New+Jersey+-+Devil+Facts



This is the Leeds House. A lot of the origin of the Jersey Devil stories, begin here. Jane Leeds and her husband Daniel lived at the edge of a great swamp along the Mullica River. Now, folks in these parts said that it was a strange family, an unusual family. Some people even said that Jane Leeds was a witch. The problem was that Jane and Daniel Leeds had twelve children. Then, one night, she learned that she was pregnant with her thirteenth child. Jane Leeds was mighty tired of picking things up, putting things away, chopping the wood, cooking the food, doing the laundry. She was at the point of exhaustion. In a moment of perhaps understandable weakness, she said, "Let this be the devil."


 * The “Jersey Devil” is believed to live in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.


 * Legend says that the “Jersey Devil” is the 13th child of Deborah Leeds, who was born a monster.


 * There is an organization known as “The Devil Hunters” that researches the “Jersey Devil,” searching for the monster in the woods.


 * Frightened residents summoned a local minister to exorcize the “Jersey Devil” in 1740.


 * Many organizations have offered a reward for the capture of the “Jersey Devil”. The Philadelphia Zoo offered $10,000 and the Hunt Brothers Circus offered $100,000.


 * There are variations in the legend as to why Mrs. Leeds’ child transformed into the “Jersey Devil”, but one version cites that she cursed the child when she found out she was pregnant.


 * In 1982, local newspapers held a contest to rename New Jersey’s hockey team. Over 10,000 people voted and “Jersey Devils” won the poll.


 * There have been a number of hoaxes related to the Jersey Devil legend, including one man in the early 1900s who supposedly obtained a kangaroo and altered his appearance to reflect the appearance of the Jersey Devil.


 * The “Jersey Devil” has a number of nicknames, including the “Hoodle-Doodle Bird", "Wozzle Bug" and the "Leeds Devil”.


 * It’s been theorized that Mrs. Leeds’ child may have been born with a birth defect and superstitions of the time dramatized the story as something more dangerous and mysterious.


 * Newspapers in New Jersey still note “Jersey Devil” sightings from time to time.


 * Many believe that the creature New Jersey residents are identifying as the “Jersey Devil” is actually a Sandhill Crane based on its size and impressive wingspan.


 * Over the past 275 years, over 2,000 witnesses have reported seeing the Jersey Devil.