Mary Kittamaquund Brent

By 1640 CE, a new Tayac (Emperor), Kittamaquund, had assumed control of the Piscataway, having killed the previous Tayac, Wannas, his brother, and was attempting to establish a deeper relationship with the English of the Maryland colony. Tayac Kittamaquund, as part of this attempt, sent his daughter to live in St. Mary’s City. Later named Mary, she was placed under the dual care of Governor Leonard Calvert and Margaret Brent. Over the next decade and a half, Mary Kittamaquund lived amongst the people of the Maryland colony and learned the colonizers’ language, customs, and beliefs. Her story is one of spotty documentation and much speculation, although there are traces to be picked up by historians. Primarily she is mentioned in relation to others. However, her story is of no less importance and the few records pertaining to her provide insight into intercultural relations during her time. Through these mentions, it is possible to piece together a loose narrative that gives some shape to what is known today about the life she may have led.

Mary Kittamaquund first appears in colonial documents in 1640 when it is mentioned that, shortly after his baptism, Tayac Kittamaquund sent his seven-year-old daughter to live in the colonizer’s town of St. Mary’s. She was placed under the dual care of Governor Leonard Calvert and Margaret Brent. The primary objective in the eyes of her father, the tayac, was to learn the language and customs of the colonizers, presumably to assist with diplomacy between the Piscataway and the Maryland colony. This was a practice that was not uncommon for the time, both amongst the colonists and the Indigenous peoples of the Chesapeake. There is no name recorded for her at this time, and she does not receive the name Mary for another couple years.

In 1642, after living amongst the colonizers for approximately two years, she was baptized by Father Andrew White, the same Jesuit priest who had baptized her father two years before, and given the Christian name Mary. By the time of her baptism, at the age of 9, Mary had learned the English language and become familiar with the colonizers’ customs and beliefs. Tragically, her father, Tayac Kittamaquund, had passed away in 1641. Any contact or connection she may have had with other Piscataway family or tribal members is unknown. However, she continued to live with her guardian Margaret Brent for a few more years, whose property was located around this location, known as Sister's Freehold. 

Mary’s proximity to the Brent family greatly impacted her life. Aside from being raised and educated by a wealthy, unmarried woman who was a landowner, Margaret’s brother, Giles Brent, wed Mary around 1644-1645. At an age of no more than 12, she was married to her guardian’s brother. There is speculation around why Giles, an aristocratic man twenty-nine years her elder, wanted to wed the young Mary Kittamaquund. Most entertain the idea that it was a political move. The Brent’s likely assumed that as a daughter of the tayac, she would have had a claim to Piscataway lands. At least, this is how Leonard Calvert viewed it, who was angered by the union, which likely happened while he was away on business. The Brent’s were then at odds with the Calverts, who owned and governed the Maryland colony. The marriage might have been a misguided assumption of succession norms amongst the Piscataway, mistakenly equating it with English custom, in an attempt to seize more land and control for themselves, as evidenced by land claims Giles made later on to Piscataway territory. 

Whether Mary herself, her family, or the Piscataway people approved of the marriage to Giles Brent is unknown. During their time as husband and wife, Mary had as many as six children with Giles, however the exact number is unknown. Within the first year of their marriage, Giles was taken prisoner to England, leaving Mary in St. Mary’s with his sister Margaret. Sometime after Giles returned from England, between 1647-1650, Mary moved with him across the Potomac into Virginia, as he was no longer welcome in Maryland. They settled in Aquia Creek at their first place of residence, called Peace. The family moved once more to a nearby location.

The final colonial record that makes mention of Mary Kittamaquund Brent is an April 1654 document regarding Giles Brent. Giles is planning to embark on a journey to England and makes arrangements for the management of his estate in his absence. In it, he gives control over his estate not to his wife, but rather to one of his sisters, leaving it for the education of his children and to support his wife, Mary. After this point, there is no mention of Mary Kittamaquund Brent. One might expect a record of her death, but none remains, if there ever was one. Giles married another woman in 1655, leading most to assume she died shortly after the document was written. However, some contemplate the notion that she may have returned to Piscataway territory and rejoined her people. In any case, Mary Kittamaquund Brent would have been around 21 years of age at the time of her final mention in written colonial documentation.

Copeland, Jennifer. Giles Brent (1600-ca. 1671/72), Archives of Maryland (Biographical Series). January 2003. Accessed September 7th 2021. https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/000100/000141/html/141bio.html.

Hall, Clayton Coleman, ed.. Narratives of Early Maryland, 1633-1684. Pg. 131-132. Accessed September 8th 2021. https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc5300/sc5339/000114/000000/000099/unrestricted/20090069e.pdf.

Watson, Kelly L.. Mary Kittamaquund Brent, "The Pocahontas of Maryland": Sex, Marriage, and Diplomacy in the Seventeenth-Century Chesapeake. Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, vol. 19, Winter 2021, pg. 24 - 63. Published February 3rd 2021. Project Muse.