The Secret History of the Jersey Devil: How Quakers, Hucksters, and Benjamin Franklin Created a Monster

by Brian Regal

A provocative look at the mystery surrounding the Jersey Devil, a beast born of colonial times that haunts the corners of the Pine Barrens—and the American imagination—to this day. Legend has it that in 1735, a witch named Mother Leeds gave birth to a horrifying monster—a deformed flying horse with glowing red eyes—that flew up the chimney of her New Jersey home and disappeared into the Pine Barrens. Ever since, this nightmarish beast has haunted those woods, presaging catastrophe and frightening innocent passersby—or so the story goes. In The Secret History of the Jersey Devil , Brian Regal and Frank J. Esposito examine the genesis of this popular myth, which is one of the oldest monster legends in the United States. According to Regal and Esposito, everything you think you know about the Jersey Devil is wrong. The real story of the Jersey Devil's birth is far more interesting, complex, and important than most people—believers and skeptics alike—realize. Leaving the Pine Barrens, Regal and Esposito turn instead to the varied political and cultural roots of the Devil's creation. Fascinating and lively, this book finds the origins of New Jersey's favorite monster not in witchcraft or an unnatural liaison between woman and devil but in the bare-knuckled political fights and religious upheavals of colonial America. A product of innuendo and rumor, as well as scandal and media hype, the Jersey Devil enjoys a rich history involving land grabs, astrological predictions, mermaids and dinosaur bones, sideshows, Napoleon Bonaparte's brother, a cross-dressing royal governor, and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Cryptids, Paranormal, Historical, Folklore

160 pages, Paperback

Published July 30, 2019

Reviews

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jersey Devil is a monster of some fame. This little book is ideal for monster lovers who also care about history. As the subtitle indicates, there’s an ensemble cast of characters here. The book begins by tracing the story of Daniel Leeds, a colonial-era Quaker who settled in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. A high-placed and educated man, Leeds wrote books and published an almanac. He eventually ran into trouble among the Quakers and started writing broadsides against his former faith. This led him to having the reputation of a devil—see where this is going?

Benjamin Franklin settled in the nearby city of Philadelphia and began an almanac that eventually put that of Leeds, now run by his son, out of business. In some of the exchanges, Franklin satirically suggested some supernatural elements in the Leeds pedigree. Then, around the turn of the century, a story of a Jersey Devil became popular. Hucksters cashed in on this, quite literally. Regal and Esposito trace the stories back to the now forgotten Daniel Leeds. The book also has a chapter about cryptozoology, and modern monster hunters.

As I state on my blog post about the book (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World) monsters are tied to religion. That brings the story full circle to the Quakers once again. There do seem to be a few gaps in the story here, but it is a fun read that doesn’t demand much of your time. It is also a somewhat scholarly book, but written in a way that you don’t need to have a doctorate to follow it. I’d recommend it to anyone who has ever been curious about the backstory to New Jersey’s most famous monster.

[Lgordo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a pop history book about the evolution of the myth of the Jersey Devil. And to some extent it is.

But when I got to the paragraph about the Jersey Devil represents the replacement of the indigenous Lenape and their forest demons with Anglos and their Anglo demons, my eyes rolled so far back in my head I was able to see myself thinking that this must be some history PhD’s thesis.

Nothing wrong with that, but it’s dry. Very dry. And sometimes tries too hard to be serious. I mean, we are talking about a flying horse that haunts southern NJ. How serious can you be?

I skipped around a bit and there were some interesting chapters, like about how the Jersey Devil was “captured” and displayed in a dime museum (really: a kangaroo with wings attached). But I couldn’t sustain enough interest to actually finish it.

[Nancy Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m interested in all things South Jersey history. For those who don’t know NJ Southern NJ has entirely different soil that Northern NJ South Jersey is part of the coastal plain so there are vast pine forests and streams and white sugar sand and the Pine Barrens are the setting of the Jersey Devil legend. I’ve spent my life in the Pine Barrens and live near one of the Devil’s “sightings”. The book tells how the legend and the hoaxes happened. So unless you are interested in south Jersey history you probably won’t like the book. For the record I think I once saw the “Jersey Devil” actually 3 of them. One was laying in the road apparently hit by a car and the other 2 were looking at it and appeared sad. They were not scary and did not have wings. They were the size of a pony with a horse face, horns like a ram and rough hair like a goat and Tri colored brown, black and white. This was days before cell phone cameras and I was rushing late for and appointment so I could stop. I still do not know what kind of animals that they were. They looked like what you’d get if you bred a goat, a ram(sheep) and a pony.
Here’s a poem I wrote about the Jersey Devil

The Jersey Devil

Pineys like to revel
In stories of the Jersey Devil
Fiction or reality?
Or is it just a genetic abnormality?
Mother Leeds 13th child
Born unwanted, cursed and wild
Delivered on a stormy night
Gave the midwives quite a fright.
Flew up, up and away
Roams the woods to this day!
Or so they say.
Something’s rustling in the trees
Only the gentle breeze?
What is that sound you hear?
A known animal or something queer?
Strange footprints in the sand
Made by a monster or made by man?
Is it real or is it a hoax?
Been seen by mighty reputable folks!
Is it really out there, somewhere?
Or is it just an invented scare?
If, in the Pinelands it haunts;
Will you see it on your jaunts?
The Pine Barrens know!
Even if Science says No!
Still the legend persists
The Jersey Devil exists!

