents of Malice - McMillen) = 1677; Samuel Southwick chose Nurse to be his guardian. 1678; He and three of his sons took the Fidelity Oath. Michael Bowden, Nurse's son-in-law lived on a farm in Marbleheadwhich he rented from Capt. James Smith, and in 1678 he suedSmith for a debt which he claimed was owed him by Smith's wife,Mary who managed her husband's affairs when he was absent. MarySmith testified that when Bowden came to Boston to settle,Francis Nurse was with him and said, "I Protest, Michell, thewoman speaks nothing but reason and you must Recktify things,"(Ibid. VII:119). April 29, 1678; Bought the Bishop Farm from Rev. James Allen,minister of the first church in Boston and moved from Salem Townto Salem Village (Danvers). The purchase price was 400 pounds,for which he put not a penny down. It is unsure how he was ableto come into possession of this valuable property. (Currents ofMalice - McMillen) - The first settlers of Salem built up a compact town at theharbor and between the North and South rivers, but within thebounds of the township, toward the northwest, there were severalthousand acres of heavily wooded land, and there in the 1630s,the General Court made large grants of several thousand acreseach to the most prominent political and clerical figures in thecolony. One such grant of 300 acres was made on 11 Jan., 1636,to Mr. Townsend Bishop who represented Salem in the GeneralCourts. During his ownership he cut timber, laid out gardens andorchards and built a large house that is still standing. In1641, he sold his estate to Henry Chickering, and left theprovince. Chickering kept the property until 1648, when he soldit to Gov. John Endicott for 160 pounds. He give(sic) it to son,John, for a wedding present. John Endicott, Jr. died childlessin 1668. She married Rev. James Allen of Boston's First Church,six months later. She died in 1673 and left Allen the Bishopfarm. This chain of title is of interest to us because on 29April 1678, Francis Nurse, and artisan, bought the great Bishopfarm for the large sum of 400 pounds. The terms of the purchasewere unusual for that time. The 400 pounds were not to be paiduntil 21 years had passed, but in the meantime, he ws to pay arental of 7 pounds fro each of the first twelve years and 10pounds for each of the remaining years. However, if any part ofthe principal sum should be paid before the expiration of the 21years, a proportionate part of the farm was to be free from allobligation to Allen and vest in Nurse. These terms were valuableto Nurse and before half the time had elapsed, a value wascreated equal to discharging the whole sum due to Allen. Nursegave a bond, recorded in Suffolk County, reciting these terms,and Allen gave a warranty deed. About this same time ZerubabelEndicott, the governor's youngest son, a disappointed andembittered man because his brother's widow had left the Bishopfarm on her death to her new husband, Rev. Allen, entered aclaim to a part of the farm and sued Nurse for trespass, andfiled suit against Allen. Suit followed suit and appeal followedappeal. "It was one of the most memorable and obstinatelycontested land controversies known to our courts." It was notuntil the General Court had handed down two decisions in Allen'sfavor, and the death of Endicott in 1683, that peace wasrestored. (About Towne, Quarterly Newsletter of the Towne FamilyAssociation, Vol XIX, No. 2 April, May, June 1999) = June 8, 1678; Much dispute and legal battle ensued over theboundaries of Orchard Farm (the Bishop place). = The property which adjoined the model farm called "OrchardFarm", was originally a grant of three hundred acres made by theGeneral Court to Townsend Bishop in 1636. It was sold toChickering in 1641. He sold it to his son John, who died withoutissue, leaving it to his widow in these terms... and whereas Iforsook all other women and joined myself in marriage untoElizabeth my dear wife and so we twain became one flesh, and shehaving always carried herself a loving, helpful and patient wifeunto me, I do give her... all my whole estate..." There waslitigation about the grant of the property to John Endicott'swidow, but once the General Court had decided in her favor,troubles had barely begun. The piece of land was supposed toequal three hundred acres, but there was confusion about theboundaries. The plaintiff in the case was the brother of JohnEndicott. Jr., and owner of the adjoining "Orchard Farm",Zerubabel Endicott... It was, as in many cases, a