Towne Family Celebrates Lineage at the House of the Seven Gables

It's not every day you get to meet historic blood.

Last weekend, descendants from the Towne sisters and brothers (tried as witches in 1692) held their annual meeting at the . The Towne Family Association brings members together from all over the United States and even some from Canada, to congregate in Salem every other year since 1971.

"The event was planned as an adventure, where we could collapse time upon itself and enter into the early 1600s as much as possible, shifting forward from there to the 1700s. I felt it was important for all to get a sense of those early years," says event coordinator Sarah Towne - di Cicco.

The Towne Family ancestry dates back as far as 1635 when William Towne first landed here in Salem from Great Yarmouth, England. A Destination Salem of its time was responsible for generating positive word of mouth overseas, highlighting the many rich aspects of Salem including its land, timber and game — particularly beaver. Lobster was plenty, but seen as the bottom feeders of the sea and was used for sheep and lamb feed (oh, how things have changed).

Years later, Salem’s notorious history began to unfold as the Witch Trial Hysteria took hold. Daughters of William Towne and Joanna Blessing were tried and executed in 1692. Rebecca Towne Nurse and sister Mary Towne Eastey shared the same fate, to be hung on . Their third sister, Sarah Cloyce, managed to escape to Framingham, and later exonerated both her sisters and herself. The accuser, Ann Putnam, admitted to falsifying her claims and the entire episode is now attributed to a land takeover plot.

The House of Seven Gables captures all of this history and more, providing an immersing experience for visitors interested in historic Salem. Through tours of preserved mansions, property and artifacts, in addition to dramatic reenactments and lectures, The House of Salem Gables remains an authority and perfect host for the Towne family descendants.

After all, “Salem is the seed of it all,” says curator Alan Collachicco, who has been taken by the family’s pride and educational curiosity about their family’s historic significance. “You can really see the resemblance,” he adds.

The Towne Family Association, a 500 member non-profit organization, was founded in 1989 and boasts a five member genealogy committee responsible for receiving and coordinating lineage research. The House of Seven Gables visit marked the kickoff to a week of ongoing events including visits to the Rebecca Nurse homestead in Danvers, the site of William Towne’s house in Toppsfield and other various events at the .

The Towne family will head to London next year, and return to Salem in 2014.