The Exile Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 ~ Witches of Pennsylvania, Occult History and Lore by Thomas White Just ordered this book, don't know if it will be a good one. The description at Amazon.com about the author: "Thomas White is the university archivist and curator of special collections in the Gumberg Library at Duquesne University. He is also an adjunct lecturer in Duquesne's history department and an adjunct professor of history at La Roche College. White recieved a master's degree in public history from Duquesne University. Besides the folklore and history of Pennsylvania, his areas of interest include public history and American cultural history. He is the author of Legends and Lore of Western Pennsylvania, Forgotten Tales of Pennsylvania, Ghosts of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Forgotten Tales of Pittsburgh and Forgotten Tales of Philadelphia(co-authored with Edward White.)" And the only feedback left at Amazon.com for the book so far: "This is a great book, and a rarity for the subject of witchcraft in Pennsylvania because it is academically and culturally reliable. I enjoyed this book, it backs up my own research and knowledge of the subject, as well as offers me a lot of new information. As a collector of powwowing information, I found this to be a great addition to my collection. The views expressed in the book are unbiased and based on the recorded information that we have available, with references to academic and historical resources in the back of the book. A must read for anyone studying powwow, PA folklore, witchcraft, or the Pennsylvania German culture." . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalinia Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Please let me know if this is worth purchasing :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emily Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Dose sound like it could be an interesting read. Let us know what you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustic Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Definitely let us know! As a Pennsylvanian, this really intrigues me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Please let us know! I was born and raised in the valleys of Pennsylvania, and this sounds so needed. Thanks Exile! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Exile Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 (edited) Witches of PennsylvaniaOccult History & LoreBy Thomas White Got the book today and will read it soon.It looks interesting to me as I don't know anything about the topics in this state.But don't know how the book will be to a person that already knows about the stuff written about. Will it be more like a summary of stuff to those people? The book is rather on the thin side 111 pages. I enclosed a scan of page 36 and 37, so you can see the way the author writes, to me it is easy to read. The content of the book. I went through the book to get the contents of each chapter. Acknowledgements 9 Introduction. Witchcraft, Folk Healing and Hex in the Keystone State 11 1. William Penn's Witches 15 2. Powwow and Hex: The Pennsylvanian German Tradition 21 Powwows, Hex Doctors, & Witches The Performance of Pennsylvania German Folk Magic Grimoires and Magical Books Hex Signs 3. Accounts of Witchraft from Around the State: 1780-1920 35 A "Witch Trail " in Allegheny County Clinton County's Witches Hexenkopf and Witches in Northampton County The Many Witches of Berks County Lancaster's Witches Moll Derry, The Witch of Fayette County Identifying a Witch in Montgomery County Witch Doctors Convicted in Cumberland County A Witchcraft Accusation in Fulton County Strange Tales of Somerset County Dauphin County Witches A Troublesome Witch in Venango County The Witch Killer of Warren County Killing a Witch in Susquehanna County 4. The Hex Murders and Their Afterfmath 71 The Murder of Nelson Rehmeyer The Hex Panic The Shinsky Case The Fate of Folk Magic in Pennsylvania 5. The Witch in Urban Legend 83 Mary Black's Grave and the Cemetery Witches Witches Houses and Covens in the Woods Conclusion. Why Witches Won't Go 95 Selected Bibliography 97 Index 107 About the Author 111 . Edited August 29, 2013 by The Exile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustic Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 It has a section on Brauche? This might be hard for me to wait for you to finish, lol! Thanks for keeping us up to date on this book. I bumped it up to the top of my book list. :] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalinia Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 I couldn't resist! i went ahead and purchased this on my kindle. Will let ya know what I think when I finish reading it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OpheliaRose Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 I love PA (and will be moving back there soon!) so I just had to buy this book. I will update with a review sometime soon I hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jevne Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 I purchased the book. As Exile stated, it is a thin book, which meant a quick read. The author's writing style is a little disjointed, leaving big gaps in the information with minimal or confusing connections between concepts. It reads like a high school book report, which is not necessarily a bad thing, as it gives you an opportunity to reflect on the content without having to look up 5-syllable words. The best thing about the book were the various stories of alleged Witchcraft within Pennsylvania. In many cases, I was left wanting more details, which may or may not have been the author's intent. Needless to say, there were no big revelations in the text, but still some things caught my attention. I will likely make note of those in the corresponding threads on the TW Forum, as I like a good 'bump'. It is a relatively enjoyable and inexpensive book; two characteristics that get my vote every time. I paid $14.95 for the book. For those interested, you will probably see even more used copies on sale soon, making it an even better value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Exile Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 I agree with Jevne's comments on it. As I got the book, it was with no knowledge of the Pennsylvania's stuff. So it was a good starting point and outline or summary of what was believed there and in it mentioned some other books that I can later get. .Liked also the stories from the counties of Pennslyvania Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brea Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I found 2 things very intriguing about the book. 1, they had their own toad bone rite and they brought it with them. Maybe the rite was being practiced here in the states by other groups but this is the first time I've seen it in print that the rite was being used here in the US. 2, the hexafoos or Witch's foot was employed by them. Although it was used to keep witches out, which is probably the story they used so as not to reveal the true meaning, imo :). Does anyone here know if these things were in use here in the states before this time period? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxman Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) · Hidden by Mountain Witch, February 9, 2014 - No reason given Hidden by Mountain Witch, February 9, 2014 - No reason given No idea - I don't have a lot of info on the USA especially Pensylvania. The only thing I know about it is that a Singer from my area - I lived over the road from him in Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear, before I moved here., Mark Knoffler, did a CD of songs called Sailing To Philadelphia which is also the song that included Jeremiah Dixon - who was a Geordie boy (that is, from the area that I now live in) and mentions his friend Charlie Mason from the West Country, and the two of them were responsible for the Mason - Dixon Line! foxy Edited February 9, 2014 by foxman Link to comment
OpheliaRose Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 (edited) I really enjoyed this book as I feel a special connection to PA. I have to say that I agree with Jevne, though. While it was informative, it did leave me wanting more. Edited February 18, 2014 by OpheliaRose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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