Patriots, Pirates, and Pineys: Sixty Who Shaped New Jersey

by Robert A. Peterson

Southern New Jersey is a region full of rich heritage and yet it is one of the best kept historical secrets of our nation. Many famous people have lived in Southern New Jersey and numerous world renowned businesses were started in this area as well. Patriots, Pirates, and Pineys was written to address the ignorance of the heritage surrounding the Shore and Pine Barrens regions of New Jersey. This collection of biographies gives the reader a sense of history about the area through the stories of the people who resided here and a look into their lives. Tales of such famous figures as John Wanamaker, Henry Rowen, and Sara Spenser Washington are all included as well as some lesser known but equally heroic people. Some of the subjects would be considered patriots, some pirates, and some Pineys but they all would be considered people who helped make America what it is today.

Genres: History

155 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1998

Reviews

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patriots, Pirates, and Pineys contains 60 biographical sketches of famous - and not so famous, but should be - people who called southern New Jersey home. Each sketch is short, only two or three pages, so this book is convenient to pick up anytime, even when you just have a few idle minutes. Most accounts are accurate, although one person was mentioned as having been born in England when his family has been here for generations. I used these accounts to learn more about distant relatives who were mentioned, but I became interested in the others too.

[Nicole McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

North Jersey gets the lion's share of the attention when it comes to history and notable people, so it was nice to get to know some interesting characters from the southern half of the state, as well as to learn about the origins of place names I've spent my entire life passing through. The bios are short (only a page or two) and breezily written, making this a very quick read. Deducting one star for a few questionable additions, a lackluster entry on Betsy Ross, and the author's tendency to insert weirdly moralistic and unnecessary asides in several places.

[Mark NP · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a long time to finish this because I never found the right setting for reading it. Turns out, it's a great bathroom book. The articles are all about South Jersey figures, each one about a page to two pages long. I picked it up as research for my local historical walking tours in Bordentown and found some interesting information that I might be able to incorporate. Otherwise, it's an interesting and easy read for anyone who is interested in the regional history.

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book for native South Jerseyeans to read. I knew many of the characters described but some were new to me. The only thing I disliked about this book is the author's use of moral platitudes in many of his essays. They were really lame.