Pirate Jean Laffitte Revealed

Did the colorful New Orleans pirate Jean Laffitte fake his death in battle and live out his life in Lincolnton, North Carolina? Laffitte and his brother Pierre, smugglers and pirates, roamed the Gulf of Mexico in the early 1800s. During the War of 1812, Laffitte famously accepted a pardon in return for supporting U.S. Gen. Andrew Jackson against the British in the battle of New Orleans. Laffitte was believed to have died of wounds in 1823 following a battle with Spanish ships off Honduras. But rumor said that he survived, and owing to his connection with a Lincolnton family, resided there under the name Lorenzo Ferrer until his death in 1875.

Mother/daughter author duo Beth Yarborough and Dr. Ashley Oliphant will present their evidence as they discuss their book Jean Laffitte Revealed: Unraveling One of America’s Longest-Running Mysteries at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 17, at the Asheboro library. The talk is free and the public is invited.