Ocean-Born Mary:: The Truth Behind a New Hampshire Legend

by Jeremy D'Entremont

Overview

Meet Mary, ocean-born and named by an infamous pirate. Her birth saved a group of Scottish immigrants aboard a ship bound for New England in 1720. Halfway through the gruelingvoyage, pirates intercepted and captured the vessel. Upon hearing a baby's cry, the pirate captain promised to spare the lives of all on board if the mother named her newborn Mary, allegedly after his beloved mother. The ship arrived safely in Massachusetts, and Mary lived most of her long life in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Discover the house in Henniker, New Hampshire, that Mary is said to haunt and where a pirate purportedly stashed his treasure. Join historian Jeremy D'Entremont as he separates the facts from the fantastic legends shrouding one of New England's most enduring folk tales.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609492397
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	07/19/2011
Series:	American Legends
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Jeremy D'Entremont is a writer, photographer and tour guide whose specialty is New England maritime history. He is the author of nine books, including The Lighthouses of Maine, Great Shipwrecks of the Maine Coast and The Lighthouse Handbook: New England. He's written more than three hundred articles on lighthouses and maritime history, and his photographs have appeared in countless books, magazines and calendars. He's the historian and president of the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses. He has appeared on the History Channel, public television, Travel Channel, Syfy Channel, WCVB-TV, WMUR-TV and has been heard on National Public Radio speaking about lighthouses and maritime history. His website on New England lighthouses, www.lighthouse.cc, was launched in 1997. Jeremy also offers tours based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; see www.newenglandlighthousetours.com. He has lectured on and narrated cruises all along the New England coast. He lives in Portsmouth with his wife, Charlotte Raczkowski, and their tuxedo cat, Evie.

Table of Contents

Preface 7

Once Upon a Time: A Legend Is Born 11

Some Historical Context 17

The Real Mary and Her Family 26

The Legend Grows 41

The Ocean-Born Mary Houses 49

Gussie Roy and the Selling of the Legend 59

The Henniker House: Haunted or Not? 83

The Pirate's True Identity 98

The Bottom Line 113

Appendix: "The Romance of 'Ocean Mary'" J. Warren Thyng 117

Selected Bibliography 121

About the Author 127