Margaret Stilson was born in 1679 in Marblehead, Essex County, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of James Stilson.1 Margaret married William Hilton, son of William Hilton and Anne Parsons, in 1700 in Bristol (now Breman), New Hampshire. Margaret married John Allen after 1723. Margaret Stilson died in November 1763 at age 84 years.

In about 1688/89, when Margaret Stilson was around 9 or 10 years old, she was canoeing with her family across the water at Muscongus, Maine. Indians attacked and fired upon them, killing her father and her younger baby sister who was "taken from her mother's breast and burnt on the fire."

Margaret and her mother (who it is believed was also called Margaret) were taken captive and sold to the French in Canada. Margaret's mother and 21 other captives were ransomed by Matthew Cary and released at Quebec in October 1695. The mother married Thomas Pittman of Massachusetts. Young Margaret was released after 12 years in captivity (around 1700), returned home where she married William Hilton, and they went to live in Manchester, Massachusetts, near Salem.2 Children of Margaret Stilson and William Hilton

   Stilson Hilton+ b. 1702, d. 1741
   William Hilton+ b. b 16 May 1709, d. May 1757

Source: http://kerrysdavis.home.comcast.net/~kerrysdavis/p18.htm#i173 -------------------- Captured by Indians as a child, remained in captivity in Canada for 12 years.