Description and Background Information Rebecca Rawson was born into privilege in Boston on May 23, 1656, the ninth of twelve children of Edward and Rachel (née Perne) Rawson. Through her mother’s family she was related to the Hooker and Hawley families of New England. Described by her family as “one of the most beautiful, polite, and accomplished young ladies in Boston,” in July 1679 Rebecca married Lord Thomas Haile, the nephew of the lord chief justice of England. With her large dowry in tow, the newlyweds set sail from Boston...