HERE LYES BURYED 
ye BODY OF CAPt
STEPHEN OTIS WHO
DEPARTED THIS LIFE 
26th OF AUGUST 
1733 IN ye 72
YEAR OF HIS AGE

Men of Kent Cemetery, Meetinghouse Lane 

Captain Stephen Otis was born in nearby Hingham in the year 1661. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Scituate where their mark remains to this day.

Stephen was the son of John Otis, born in England in 1620 and the owner of a considerable of property in Scituate. Upon his death, Stephen and his brother John inherited this land. Stephen increased his holdings when he married Hannah Ensign, the only child of John Ensign and Elizabeth Wade and by the time of his death in 1733 he was one of the wealthiest men in town. (Hannah’s father, by the way, met his untimely end while fighting under Capt. Michael Peirce in the “Pawtucket Fight.”)

During his long life, Stephen Otis served the town in the capacity of Captain of the Scituate Militia, as well as a constable, “survaior for the Highwayes,” “ffence viewer” and tythingman. He trained to be a tanner but as his holdings increased so did his status. In 1697 Captain Otis purchased land in Scituate Harbor and built a grand house on the property.  The house remained on that spot until 1927; it was known as Young’s Tavern, the Capt. James Little House and the William Paley Allen house during its long life. Now where the stately dwelling once stood there is only a small little house that holds a dentist’s office; Allen Place and Otis Place, streets leading down to the harbor, whisper of a past that most have forgotten altogether.

Prints are available at Ali Crehan Photography.