It all began when my cousin Joyce gave me a book. A nice book with an interesting cover, filled with blank pages, with a note that read “I think you should write a story about Virginia Ham.”

I set out immediately to write in the book everything I knew about this woman. I quickly realized I knew little, other than:

1. She had lived in a tumbling down little house near my grandparents’ home on the Greenbrier River in southern West Virginia, and -

2. Another cousin had told me she was a witch.

I contemplated what to do next - and I did nothing! I could not think of anything that would make an interesting story. Time passed. My husband became ill and died, the Covid Pandemic descended upon us, I did nothing. I did not know how to proceed.

Then my cousin Monica suggested I check Ancestry.com to see what I might find there. The rest is history. That site, along with the discovery of a strong connection between Jenny and my ancestors, gave me the information and incentive to finish the book. The many people listed in the Acknowledgements below enhanced the story exponentially.

I present to you this historical novel with the assurance that you possess the discernment to identify what is fact and what is fiction, and you will enjoy the story.

It is still a beautiful world. Strive to be happy.

Phyllis Campbell Whitley