The White Woman and Her Valley

by Arch Merrill

Arch Merrill has a long held reputation for writing history that's engaging and downright interesting. This book is no exception. With a storyteller's finesse this collection of vignettes from the early days of the Genesee Valley delivers a good read while sharing the colorful history of the beautiful valley (Genesee). While Merrill may not have been an official historian, his ability to capture the interesting tidbits of people's lives from the 1700s and 1800s make a good read for those interested in Western New York history. (Amazon customer)

Genres: History, Nonfiction

207 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1987

About the author

Arch Merrill was a newspaperman, working for decades for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, first as an editor, then as a writer, and even in retirement as a columnist until 1973.
He wrote many local history books about Upstate New York, published from 1943 to 1969. He is buried in Brighton Cemetery in Rochester.

Reviews

[Karen]

Actually written in 1955, this was a very 50's book on the Letchworth area. The author spent more time on the valley than Mary Jemison. Of course he had to mention the killing tree. Very interesting things about the area like Clara Barton and the American Red Cross in Dansville, the "Sea Serpent" of Silver Lake and many others.

[Ruth]

I was a little disappointed because there was so little about Mary Jemison. Just in the beginning a book and then a sprinkle here or there and that was really why I picked up the book. The history was well researched and thorough. The history of the area of Letchworth was well done and very interesting. I think if I knew the book was mostly the history of the valley before I picked it up, I would have liked it more.

[Felicity Fields]

Fantastic book. Stories are engaging, witty, and cringe-free even though the book was written in the 1950s. I learned so much about Finger Lakes history. More than once, I stopped to Google what happened to a place or event after the book was written.

The author is prolific: 20+ books all on Finger Lakes / Rochester history. I want to read them all. :)

[Catherine Stickann]

I love to read regional books and this was a great one. This is a comfortable read with so much history that it is really is a research book. I would like to read the rest of series. This book is such a gift to a geneologist with roots in the NW area of the New York state.

[Meg Koch]

History and tales of the Genesee Valley, New York. Gentle, fun and interesting read. Written in the mid-1950's,

[Vicky Vorhauer]

Another interesting collection of stories - this time the Genesee Valley, Geneseo, Letchworth and surrounding areas, events and people

[NanCy]

My mother and grandmother admired this democrat and chronicle reporter and his stories about their hometown. I finally located a set of his books at an auction and began reading. Such a charming time and place! Life in the countryside in the early 1940s following the path of the Genesee River from origin in Pa. On a farm in a field to great Lake Ontario is peaceful and amusing. I loved it and will enjoy collecting them and passing time learning about the neighborhood in this way.