—Nancy Chambers October 2008©

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads like a long paper for a college English class. Only just over a 100 pages....could have been shortened to 25. Would never have bought if I had been able to look thru it first, but bought online.

[Valerie Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

"How Quakers, Hucksters, and Benjamin Franklin Created a Monster" is the subtitle. I did find myself skimming sections of this book when it got bogged down in minutia, but reading about the hucksters and Benjamin Franklin was interesting. And finding The X Files covered our homegrown devil was fun to read.

[Ray Palen · Rating 5 out of 5]

For fans of shows like Mythical Creatures and In Search of Monsters --- this book is for you! An extremely detailed history of the legendary Jersey Devil that takes things all the way back to the Quakers and even Benjamin Franklin.

Read through this short work that explains all there is to know about this infamous creature that has spawned numerous sitings and became the impetus for the local NHL Team!

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rather wish I hadn't paid full price for this: $25 bucks for a little over 100 pages is way too much. And even at that length, the book feels like a scholarly article pumped up by piling on marginally related information.
Regal shows how the Jersey Devil, a legend that supposedly goes back to colonial days, was manufactured in the early 20th century by a dime museum (they had the monster's corpse!) and sensationalist news accounts (based on mysterious hoofprints found in the snow). The bulk of the slim book is devoted to the Leeds family of the 16th and 17th century, whom the book argues inspired the earlier version of the legend, the "Leeds devil." This is not at all convincing: okay, Leeds' political adversaries accused him of Satanic practices, but as Regal points out, that was par for the course in his time; why should that lead to legends of a monster? We also get lengthy discussions of the era's writings about monsters in general which, while good, again feels like padding.

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads like a historical documentary and includes the development of the Quaker religion and yellow journalism in this country. I learned that early Christians dappled in astrology and the occult, which is why the mythology of monsters and witches prevailed. The almanacs and newspapers perpetuated these stories, probably to gain readership. The book is dry reading, and if you are hoping for a thriller, it's not this book.

[Theodore Kinni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you believe there is a giant kangaroo with a goat's head, bat wings, horns, clawed hands, cloven hooves, and a forked tail flying around the Pine Barrens of New Jersey? If so, you shouldn't read this terrific book, which tracks the history of the Jersey Devil since the 1600s.

[Dawn Kravagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seemingly very thorough research on the topic of the Jersey Devil. I took a star off as it’s written by two college professors and often comes off as multiple essays, particularly when a chapter backtracks to discuss a new aspect of the myth.
However, anybody determined to read till the end will discover some nicely written, nearly poetic passages that make the slog worthwhile.

I certainly learned a lot on the topic and had no clue that the myth originated with tales of monstrous births and that our culture has always been fascinated with the topic of monsters. Our modern reality TV craze of Big Foot shows and ghosts and other monsters is nothing new to American culture. And I had no idea that almanacs once played a big part of American publishing history and culture.

The authors summarize the book nicely: “From the days of Daniel and Titan Leeds, the story went from political insult to half-forgotten monster legend to a way to disparage people of the Pine Barrens to a case of mass hysteria caused by a publicity stunt (page 113).”

A bit sad at the end that so little remains of lifelong endeavors of the lives of the Leeds family. The authors did an excellent job of digging up information from our early American past.

[Bill Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A historical tale of intrafaith rivalry (possibly) transformed by press hoaxes and dime museum impresarios into an American legend, this book does a fair job of taking the Devil out of folklore and into lore of another sort. Although I don't believe the author ever proves his thesis -- that the Leeds Devil is related to the lapsed Quaker Charles Leeds -- the evidence is fun to peruse. I love any books that touch on the colonial world, with its wyches and Indian legends mangled by pious zealots into dubious moral lessons, and the example here is a particularly skewed and lurid one, even if of latter day making. What Regal does establish is that the Devil is primarily a late 19th and early 20th Century beast, its fame spread more by mass media than campfire stories. The whole package also makes me want to see if Lovecraft ever mentioned the Devil, since the story is so like something he might have invented. Definitely not a book for believers of any sort but a fascinating study of how monsters are made.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to this book by way of genealogy. My family has roots in the Absecon area, including connections with the Leeds and Steelman families. While I appreciate the serious manner in which the authors pursue the subject, I agree with some other reviewers who say the book is hard to follow. I think that the arrangement of the chapters could be better. The last chapter about “monstrous births” would be better suited at the beginning, before delving into Daniel Leeds and his almanacs. Besides being more chronologically appropriate that way, the Jersey Devil myth is itself a monstrous birth story. So shouldn’t we learn about that history first? From there the book would lead the reader to see the attributing layers of the myth as they were stacked upon one another. As arranged here, “monstrous births” seem an afterthought.