matter ofoverlapping grants, and soon after Francis Nurse came intopossession of the property, conflicts escalated. Trespass wascomplained of, suit followed coutersuit, and one of the mostobstinately contested and confusing court cases in the BayColony was underway...Nathaniel Putnam who acted as legalcounsel in the cases, had property on both sides of the land inquestion." The court decision would affect all three partiesinvolved. (Currents of Malice - Persis W. McMillen) "Mr Zerubabel Endicott, heir and administrator of the estate ofJohn Endicott, Esquire v. Francis Nurse. Defendant owned that hecut wood upon his land he bought of Mr. Allen, which Mr.Endicott laid claim to and that he carried away the wood. Vedictfor plaintiff. Appealed to the next court of Assistants. FrancisNurse bound with Mr. Richard Calicot and Nathaniel Putnam assureties" Francis Nurse is shown here in league with his nextdoor neighbor Nathaniel Putnam, and he thus appeared all along.After various trials in the local courts, the case was carriedto the General Court in Boston, and was finally settled in 1683,against Endicott. The new property line for the Nurse estate ran"up to the rocks" near Endicott's dwelling house, and well into"Orchard Farm". Although before this settlement, the GeneralCourt had expressly forbidden Endicott to strip the Nurseproperty of trees, he had ordered his hired mend to cut and workup timber on the land. Putnam retaliated by having the timberremoved and placed by his house. A regular battle ensued, withEndicott's men and some of his neighbors cutting and loading uptheir teams with wood, and Francis Nurse and his sons in law,Thomas Preston and John Tarbell, pitching it off. Endicott hadno legal right there, as Nurse was in possession and bound tokeep the land from being stripped. The case was still beingcontested into the 1690s between the Nurse connection and thesons and heirs of Zerubabel Endicott. Nathaniel Putnam testifiedthat the section of property under dispute rightfully belongedto the Nurse family, while many other local inhabitants spoke onthe opposite side. In general the local courts decided againstNurse and Putnam, whose interest coincided in this particular,and for the Endicotts. The General Court in Boston however,favored Nurse and Putnam. This controversy was one of the manymeans of stirring up animosities in Salem Village, the wholecommunity having been involved in the strife for many years. Itmay as well have caused hostile feelings against the Nurses.That a man who, for forty years, had been known as a smallfarmer and tradesman in nearby Salem Town, should have come intopossession of such a property, certainly aroused feelings ofenvy and jealousy amongst some of the villagers. How he cameinto possession remains a mystery. Even after Francis' death,long after his mortgage had been paid off and he had distributedhis estate among his descendants, his place is mentioned indeeds as "the farm which Mr. Allen, of Boston, let to theNurses, " or simply "Mr. Allen's Farm". " (Currents of Malice -Persis W. McMillen) "The history of the place is this: TownsendBishop, on Jan 16 1636, received a grant of 300 acres of land inthe Village. On this he built a substantial house. That house isstanding today and is the widely known Rebecca Nurse house. Itsidentity is proved beyond question by documentary evidence.Bishop sold the estate in 1641 to Henry Chickering who in turnsold it to Governor Endicott in 1648 for 160#. Endicott gave thefarm to his son John in 1653, but did not execute the deed until1662. The governor died in 1665, and a lawsuit followed over thewill. It was finally settled by the general court in favor ofyoung John and his wife. John died in 1668, and his widowmarried in August of that year, Rev. James Allen, a minister ofthe First Church in Boston. She died in 1673 and thus the Bishopfarm became the property of Allen, who sold it to Nurse in 1678for 400#. Nurse was to have 21 years in which to pay for theproperty." "The first trouble appears to have come to thisfamily (Francis & Rebecca Nurse) soon after the purchase of theBishop farm. Allen had guaranteed the title. He was soon calledupon to defend it against the claims of Zerubabel Endicott, whoclaimed a boundary line to the Endicott possessions that pushedback the eastern bounds of the Bishop farm. The controversy wasa long one, going finally to the General Court for settlement.It was decided against Endicott." (Witchcraft in Salem Villageby