Joseph Capen (1658–1725) was a

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

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 Topsfield is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,569 at the 2020 census. Topsfield is located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts. Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Topsf ...

, 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. 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. In addition to his annual salary, the town granted Capen 12 acres of "land & medow ic& swamp" where he built his parsonage house, known today as the

Parson Capen House The Parson Capen House is an historic house in Topsfield, Massachusetts, built in 1683. It has drawn attention as an example of early colonial architecture and because of its well-preserved condition by comparison with other contemporaneous ho ...

. Erected in 1683, this building has been preserved by the Topsfield Historical Society since 1913. It has been described by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government within the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of ...

as “a perfect specimen of a New England colonial residence ndalso of the English manor house in America.” During the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, a member of Capen's congregation,

Mary Eastey Mary Towne Eastey (also spelled Esty, Easty, Estey, Eastick, Eastie, or Estye) ( bap. August 24, 1634 – September 22, 1692) was a defendant in the Salem witch trials in colonial Massachusetts. She was executed by hanging in Salem in 1692 ...

, 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.

Footnotes

1658 births 1725 deaths American colonial clergy Massachusetts colonial-era clergy Harvard University alumni 17th-century Protestant religious leaders 18th-century Protestant religious leaders People from Topsfield, Massachusetts People of the Salem witch trials {{US-hist-stub