Person:Joseph Capen (1)

m. 20 Sep 1647
  1. Samuel Capen1648 - 1733
  2. Bernard Capen1650 - 1691
  3. Mary Capen1652 - 1678/79
  4. James Capen1654 - 1717/18
  5. Preserved Capen1656/57 - 1708
  6. Rev. Joseph Capen1658 - 1725
  7. Hannah Capen1662 -
m. 1684
  1. Priscilla Capen1685 - 1747
  2. Elizabeth Capen1691 - 1781
Facts and Events
Name Rev. Joseph Capen
Gender Male
Birth[1] 20 Dec 1658 Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts
Degree[1][2] 1677 Harvard College.
Residence? From 1683 to 1725 Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United StatesParson Capen House
Marriage 1684 to Priscilla Appleton
Death[1][3] 30 Jun 1725 Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
Burial[3] Pine Grove Cemetery, Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
Reference Number? Q6281979?


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Joseph Capen (1658–1725) was a Massachusetts clergyman. Capen was the son of John Capen of Dorchester, Massachusetts, by his second wife, Mary, the daughter of Samuel Bass of Braintree. Joseph Capen was a member of the class of 1677 at Harvard and was a minister in Topsfield, Massachusetts, from 1682 to his death in 1725. Capen moved to Topsfield, Massachusetts, in 1682 to become the minister of the Topsfield town church. He was ordained as the successor of Jeremiah Hobart in 1684.[1] His predecessors set his prospects low: two of the past three ministers were unable to collect their salaries, and one of them went on trial for intemperance. He had 7 children by his wife, Priscilla (1657–1743). After his death, Capen was succeeded by the minister John Emerson.[1]

In addition to his annual salary, the town granted Capen 12 acres of "land & medow [sic] & swamp" where he built his parsonage house, known today as the Parson Capen House. Erected in 1683, this building has been preserved by the Topsfield Historical Society since 1913. It has been described by the National Park Service as “a perfect specimen of a New England colonial residence [and] also of the English manor house in America.”

During the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, a member of Capen's congregation, Mary Eastey, was hanged for witchcraft. On July 8, 1703, Capen was among many other ministers who signed an address to the general court that asked to formally clear the names of the accused. Several eulogies written by Capen have also been preserved.[1]

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Joseph Capen. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
References
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862)
    1:333-334.

    JOHN, Dorchester, only s. of the first Bernard... by w. Mary, d. of Samuel Bass of Braintree, m. 20 Sept. 1647, he had ... Joseph, 20 Dec. 1658, bapt. 2 Jan. foll. H. C. 1677... JOSEPH, Topsfield, br. of the preced. ord. 11 June 1684, m. Priscilla, d. of John Appleton of Ipswich, had Priscilla, and sev. more ch. and d. 30 June 1725, the w. and sev. ds. surv.

  2. Joseph Capen, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Rev Joseph Capen, in Find A Grave.