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

by Holly WhiteJune 26, 2018

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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

Links to People, Places, and Publications

Brian Regal
The Secret History of the Jersey Devil: How Quakers, Hucksters, and Benjamin Franklin Created A Monster
Searching for Sasquatch: Crackpots, Eggheads, and Cryptozoology
Boston History Camp, July 7
Boston Meet Up: July 8, 10am Meet at the corner of Park Street and Tremont Street on Boston Common
Cleveland Meet up at Shooters on the Water July 21, 4pm
Sign up for the Ben Franklin’s World Email List

Sponsor Links

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Molly Warsh, American Baroque: Pearls and the Nature of Empire 1492-1700
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Time 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?