#NewJerseyDevil #JerseyDevil While she is commonly known as "Mother Leeds", the alleged mother of the Jersey Devil was most likely named Mrs. Shourds (not "Shrouds" as is commonly misspelled) and lived in Leeds Point, New Jersey (USA). She was a solitary woman who had 12 children with her husband, believed to be named Samuel Shourds. In 1735 the Shourds moved to New Jersey from an unknown place of origin. Mrs. Shourds was pregnant and ready to give birth to the 13th and final child. It is thought that the 13th Shourds child was not fathered by Samuel but the Devil himself. (The number 13 is widely considered an unlucky number in many regions around the world. Even to this day some hotel floors and airline seating rows even skip directly from 12 to 14.) Many believe Mrs. Shourds to have been involved in witchcraft or demonic worship and intentionally hoped that this 13th child would bear the mark and power of his true father. Almost all variations of the legend have her stating aloud "I hope it is a devil". She got her wish. The deformed child that she bore became none other than the Jersey Devil, the beast that haunts the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Regardless of the legend behind the beast, it is hard to ignore the number of sightings of the creature in the Southern New Jersey area in the 1800's and early 1900's. Even the brother of French Emperor Napolean Bonaparte reported seeing this creature while hunting in the Pine Barrens in the 1820's. By 1904 the Jersey Devil was thought to be extinct. Most residents of the area believed it to be a local myth and no more sightings were reported for the next few years. In 1909, however, all of that changed. In January of 1909, over one thousand residents of Southern New Jersey reported seeing a flying creature with a horse's head. This was by far the boldest outing that the Devil had ever had. For one week beginning Sunday, January 16th, 1909 several people reported seeing a strange creature in towns in Pennsylvania and New Jersey along the Delaware River. Was this the infamous Jersey Devil or was there some other explanation?