The Legend of Ocean Born Mary | Could Truth be Stranger than Fiction?
The legend of Ocean Born Mary was a splendid story, complete with hauntings, pirates, and the promise of buried treasure in a sleepy New Hampshire town.
By Bethany Bourgault|Jan 19 2022|
Mary is buried next to her son, William.
Photo Credit: Bethany BourgaultThe legend of Ocean Born Mary was a splendid story, complete with house hauntings, ghostly pirates, and the promise of buried treasure in a sleepy New Hampshire town. Splendid while it lasted, of course. Unfortunately for paranormal enthusiasts and storytellers, it has since been debunked. But could its origins actually be stranger than fiction? Let’s head to Henniker, New Hampshire, to learn more.
Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault
Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault
Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault
“Ocean Born Mary,” as she was called, was actually a pleasant woman named Mary Wallace. Born to Scotch-Irish immigrants in late July 1720, she led a perfectly normal life – albeit after a not-so-normal birth.
Her mother went into labor while still aboard the ship carrying her and her husband to America. She gave birth to a baby girl off the coast of Boston, Massachusetts. That same day, however, pirates captured their ship, launching a full-fledged attack on the crew and passengers. Upon hearing the cry of a newborn child, the pirate captain halted the attack and requested a meeting with the child and her family. Being so moved, as legend holds, by seeing the child, he proposed that he would set all of the captives free if the baby would bear the name “Mary” in honor of one of his relatives. Of course, the mother agreed, and the pirate presented her with a length of green silk to be made into a dress for the child’s wedding day.
Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault
Mary grew up in Londonderry, NH, where she eventually got married (wearing the silk, of course) and had five children. Three of her sons settled in Henniker, NH, and Mary spent the last 16 years of her life living with one of her sons there. However, when a Wisconsin man by the name of Mr. Louis Roy came to Henniker looking for a house with a story, he found and moved into one of her other sons’ homes. Over time, Mr. Roy spun fantastical (and profitable) tales of hauntings and legends, and truth began to muddle in fiction.
Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault
Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault
Roy told paying visitors that Ocean Born Mary lived in the house and could still be seen rocking in her rocking chair (which wasn’t actually hers). Amateur ghost hunters soaked up tales of Mary’s (fictional) love affair/marriage/employment (depending on the day) with the pirate that spared her life (who never came close to New Hampshire). Tourists and treasure-seekers alike paid 50 cents apiece to rent shovels and dig for the pirate’s (who, again, never set foot in New Hampshire) treasure, which was (not) buried in the orchard. Mary herself is (not) buried under the house’s very hearthstone! Business boomed, and a legend was born.
Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault
Mr. Roy no longer lives at the house – he sold it in 1961 and died in 1965. Unfortunately for the new owners, though, the legend didn’t die with him. Amateur ghost hunters, supernaturalists, paranormal enthusiasts, and treasure hunters still knock on the door and trespass on the property. The owners have gone to great lengths to publicly expose the truth of the legend to little avail.
Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault
Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault
I guess we can be glad that there are no ghostly pirates roaming places they never saw in real life, but something still seems fishy. Perhaps it’s the ghost of Mr. Roy that Henniker should be worried about – he, at least, is actually buried on the property.
What do you think?
This post was first published in 2015 and has been updated.
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Nice job, Bethany. Loved the article.
Thank you for such a wonderful tale. I have not heard about Ocean Born Mary before it must be a local legendVery interesting and a good read!! 🙂
Well done! Lovely tale, well researched and written!
great story Bethany,I wonder if there is a book about Ocean Born Mary ! Very interesting!! Thank you !
Sad isn’t it? Even when the facts are presented to them, some fools refuse to believe it.
Interesting article – thanks! Next, go to Bucksport Maine and check out the Witch’s Grave…
Hello all, can anyone tell me the when this original article was published in the Yankee Magazine? I remember reading it as a young child.
Hi Michael,
While Yankee has covered Ocean Born Mary in the past, this particular article was written this year.
Hi Brenda, I am trying to find the original copy of the story about Ocean born Mary from the Yankee Magazine. Han Holzer wrote an article in the back notes of the story..
Hans Holzer’s old book “Ghosts” purports to have channeled Ocean Born Mary at the house, through a medium — which probably doesn’t help to lay the myth to rest.. I always believed he was an utter fraud, making up stuff to sell books, and this reinforces it…
He is not a fraud have you ever had a paranormal experience? I have and captured it on film along with evps I have been paranormal investigating now for 20 years. I have read his books and he also worked along the warrens. None of them were really in it for profit. They never charged for investigation like some people do today. A real investigator is there to help people.
Wrong! Holzer could not get a connection with Mary’s spirit. I saw the documentary where they showed the seance footage.
Never saw the ghost of Ocean born Mary !!But (my maiden name being Roy) Being from Franklin NH, I will tell you I’v seen ghosts and true paranormal activity!!! thought In was crazy once when In saw the shadow of a woman float off the sunporch roof and fade into the “fogg” In the bright sun light !! creepy stuff , Thought I was crazy until a neighbor said something ,there was no back fire , it was a brand new lawn mower, among other “sightings” the mist in the fogg that moved !! (I was only 8 years old) but I knew what I saw, I KNOW what I saw!!!
Ghost hunters, treasure hunters, believe all you want, but she never lived in that house and that should be enough for you to give the current owners their privacy. This is coming from the grand-nephew and namesake of the owner who bought it after Mr. Roy: David Russell.
Hi. My dad has visited the house and actually captured the ghost of Mary Wallace in the middle window. So I believe she does exist and shows her spirit to whom she chooses. When I was kid I was told the house burned down. There are many skeptics out there but I do believe something dwells there whether it’s still active who knows. I know at one point unsolved mysteries wanted to film there but was turned down
Whatever you photographed, it wasn’t Mary Wallace. She never lived in that house.
I’m watching the new show on The Travel Channel, The Holzer Files, and they showed us the Actual Ocean Born Mary House In Rhode Island. It was taken down and moved to Rhode Island and IS haunted!
So the only real truth in the story is that Mary was born at sea. The ghost story, like all of them, was a scam. There are no ghosts, many of the commenters have been duped into thinking otherwise.
My oldest brother, a talented restorer and life long resident of Henniker( and Hillsboro…Brian Barrett) did the last restoration on that beautiful historical house with the intriguing , though questionable, history!
“Ocean Born Mary Wilson married James Wallace and had William Wallace.
Williams married Hannah Moore and had Mary Wallace.
Mary married Jacob Silloway and had George Silloway.
George married Sabrina Hoyt and had Henry Silloway.
Henry married Mary Bagley and had Katherine Silloway.
Katherine married Robert Thresher and had Ward Thresher.
Ward married Shirley Allen and had… Barbara Ann Thresher. Barbara Ann Thresher is my mother