Occuish, Jacob, 1721 - 1762

Jacob Occuish was the brother of Philip Occuish, the Nehantic minister and the husband of Mary, who he brutally murdered with a hatchet on February 15, 1776.  According to a contemporary newspaper account, after he killed his wife, Occuish turned himself into the authorities, admitting what he had done, and wished to be "immediately put to Death."   A jury found him guilty of manslaughter, and he was whipped, branded with the letter "M" on his hand, and deprived of his property. Norwich Packet (Norwich, Connecticut), February 12-19, 1776. New London County Superior Court, March 1776, File 79.