Philip Babb II (1634 - 1671)

Born 6 Apr 1634 in Stepney, London, England

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Baylie — married 1660 in Appledore, York, Maine

Descendants

Died 31 Mar 1671 at age 36 in Appledore, York, Maine

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Biography

Phillip Babb and Mary
During the period when what is now Maine and its islands were being explored by Captain John Smith, and named the region "New England" with the approval of Prince Charles, a young Phillip Babb appeared on Hog Island by November 1629, when his name first appears on record there. During this same time period, the town of Kittery in the Province of Maine developed as a result of a town meeting held March 19, 1648. On Nov. 24, 1652, the town commissioners appointed Phillip Babb as Constable for the Isles of Shoals to assist in preserving order and in collecting taxes.

On May 18, 1653, Phillip was among the original petitioners of the Isles of Shoals to plead to the Massachusetts Court for local government on the Isles, including a separate Court and a distinct company of militia.

Even though no marriage record has been found for Phillip, we know his wife's name was Mary. Evidence of this is through a bond in 1671 against Lawrence Carpenter for cruel usage of Mary Babb's servant.

Mary died in 1674, soon after Phillip who died in early 1671 without leaving a will. Apparently some of the children were indentured to families on the mainland. On July 4, 1671, Letters of Administration were granted to Mr. Nath. Fryer to bring a true Inventory of the estate to the next Court of Associates.

Phillip and Mary had the following known children:

1. William
2. Thomas
3. Philip
4. Sampson
5. Peter

The Original Lists OF PERSONS OF QUALITY [Regi]ster of the names of all ye Passinger wch Passed from ye Port of London for on whole yeare Endinge at Xpmas 1635. A Turner ROBERT PENNAIRD of age 21 yeres ¿ THO: PEN-NAIRD x yeres old are to [be] imbarqued in * Mr BABB bound to New-England have brought Certificate from Doctor DENISON of his conformitie. he hath taken the oaths of Alleg ¿ Suprem^[1]

Baptism

Date: 6 APR 1634 *(See research notes, below)

Arrival

Date: 1652

Place: Maine

Phillip Babb the Ghost

"From the book Maine Ghosts and Legends: 26 Encounters with the Supernatural'"

"Another tale of ghosts and knives concerns the spirit of one Phillip Babb, an early settler and constable for the islands. In addition to his official duties, Babb ran a tavern and a butcher shop on Appledore. Wielding a sharp, heavy blade and wearing a butcher's apron, Babb would slaughter hogs in a cove that eventually came to be named after him. He died in 1671, a wealthy and, one would assume, relatively contented man.

However, according to the island's most celebrated historian, Celia Thaxter, Babb was a "desperately wicked" man for whom there was "no rest...." in his grave. He was rumored to have been one of Captain Kidd's men, and it was firmly believed by islanders that his ghost haunted the cove bearing his name. Even Nathaniel Hawthorne, in The American Notebooks, wrote of Babb, as "Old Babb, the ghost...a luminous appearance about him as he walks and his face... pale and very dreadful."

A story goes that one night an islander was rounding the corner of his workshop when he suddenly saw a crazed man running towards him. He first thought that a friend was trying to play a joke on him, so he stood still and waited for the figure to come closer. When it did, the islander saw that the man's ghastly face had the sunken eyes of a corpse. The fiendish figure pulled a long, sharp knife from its belt and wielded it in the poor islander's face. The Shoaler ran screaming all the way to his house, where he found the man he originally thought was playing a joke on him calmly eating his supper.

On another occasion, an islander was sitting on the porch of his home one warm spring night. Looking toward Babb's Cove he thought he saw a figure skulking about the rocky beach. The figure then began to make its way toward the path to the islander's house. The islander thought it strange that he hadn't heard any footsteps on the stone beach and rose from his chair to intercept the mysterious form. As he got closer, he was horrified to see the vacant eyes and glowing frock of Babb's ghost. He called out, asking what the ghost wanted, but Babb still advanced, his figure waxing and waning in distinction, until suddenly he just disappeared." ^[2]

From the book Pirate Ghosts & Phantom Ships

Having ventured to the Isles of Shoals, I became overwhelmed by two factors. The first was that people actually settled on these rocky outcropping, and the second was that my wife, Arlene, and I were there. Literary greats such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Celia Thaxter wrote about the magical atolls with the zest of a child standing in front of a gift laden tree on Christmas morning. As the boat rounded Smuttynose en route to Appledore, I was no less excited than they had been upon beholding the wondrous land masses. Arlene and I also hoped to witness one of the many pirate ghosts and phantom ships that still frequent the shoals on misty nights, when the wind howls ominously and the fog blanket beckons their arrival.

There are nine islands in all. Some belong to Maine, and some to New Hampshire. The isles are about ten miles from Portsmouth Harbor. John Smith recorded discovering the isles in 1614. He named them Smythe's Islands but that would soon be changed as fishermen found the plentiful waters to be a lucrative career. As the islands were settled, the names were changed. It was not very long before the next wave of settles would grace their beaches and coves. Those were thee infamous pirates of the East Coast. Many a pirate found refuge in the small islands from the authorities. Shoalers were very welcoming to brigands, who paid them well for protection. It is no wonder some of them settled down on the small isles. Getting there is not as hard as one might think. Leaving there seems to be a problem, as many residual spirits still roam the shores and coves looking for eternal peace and freedom from the unforgiving Isle of Shoals.

