Ocean-Born Mary Fulton--A Family Folktale - Page 3
© Virginia Marin
Although still young and attractive enough to take her choice of husbands, Ocean-Born Mary accepted Captain Pedro's offer. The old pirate presented the mistress of his mansion with a coach-and-four in which she often rode with her boys over the mountain road to the village.
According to one account, Pedro was actually Phillip Babb, a buccaneer of the New England coast who had sailed under Captain William Kidd, the privateer. When Kidd, falsely accused of piracy and murder, was hanged in 1701, Babb turned to high sea robbery.
At his home near Henniker, life flowed smoothly for several years, till one day Captain Pedro returned from a trip with a huge wooden chest. Late that evening, with the help of one of his old crew members, he carried the chest out of the side door, into the yard. The sound of shovels broke through te quiet night. Then came the sudden groan of a man in agony, followed by silence.
The Captain returned to the house--alone!
About a year later Ocean-Born Mary came home to find the place empty. In the orchard she found the body of old Phillip, alias, Pedro the Pirate. That night in the light of flickering candles, Ocean-Born Mary carried out the captain's written wishes for his burial. With the help of others she raised a heavy eight by three foot slab of stone that rested in front of the huge kitchen hearth, and the body of Pedro was buried beneath it. Then the heavy hearthstone, with a hold drilled in the center, was lowered back into place where it remains to this day.
This is the story of Pedro the Pirate, said to have been my ancestor, Phillip Babb. And Mary's sons? They grew into manhood and all four fought in the American Revolution. Mary died on Februry 13, 1814 at ninety-four years of age, and is buried at Henniker, New Hampshire. She lived in the old pirate's home until her death, and legend has it that she still haunts the house which has been restored by Mr. and Mrs. L.M.A. Roy.
And the mysterious night digging? Well, according to the legend, Phillip buried a fortune in jewels, coins and gold on the
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