Winfield S. Nevins pp 114, 172, 212, 232) 1678; "Edmund Bridges was involved in 1678 in a court case witha powerful Salem merchant, Mr. Edmund Batter... The character ofEdmund Batter is described by Bernard Bailyn as "extraordinaryin it's brutality..." Edmund Bridges sued Batter for defamationof character for : "saying that (the said Bridges) was theleader of a factious company in Salem and that it was theirdesign to overthrow all order and government in the town ofSalem, and also for saying that the plaintiff was the caus ofall trouble in Salem." Bridges relations and some others came tohis defense. Francis Nurse, a brother in law, and Isaac Cooke,deposed that in a public town meeting in the past spring, theyhad heard Batter make these charges. Jacob Towne, anotherbrother in law, and John Hobb, testified that fifteen yearsearlier 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.Theyalso said that he had taken the required oath of fidelitytwelve years earlier. Thomas Preston, a son in law of Rebeccaand Francis Nurse and therefore another relative of Bridges,testified that he had heard Batter say that Edmund Bridges wasthe ringleader of the opposing company. He further deposed that,as he was generally at town meetings, he had never heard Bridgesspeak before he asked leave of the moderator. Bridges had toldPreston that he wished to prevent disorder at the meetings." Theopposing side was a powerful group of elites, and the judges aswell. The court ruled against Bridges and imposed a fine of twopounds, five shillings and eighpence to be paid to Batter."(Currents of Malice - Persis W. McMillen) 1682; Appointed administrator of the estate of Edmund Bridges,Sr., whose widow was the sister of Rebecca Nurse. November 15, 1688; On committee to select and secure a minister.Examining Samuel Parris. (Salem Witchcraft) Francis Nurse oncommittee with Joshua Rea and John Putnam, Sr., to discuss anappointment as minister with Rev. Samuel Paris of Boston.(Currents of Malice - Persis W. McMillen) 1691; Family absenting themselves from church. (SalemWitchcraft) 1691; Member of Village committee - anti - Parris group. (TheDevil Discovered) October 16, 1691; On committee to inform Samuel Parris of theirdissatisfaction with his ministerial duties. (Salem Witchcraft) November 2, 1691; "The Town-meeting about, or at, 16, Octoberlast: Jos: Porter, Jos: Hutchinson, Jos: Putnam, Dan: Andrews,Francis Nurse." (Danvers Church Records) December 27, 1692; Daniel Andrew, Francis Nurse, and others oncommittee were charged with not having 'raised the ministersrate' for 1691 and all of 1692. All were opposed to Rev. Parris.A new committee was chosen. (Currents of Malice - Persis W.McMillen) April 14, 1693; Samuel Nurse, John Tarbell, Francis Nurse andThomas Wilkins with Joseph Hutchinson, Sr., went again to Rev.Parris' house to discuss their displeasure with him as minister.Parris did not have time to discourse with them that day so theymet again on 4/20. On this date they were unable to come to anagreement so they met again the following morning. On 4/30Parris brought out the complaints against him in open church andset up a meeting to allow the 'dissenters' (who were nownon-church members) to speak to his bretheran of theircomplaints against him. This meeting took place on 5/18/1693without an agreement made between the parties. Matters reachedsuch an impasse by midsummer that forty-nine of the Salemvillagers addressed a petition to Governor Phips about thenon-settlement of their differences and the wish for impartialcitizens to decide the fate of their minister. The petition wassigned those who were most injured by the witchcraft trials andincluded Peter Cloyes, John Tarbell, Thomas Wilkins, SamuelNurse, Thomas Preston, and Daniel Andrew. In October ministersfrom neighboring towns got involved in the dispute and met withsome of the dissenters as well as Rev. Parris. On 11/5 anothermeeting was scheduled with message to Tarbell and Nurse toinform Peter Cloyes "if he be not too remote". On 11/13/1693 thegroup met again, including Peter Cloyes, their petition was tocall in an outside counsel. This airing of grievance by the twoopposing factions continued until 10/11/1696 when Parris lefttown. (Currents of Malice - Persis W. McMillen) December 04, 1694, gave homestead and property to children He was Salem's constable in 1672; served on trial juries in1673, 1674 (twice), 1675, 1677, 1678, 1679, 1681, and 1683; andon grand juries in 1671 and 1672.
