Citegeist

Ocean-Born Mary & the Pirate’s Curse: Digging Up the Truth


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Ocean-Born Mary is one of New England’s most enduring ghost stories and folk tales about a child born at sea, pirates, and long lost pirate's treasure. In this episode of Citegeist, we trace the legend back to its earliest sources and follow how a real, historical figure named Mary Wallace was transformed into a paranormal celebrity tied to buried riches, the awakening of Lorraine Warren's psychic powers, and pirates...all at a place she (and pirates) never even lived. Like most episodes, we meet a cast of characters (namely Flora and Gussie Roy) that are more interesting than the ghost stories themselves...

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SOURCES

Babb Unabridged. 2024a. “Phillip Babb (1) and the Folktale of Ocean-Born Mary Fulton.” May 7. https://babbunabridged.com/2024/05/06/phillip-babb-1-and-the-folktale-of-ocean-born-mary-fulton/.

Babb Unabridged. 2024b. “Phillip Babb (1) Haunts Appledore!” May 10. https://babbunabridged.com/2024/05/09/phillip-babb-1-haunts-appledore/.

Billy, Chuck. 2020. “Beware the Pirate Ghost of Appledore.” Living with a Golden, October 13. https://livingwithagolden.com/beware-the-pirate-ghost-of-appledore/.

Carter, Pam. 2014. “My Maine Ancestry: 52 Ancestors #44 - Butcher Pirate and Ghost or Respected Fisherman.” My Maine Ancestry, October 25. https://mymaineancestry.blogspot.com/2014/10/52-ancestors-42-butcher-pirate-and.html.

dbboles. 2018. “Witches, Wizards, Ghosts, and Things That Go Bump in the Night.” The Genealogist’s Craft, October 28. https://bolesbooksblog.wordpress.com/tag/babb/.

D’Entremont, Jeremy. 2021. Ocean-Born Mary: The Truth Behind a New Hampshire Legend. American Legends. The History Press.

FrightFind. n.d. “The Haunted Ocean Born Mary House.” FrightFind. Accessed January 17, 2026. https://frightfind.com/ocean-born-mary-house/.

Geni_family_tree. 2022. “Phillip Babb.” April 26. https://www.geni.com/people/Phillip-Babb/6000000001744948008.

Holland, Samuel, and William Faden. 1784. A Topographical Map of the Province of New Hampshire. Printed for William Faden, January 1. G3740 1784 .H6. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C. 20540-4650 USA dcu. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3740.ar087300/.

Holzer, Hans. 1966. Yankee Ghosts. The Bobbs-Merill Company, Inc.

Jefferys, Thomas. 1755. A Map of the Most Inhabited Part of New England: Containing the Provinces of Massachusets Bay and New Hampshire, with the Colonies of Conecticut and Rhode Island, Divided into Counties and Townships: The Whole Composed from Actual Surveys and Its Situation Adjusted by Astronomical Observations. Thos. Jefferys. G3720 1755 .J42. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C. 20540-4650 USA dcu. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3720.ar079700/.

Klun, Kathleen A. n.d. “Historical Facts Versus Legend: A View ‘OCEAN BORN MARY.’” Tucker Free Library. https://www.tuckerfreelibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/OBMKlun.pdf.

N.H. Union Leader (Whittier). 1966. “Ocean Born Mary Descendant Wed Amid Family Traditions.” August 2.

Ocean Born Mary House, Route 202 Vicinty, Henniker, Merrimack County, NH. 1933a. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington,      D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print, HABS NH,7-HEN,2-. https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.nh0076.photos.

Ocean Born Mary House, Route 202 Vicinty, Henniker, Merrimack County, NH. 1933b. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington,      D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print, HABS NH,7-HEN,2-. https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.nh0076.photos.

Ocker, J. W. 2026. “Ocean-Born Mary in Henniker.” Atlas Obscura, January 13. http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ocean-born-mary.

Omaha Sunday Bee-New (Omaha, Nebraska). 1934. “Pirate Loot Guarded by Ghosts in Old Mansion.” December 16.

“Philip Babb II (1634-1671) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree.” 1634. April 6. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Babb-83.

“Phillip Babb (1608–1700).” n.d. Accessed January 10, 2026. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LJY3-1BS/phillip-babb-1608-1700.

Richmond, Robert P. 1963. “Ghost Keeper.” New Hampshire Profiles (New Hampshire), March. New Hampshire Historical Society.

Robinson, Dennis J. 2012. “Why I Hate Fake Pirates.” SeacoastNH.Com. https://www.seacoastnh.com/why-i-hate-fake-pirates/?showall=1.

Rojo, Heather Wilkinson. 2013. “Nutfield Genealogy: Ocean Born Mary ~ Born on Her Way to Londonderry, New Hampshire.” Nutfield Genealogy, October 10. https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/ocean-born-mary-born-on-her-way-to.html.

Scuton, Paul. 1958. “Stage Search Today for Buried Treasure.” Manchester Union Leader (Manchester, New Hampshire), September 20.

Szekler, Andrew. 2022. “Black Bart: The Most Successful Pirate of the Golden Age.” HubPages, November 8. https://discover.hubpages.com/education/The-Most-Successful-Pirate-of-the-Golden-Age.

Thaxter, Celia. 1870. “Among the Isles of Shoals: II.” The Atlantic, January 1. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1870/01/among-the-isles-of-shoals-ii/630863/.

Thaxter, Celia. 1873. Among the Isles of Shoals. With The Library of Congress. Boston, J. R. Osgood and company. http://archive.org/details/amongislesofshoa00thax.

The Most Famous House in New Hampshire | House for Sale - New England. 2017. Homes. April 17. https://newengland.com/today/famous-house-new-hampshire-house-sale/.

The Ogden Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah). 1930. “Hunting Pirate Treasure in New England’s Mystery House.” September 21.

TUCKERFREELIBRARY. 2015. Ocean Born Mary — Original Source Material – Tucker Free Library. December 11. https://www.tuckerfreelibrary.org/2015/12/11/ocean-born-mary-original-source-material/.

Whitney, Stephen T. 1963. “New Hampshire Profiles” Vol. 12, No. 3 (March 1963). Photograph.

Wikipedia. 2025. “Ulster Scots people.” November 24. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ulster_Scots_people&oldid=1323882429.

Wikipedia. 2026. “Ocean Born Mary.” January 29. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ocean_Born_Mary&oldid=1335447659.

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