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Sons Speaker Series June Lecture
Sons Speaker Series Lecture with J.P. “Jamie” Hand
“The Cape May Navy”
Presented by The Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution
At Historic Waynesborough, Paoli, Pennsylvania
When: Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025
Time: The lecture begins at 6pm
The Sons is pleased to announce the next in our series of historical lectures. We are excited that Jamie Hand will be joining us to share his knowledge and scholarship about the Cape May Navy, the story of the privateers who captured rich British merchant prizes on the Atlantic Coast and in the Delaware Bay. Please join us for this evening event, in partnership with our friends at Historic Waynesborough.
The Delaware Bay area was a pivotal battleground during the Revolutionary War, vital for trade and home to a host of armed conflicts between British vessels and American privateers. Cape May County captains in their light, fast vessels captured dozens of British merchant ships off the Atlantic coast. At the Battle of Delaware Bay, Lieutenant Joshua Barney aboard the Hyder Ally overcame massive odds and defeated the British warship General Monk. Colonel Elijah Hand, local hero of the skirmish at Quinton’s Bridge, took his military talents to the seas, where he dueled with Tory privateers. Still in his twenties, Yelverton Taylor captured the Triton with hundreds of Hessian soldiers on board. Authors James P. Hand and Daniel P. Stites chart the exciting history of the Cape May Navy in the War for Independence.
About the author:
J.P. “ Jamie” Hand is a life-long resident of Cape May County, his ancestors settled on the Cape in the 1690s. He is a past Board President of the Cape May County Historical & Genealogical Society; where he edited their Annual Journal of History, The Blue Book, for 10 years. Jamie has produced numerous historic documentaries on Cape May County/South Jersey history as a team with his wife Gwen Brownell Raring and film maker Jim Talone. Jamie is the co-author of The Cape May Navy: Delaware Bay Privateers in the American Revolution and author of Cape May Letters: 1660-1960. J.P. Hand and Gwen reside on their farm in the village of Goshen in Middle Township. Cape May County, N. J. He is presently working on a third title, Cape May Letters of the American Revolution.