Joseph Capen was a Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 clergyman. Capen was the son of John Capen of Dorchester, Massachusetts

Dorchester, Massachusetts

Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...

, by his second wife, Mary, the daughter of Samuel Bass of Braintree. Joseph Capen was a member of the class of 1677 at Harvard

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

 and was a minister in Topsfield, Massachusetts

Topsfield, Massachusetts

Topsfield is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,085 at the 2010 census.Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Topsfield.-Colonial period:...

, 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 [sic] & swamp" where he built his parsonage house, known today as the Parson Capen House

Parson Capen House

The Parson Capen House is a historic house in Topsfield, Massachusetts that was built in the late 17th century. It has drawn attention as an example of early colonial architecture and due to its well preserved condition compared to other houses built at that time.-History:The Capen house was built...

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

National Park Service

The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...

 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

Mary Eastey

Mary Towne Eastey was a victim of the Salem witch trials of 1692...

, was hanged for witchcraft. On July 8th 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.

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