One such resident is the ghost of Phillip Babb. Phillip Babb lived on Appledore Island where he was constable, butcher and innkeeper. He was said to be a retired pirate who chose the largest of the shoals for his home. Appledore is one half mile wide and long. In the early seventeenth century, Maine imposed a tax on the island and the autonomous islanders rebelled by dismantling their homes and rowing them to Star Island. After that, the island became its own sovereign body. The Babb family cemetery is still on Appledore.

Phillip Babb was born in England around 1634. He married and had children with his wife, Mary. Some claim he was Don Pedro of "Ocean Born Mary" fame but neither he, nor his son's mortality dates coincide with that legend. If he was a privateer, it was well before Mary Fulton was born. Nonetheless, he left a legacy of freebooting and phantom sighting that the Isles of Shoals shall forever bear witness to.

It would be less then inference to say that Babb's manners were rudely fashioned and kindled much disgust in his fellow islanders. He was also said to be a wicked, loathsome man. After his trials and tribulations at sea, Babb settled down to a safer career on the Isles of Shoals. More than likely to avoid the noose his friends and fellow privateers could not escape. He was known to wear a heavy butcher's frock with a great knife sheathed on a thick belt. He lived on the south side of the island in a cottage near the cove that now bears his name. It is documented that he and another islander dug a massive hole near the cove. It is recorded that he either found treasure there or was digging up one of his previous ill gains. Whatever the case, the hole was filled in and no one ever saw what came out of it, save for the one neighbor who helped him in his toils.

Phillip Babb died on March 3 1671, and was buried on Appledore but he has not rested. He still roams the cove guarding his treasure from trespassers and hunters. One night, an islander was emerging from his workshop when he spied a wild form running towards him. At first he thought it to be an unsavory jest by one of his close friends. As the figure drew within arms reach, the man saw the face of a corpse with hideous sunken eyes. The angry wraith then heaven the giant knife from his belt and brandished it in the frightened man's face. There was no moment too soon for the terrified Shoaler to flee to the safety of his home, barely touching the ground along the way.

Another dweller of the island saw a figure meandering about in the moonlight at Babb's Cove. He could not make out the form as anyone he knew from the island. He called out to the outline as to what they were doing. The dark shade began to approach the apprehensive islander. The man thought it odd that he heard no footsteps on the gravel path as the silhouette approached. He then recognized the incarnate as the form of Phillip Babb. He could see the black eye sockets and glowing butcher's frock reflecting in the gibbous moon. he shouted at the ghost who then made its way down the path before vanishing into the darkness in front of the petrified islander.

There are many more accounts of the pirate-turned-butcher phantom roaming the island in the dead of night. Many have encountered the heinous spirit who wields a ghostly knife in their faces. Apparently he was so wicked and despicable in life, he cannot seem to let his attributes rest in death. As for the treasure, the great storm of 1851 filled the hole completely. A Coast Guard house now sits where the treasure is supposedly still buried. Was it ever found, or was the house put there to safeguard the cache and let the tired, evil ghost of Phillip Babb rest? No one is saying anything about it and Babb's spirit is certainly not resting peacefully. ^[3]

Research Notes

While there is documentation that a Philip Babb was born to a Philip and Mary Babb in 1634, there is also documentation that a Philip Babb, born to Philip and Mary Babb DIED in 1640. Same baby? Sources attached: BIRTH-"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J3CP-22C : 27 July 2023), Philip Babb, 1634. DEATH-"England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JCVG-WX4 : 27 July 2023), Philip Babb, 1640.

Sources

1. ↑ [1] Rootsweb
2. ↑ See pgs 23-24 of Maine Ghosts & Legends: 26 Encounters with the Supernatural
3. ↑ See pgs 31-34 of Pirate Ghosts & Phantom Ships

• https://www.founderspatriots.org/articles/babb.php
• Maine Ghosts & Legends: 26 Encounters with the Supernatural, Down East Books, Camden ME, 1989
• Pirate Ghosts & Phantom Ships, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen PA, 2008
• London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 for Philip Babb, Tower Hamlets, St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney, 1608-1638. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=1624&h=1281753&indiv=try
• https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/new-england-historical-and-genealogical-register/image?volumeId=11723&pageName=164&rId=241744065
• The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2018.). https://www.americanancestors.org/DB202/i/11723/164/241744065
• Phillip Babb in the Maine, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1800-1890. Ancestry.com Maine, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1800-1890 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. Original data: Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp.. Maine Census, 1800-1890. Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes.
• Philip Babb in the U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Place: Maine; Year: 1652; Page Number: 110 Source Information: Ancestry.com. U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010. Original data: Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2012.
• U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 for Philip Babb: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=3824&h=38661&indiv=try

See also

Haunted Rebuilt Mansion

• Reference for Margaret at: Ghost Profiles on Wikitree

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile Babb-229 created through the import of Eowyn.ged on Apr 6, 2012 by Eowyn Langholf. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Eowyn and others.

• WikiTree profile Babb-192 created through the import of JacksonMaybelleB_AncWithDeathAft1600.ged on Mar 2, 2012 by Sue Durling.

• WikiTree profile Babb-83 created through the import of Towne-Weeden.ged on May 29, 2011 by J X.