[Libby Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok….. where do I even begin. This book has taken me three years to get through. it’s really well researched the problem, with that is it reads, like someone has never been to a actual non-academic study before in their entire life. It’s dry, it’s interesting, and boring, at the same time. I don’t know how to explain that one. And although, I agree, with the conclusion. that the story of the lead family, is more than likely fictitious. I don’t know, if I’m sort of a Cryptid itself.


Moreover it’s just doll. like there’s a bunch of stuff happening in here in a bunch of important people to American history book things that I’ve been fascinating and yet I was bored to tears at the time.


Like,

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thorough exploration into the historical trappings of the Jersey/Leeds Devil legend. So thorough, in fact, that some parts felt like I had already read them... Editing issues aside, I really appreciate anyone willing to engage with a topic like the Jersey Devil. The work of Regal and Esposito detailed the religious/political swamp of early New Jersey history tracing the possible Quaker roots of the legend all the way back to England. That their argument rounded out to issue firm warnings of political attacks gone too far only proves that this work was published in 2018. The Jersey Devil is fake news!

[Mark NP · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fairly thorough history of the conditions in colonial America in West Jersey that account for the true genesis of the Jersey Devil myth and legend. According to the authors, it has everything to do with a religious and political feud between almanac author Daniel Leeds and the Quaker Church in the 1670s in Burlington, NJ that merged with pre-existing and longer lasting supernatural beliefs about the Pine Barrens, eventually morphing into a well orchestrated hoax by enterprising Philadelphians that was picked up by media and repeated over and over until it caused public panics and fostered widespread belief in a fictional creature. Cool!

[Sarah ONeal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book executes a thesis on the conceptualization of the Jersey Devil and how it was permitted to evolve into such a myth.
The authors set the table well with history and social, religious, and geographical contexts. Furthermore- the development of media and communications from 1600 to the current day was a necessary sidebar and helped to understand HOW misinformation could flourish.

It's an easy read, well-researched (from what I can tell). It debunks texts that are improperly sourced and then referenced. For a history nut... I loved it.

[Dylan Freno · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting look back on the history of where this legend came from. In the middle, it drags a little bit on the discussion of almanac publishing, but it does then contribute to the overall arc of the history. A lot of interesting revelations, as well as a great contextual piece after reading the first two books published by Roy and McClure, as it touches on what is presented as “true” in their books.

[Uriah St · Rating 1 out of 5]

Brian fails to coherently tie his ideas together, let alone into a comprehensive timeline, often simply jumping from one thing to another when changing chapters without really connecting them.

He also has a habit of making claims and not actually supporting them with anything. Would give it 1.5/5 if I could because it wasn't completely uninteresting, but for a history book I was sorely disappointed.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-researched and interesting book that tells the story of New Jersey's most famous legend and so much more. I enjoyed learning about our early history and the lessons in the myth that affect our lives today.

[Dustin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched but about as dry as day old toast. It does a pretty solid job establishing the context of the time period that the Jersey Devil myth formed but that doesn't really lend itself to being an engaging read.

[Daniel Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

an amazing read that delves way deeper into the controversial history of the Jersey Devil and how the creatures whole lifespan derived from a political attack on a man for speaking out against his community for his beliefs.

[John Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Such an interesting read, the actual history outshines the legend. Highly recommend to anyone who grew up in Jersey and is familiar with the tale.

[Röbby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting enough to read in a day. Particularly enjoyed the excerpts about Ben Franklin. Who wants to go on a Pine Barrens Devil-hunting bicycle tour with me?

[Chris Halverson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books is all over the place, but that's because the origins of the Leeds Devil is all over the place. A good read that contextualizes the making of the myth.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really disliked this book. Only 113 pages but couldn’t keep my attention other than first and last chapters

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good. Unlike other books I've read on the subject that dealt with the story or legend, this was written more on facts and documents from the time.

[Alexis Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough yet succinct book on the historical origins of the Jersey Devil.

[Marilyn Schiels · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting history, quick read. Last two chapters are slow and
laborious.