The following is the author’s response to a review by Yvonne J. Milspaw of the book Signs, Cures, and Witchery: German Appalachian Folklore, in the Journal of Folklore Research Reviews (02/23/09). Click here to read the original review.

I appreciate the opportunity to respond to the review of my book, Signs, Cures, and Witchery: German Appalachian Folklore, published in 2007 by the University of Tennessee Press, as reviewed by Yvonne J. Milspaw. This may not be the forum to discuss all the problems I find with the review, but I’ll address the points that have a bearing on the main thrust of her criticism.

Milspaw attempts to show that the German element in my study area is not nearly as strong as I say. She makes reference to “Pendleton County, West Virginia, where more than thirty percent of the population claim German heritage.” My response is that the figure I quote is 70%, and that it is recognized as the "dutchiest county in West Virginia" (xii–xiii; I cite Morton’s History) and that was 100 years ago. The figure now would be close to 100%.

Milspaw says that German religion is not as prevalent as it once was. She writes: "(I checked—there are nineteen churches in the county, no Anabaptist churches at all, and only two, one Lutheran and one Evangelical United Methodist, that might be German churches.) If we are expected to do a dot-to-dot tracery from 1740 Pennsylvania to 1990 West Virginia, we need a good many more dots.” I respond as follows: OK, here are some more dots—there is the Franklin Lutheran Parish, Calvary Lutheran in Brandywine, Cedar Grove Brethren, Onego Church of the Brethren, Brushy Run Mennonite Church, Seneca Rocks United Methodist, St. Paul Lutheran at Sugar Grove, Mt. Hope Lutheran, Crummet’s Run Church of the Brethren, St. John Lutheran, South Mill Creek Brethren, Friend’s Run Brethren, Smith Creek Brethren, Pleasant Grove Mennonite, Roaring Creek Mennonite, Onego Mennonite, Bethlehem Brethren, and I’m sure there are several more. Laneville Mennonite Church near the county line is attended by residents of Pendleton County.

Milspaw says in the review, “Just because some very early almanacs and hymnals were printed by the German language press at the Ephrata Cloisters does not mean that all beliefs about planting by the signs (are German).” But that’s not at all what I said. I wrote that there were over 130 different presses printing almanac titles in the German language (30). I stand by Winkler’s published research and my field research on which I based the chapter. German influence on almanacs and calendars in the Southern Appalachians is overwhelming and undeniable, and Gruber’s is still the standard almanac here.

In the review we find this: Milnes “describes the belsnickle as a ‘Germanic midwinter elf,’ all the time glossing over (or just not citing) well-documented parallel traditions from most of the rest of Europe and North America.” On the contrary, I cite “mummers and guisers” and "shooters” of “Anglo/Celtic origin” as being related (186); I say that “Anglo/Celtic mumming traditions accepted the belsnickle figure” (191); I say that “Mumming traditions (in West Virginia) clearly have many sources” (196). I cite Halpert, Smith, Bennett, Yoder, Shumacher, Suter, Barrick, Nissenbaum, Welch, and others, including studies from Newfoundland to North Carolina. I devoted fifteen pages to sorting this out. I don’t know why Milspaw makes this claim.

Finally, Milspaw writes: “I was disappointed that my own work on witchcraft beliefs in West Virginia and German Pennsylvania did not appear in the bibliography, and I’ve tried to be cool with that—they were in folklore journals that have since ceased publication, and it was kind of a long time ago.” I regret that I did not discover Milspaw’s West Virginia articles.

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[Review length: 620 words • Review posted on March 9, 2009]