Nathaniel Felton
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Nathaniel Felton (May 15, 1615 – July 30, 1705) was a landowner in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...
. He served as a juryman, grand juryman, constable, Ensign, and Lieutenant. He was the son of John Felton (1585–1627) and Ellen Thrower (1588–1652). His home was among the first built in what is now
Peabody, Massachusetts Peabody () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States census. Peabody is located in the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known ...
. Together with the home of his son, Nathaniel Felton Jr., the pair of houses became known as the Nathaniel Felton Houses. He is known for his role in the drafting and, along with his wife, being the first to sign a petition in support of John Proctor.


Early life

Nathaniel Felton was born in
Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...
, England. He emigrated from England in 1633 with his mother during the Puritan migration to New England. Nathaniel Felton is considered to be the first ancestor of the "Northern line of Feltons" to arrive in the American colonies, settling in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...
.


Salem Witch Trials

Nathaniel Felton's name is found on two petitions of support for individuals accused of
witchcraft Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...
during the
Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Not everyone wh ...
. The first was that of
Rebecca Nurse Rebecca Nurse (née Towne; February 13, 1621 – July 19, 1692) was a woman who was accused of witchcraft and executed by hanging in New England during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. She was fully exonerated fewer than twenty years later. She ...
, who was arrested in 1692. His name appears on a list of 39 Salem residents who signed a petition in her defense. Fellow signatory, John Proctor was then also accused of witchcraft. Subsequently, Nathaniel and several other neighbors drafted and signed a petition in support of John Proctor. The petition proved unsuccessful and John Proctor was executed upon the conclusion of his trial.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Felton, Nathaniel 1615 births 1705 deaths Government officials in the Salem witch trials People from Great Yarmouth Felton family