Episode 192: Brian Regal, The Secret History of the New Jersey Devil

The Jersey Devil is a monster legend that originated in New Jersey’s early American past.

How and why did this legend emerge? And, what can it tell us about New Jersey’s past?

Brian Regal, an Associate Professor of History at Kean University and the co-author of The Secret History of the Jersey Devil: How Quakers, Hucksters, and Benjamin Franklin Created A Monster, takes us into New Jersey’s past by taking us through the origins of the New Jersey Devil story.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.

Episode Summary

Brian Regal, an Associate Professor of History at Kean University and the co-author of The Secret History of the Jersey Devil: How Quakers, Hucksters, and Benjamin Franklin Created A Monster, takes us on our first official foray into New Jersey’s past by taking us through the origins of the New Jersey Devil story.

As we explore New Jersey’s most famous myth, Brian reveals details about colonial New Jersey and its population; Information about the political and religious culture of early New Jersey; And how a dispute between Quakers led to the creation of New Jersey’s most famous legend.

 

What You’ll Discover

  • Why we should study monsters
  • How historians study myths, legends, and monsters
  • Source verification
  • The original myth of the Jersey Devil
  • Daniel Leeds and the story of the Leeds Devil
  • The establishment of the colony of New Jersey
  • How New Jersey received its name
  • The colonies of East and West Jersey
  • The culture of colonial New Jersey
  • Quakers and their influence in New Jersey
  • Relationship between Pennsylvania and New Jersey
  • The dispute that gave rise to the Leeds Devil
  • The Leeds Almanac and almanacs in colonial America
  • Titan Leeds and his engagement with Benjamin Franklin
  • Ben Franklin’s connection to the Leeds Devil
  • How the story of the Leeds Devil morphed into the story of the Jersey Devil
  • What the story of the Jersey Devil can illuminate about early American history

 

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Time Warp PlainTime Warp Question

In your opinion, what might have happened if Daniel Leeds had not become entangled in a dispute with this fellow Quakers? Would the story of the Jersey Devil have developed? Would Ben Franklin have picked it up in his Almanac dispute with Titan? Would the history of New Jersey be different without the development of this legend?

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