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Individuals from other files that are believed to be the same person:
 Francis Nurse | of The Ancestry of Franklin Dolbel Riding |
| Francis Nurse | of Coralynn's Eng>New Eng Lineage |
| Francis Nurse | of Thomas_GEDCOM_6-06 |
| Francis NURSE | of Ronald S Cook Family Ancestors |
| Francis Nurse | of nickmel |
| Francis Nurse | of Rains/Watters/Sawyer and beyond |
| Francis Nurse | of Rains/Watters/Sawyer and beyond |
| Francis Nurse | of Stocking Family Tree |
| Francis Nurse | of Cole Family |
| Francis Nurse | of YOUNG WILSON CORBIN CRANMER |
| Francis Nurse | of Watson, Early, Bradford, McFarland |
| Francis Nurse Sr | of feb05min.ged |
| Francis Nurse | of Ancestors of William Churchill |
| Francis Nurse | of Pages from the Paige family tree |
| Francis Nurse | of Truscott-2007 |
| Francis Nurse | of Rowenas line |
| Francis NURSE | of Garman.GED |
| Francis Nurse | of K&K |
| Francis Nurse | of Jim Boruff's Lines |
| Francis Nurse | of Oliver_Davis_Ruth_Walsh_8 |
| FRANCIS NURSE | of All my kin |
| FRANCIS NURSE | of All My Kin |
| FRANCIS NURSE | of Relations Plus |
| FRANCIS NURSE | of All2007 |
| Francis Nurse | of McKelvey Tree Top |
| Francis Nurse | of Bean-Lowery Family |
| Francis Nurse | of My Ancestral Lineage |
| Francis NURSE | of MichaelLowry |
| Francis Nurse | of Coakes History |
| Francis NURSE | of Ancestors of Kathy Alvis Patterson |
| Francis NURSE The Immigrant | of BarnesDavisWrightWeeksBivins |
| Francis Nurse | of Toy/Lapp Family |
| Francis Nurse | of Decker Ancestors |
| Francis Nurse | of Ancestors of Ellen Marie Ashton |
| Francis NURSE | of Papers |
| Francis NURSE | of Huffaker & Winn Tree |
| Francis Nurse | of The Benjamin Bull Connection |
| francis nurse | of tasmanian batchler family |
| Francis Nurse | of Ancestral Trees in the Forest |
| Francis Nurse | of Meddock, Cady, Howard, Rich, Still Etc. |
| Francis Nurse | of Stratton1 |
| Francis Nurse | of Bemis-Burrows Ancestry |
| Francis ( Nourse) Nurse | of McCrorey and Pence families |
| Francis Nurse | of Tarble/Tarbell of Wilson H. Tarble |
| Francis Nurse | of Gladwynne's Webb |
| Francis Nurse | of Family History of Michael Watkins |
| Francis NURSE | of Prentice/Potter/Semeyn/Cook |
| Francis NURSE | of paternal side of my family |
| Francis NURSE | of HODGE Descendency |
| Francis Nurse | of Robertson family |
| Francis Nurse | of Kin of Manassah Pike |
| Francis Nurse | of Family of Leon Barton |
| Francis NURSE | of kelley-atwood |
| Francis Nurse | of My Family |
| Francis Nurse | of Richardson Bartlett Glines Penley |
| Francis NURSE | of Ancestors of Shannon Ritter |
| Francis NURSE Sr. ("the Immigrant") | of Ancestors of Malu Del McDonald |
| Francis Nurse | of King, Ferrall,Cusack, Rivinius, Hart |
| Francis Nurse | of My growing family |
| Francis NURSE | of Lance |
| Francis NURSE | of Thompson and Winder Families |
| Francis NURSE | of The Moore Family |
| Francis Nurse | of Rigsby Family Tree |
| Francis Nurse | of Platt Family File |
| FRANCIS NURSE | of Gleason |
| Francis Nurse | of Genealogy of Megan Montgomery |
| Francis Nurse | of April 27 File |
| Francis NURSE | of Ancestors of |
| Francis Nurse | of Dunbar Wilkins |
| Francis Nurse | of Gordons and Dorrs of Maine |
| Francis NURSE | of stoneward |
| Francis Nurse | of Behmer Simmonds Long Davis |
| Francis Nurse | of 2007gedcom |
| Francis Nurse | of kempe_to_kemp |
| Francis NURSE | of Elkins and Woodsmall families |
| Francis Nurse | of Michael & Maria Olsen Family 12-10-2005 |
| Francis Nurse | of Warner Ledwedge File |
| Francis Nurse | of My Grangers and Many More! |
| Francis Nurse | of Paulding County Cousins |
| Francis Nurse | of Ancestors of M. Fenimore |
| Francis Nurse | of ancestors of William Groth |
| Francis Nurse | of ancestors of Virginia Ryan |
| Francis Nurse | of ancestors ofTed Stoltenberg |
| Francis Nurse | of GILMOR, Evalyn K. Ancestors |
| Francis Nurse | of Genealogy of Thomas H. Moody |
| Francis Nurse | of Antique family |
| francis nurse | of smith family |
| Francis NURSE | of Thomas Tarbell |
| Francis Nurse | of Grills02 |
| Francis Nurse | of Brockway/Nephew Line |
| Francis* Nurse | of Family Tree of Frank E. Masland IV |
| Francis Nurse | of Verona Island Maine |
| Francis Nurse | of Ingram3 |
| Francis Nurse | of Marshall-ChartierLineage |
| Francis Nurse | of Ward and Meacham |
| Francis T. Nurse | of My working file/Carnahan, Dudley, Eacret |
| Francis T. Nurse | of My working file/Carnahan, Dudley, Eacret |
| Francis Nurse | of Ancesters of Amanda Watson |
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