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The Jersey Devil For over two centuries, the state of New Jersey has been haunted by the creature known as the Jersey Devil, or sometimes as the Leeds Devil. Although strictly speaking it is a legendary creature, many Jerseyites have claimed encounters with it. Their descriptions vary widely, however. But perhaps before we discuss the Devil as a "real" animal, we should summarize the legends of its origin. 1) One version says that a Mrs. Shrouds of Leeds Point wished that if she ever had another child, it would be a devil. She got her wish, and the child was born deformed and disfigured. She kept it in the house, but one night its arms changed into wings and it flew out through the chimney. 2) Another variation says that the Devil's mother was a young woman from Leeds Point who fell in love with a British soldier during the Revolutionary War. The other people of Leeds Point cursed her, since the child was born of an act of treason. 3) In another legend placing the birth of the Devil in Leeds Point, the creature was said to be punishment by God upon the people of the town for their mistreatment of a minister. 4) The Devil's birthplace was Estellville. A Mrs. Leeds became pregnant for a 13th time and wished the child to be a devil. It was born not only deformed, but with horns, a tail, wings, and a demon's head. After flying off, the Devil came by to visit its mother every day, and every day she told it to leave. Eventually it did. 5) Mother Leeds of Burlington was a supposed witch. One night in 1735, she gave birth to the Devil's child, who changed into a horrible winged creature and flew out the chimney after beating everyone present at the birth. 6) There are many other variants, as well. A common fact binds the first four variants together--the use of the name Leeds, whether as the birthplace or the mother's name. Atlantic County historian Alfred Heston says that a Daniel Leeds came to Leeds Point in 1699, and the Shrouds, the family mentioned in Variant 1, also lived in the town. Prof. Fred MacFadden of Coppin College in Baltimore says that a "devil" was mentioned in Burlington records from approximately 1735. All these facts seem to suggest that there is some basis in fact for the Devil legend. Sometime early in the nineteenth century, the famous naval hero Stephen Decatur was firing several cannon when he saw a flying creature. Sometime between 1816 and 1839, Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, saw the Devil in Bordentown. In the winter of 1840-1841, many sheep and chickens were slaughtered by an unknown beast of prey. In 1859-1894, there were several sightings of the Jersey Devil in the Leeds Point area. Finally, in 1899, George Saarosy of Pearl River, New York saw a "flying serpent" he identified as the Devil. In 1903, the American folklorist Charles Skinner related his belief that the Jersey Devil legends would cease with the turning of the century. He couldn't have been more wrong.
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