Rebecca Rawson

1656 - 1692  (36 years)

• Name	Rebecca Rawson
  Born	23 May 1656	Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States
  Gender	Female
  Buried	May 1692
  Died	26 May 1692
  Person ID	I3989	Wagner-Thomas | Hallmark
  Last Modified	11 Jan 2014

  
  

  Father	Edward Rawson,   b. 16 Apr 1615, Gillingham, Dorset, England, United Kingdom ,   d. 27 Aug 1693, Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States  (Age 78 years)
  Mother	Rachel Perne,   b. Abt 1619, Gillingham, Dorset, England, United Kingdom ,   d. 11 Oct 1677  (Age ~ 58 years)
  Married	Bef 1634
  Family ID	F1329	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 23 May 1656 - Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  BIR,MG: Family Group Record: "Rawson Family Memorials pg 8-9, Braintree Town records pp 674-676, Mass W 1 Vol 7, pp 4, Utah Gen Archives", submit by Lois Owen Chapman from pg 215 Rawson Gen Book-copy of Pam Hallmark Wagner. Married Thomas Rumsey 1 Jul 1679. NOTES: The Life of Rebecca Rawson, found on page 279 of Rawson-Coffin Family History: Rebecca was the 9th chold of Edward Rawson and is a heroine of a romantic story. Born in 1656 and having been fondly nurture and carefully educated, she was pronounced by her contemporaries one of the most beautiful, polite and accomplished young ladies in Boston. She is represented as being rather tall, genteel in person and graceful in manner, with a "pleasant wit." She was greatly admired by the young men of family and distinction in the Province. Of loving and generous disposition, often lifting her hand to relieve those in want or distress, a young man of quite respectable appearance and pleasing address made her acquaintance under the assumed name of Sir Thomas Hales, Jr., and represented that he was a nephew of Lord Chief Justice Hale of England, whence he recently came. Her family were inclined to place confidence in him, and thus he won the love and respect of this most estimable young woman. They were married in 1679, and being handsomely furnished, embarked for England. Anxious to get ashore, they left their trunks aboard and spent the first night at an inn, and the next at the house of some relatives. Early the next morning, he arose, took the keys, telling her he would go down to the vessel and have the trunks sent up in time for her to dress for dinner. The trunks came, and she waited patiently for him to come with the keys until 2:00 in the afternoon. Breaking open the trunks, she found herself completely stripped of everything. He had taken all articles of value out of the trunks, filling them with worthless trash. Her kinsman ordered his carriage, and she went to where they had rested the first night. She inquired for Sir Thomas Hale, Jr, but was told he had not been there for days. She said she was sure he was there the night before. They said Thomas Rumsey had been there witha young lady, but was gone to his wife in Canterbury; and she never saw him afterwards. What a pang of anguish struck to the heart of this young wife, as she at a glance looked over the situation. Her cup of joy was suddenly dashed to earth. This man had deceived her and her family and acted the part of a villain. She also may have felt remorse at the disgrace she had brought upon her family in choosing him. During a residence of 13 yrs in England, following her abandonment, she learned many curious arts, such as painting on glass, etc. and by her ingenuity and industry procured a genteel sugsistence for herself and child. Her pride did not allow her to be dependent upon her friends for support. Finally, almost after numberless urgent solicitations and entreaties from her father and other friends in New England to return home, she decided to do so and took passage with one of her uncles in a vessel belonging to him, bound for Boston by the way of Port Rayal in Jamaica. She left behind her child in the care of a sister who had no children and desired to keep it. They arrived safely at Port Royal, but after a few days' delay, when about to set sail thence for Boston, the ship was swallowed up, with its passengers and crew, on the morning of the great earthquake, 9 June 1692, which is said to have destroyed all the shipping in the harbor as well as a portion of the town itself. Her uncle, who happened to be on shore at the time, engaged in the settlement of his accounts, was the only person saved out of the entire ship's company to divulge the sadnew of the fate of this most accomplished and talented woman. John G Wittier published a book in 1849, entitled "Leaves from Margaret Smith's Journal, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay," in which Rebecca and her father fill prominent parts.