The Valley of Baca: a Record of Suffering and Triumph

Jennie Smith was a 19th-Century Job. At 15 years old, her father's business and finances failed, and he later died of illness, leaving her family poor and struggling. Added to this, she developed Typhoid Fever, which damaged her spine. Shortly thereafter she became paralyzed and bedridden, with almost constant pain. In a time of no government support for the disabled or poor, she helped support her family by selling books on commission and handicrafts that she made between bouts of severe pain and weakness. Friends, associates, and even strangers would also give to the family, often being the direct answer to prayers for provision. (Through the text when money is mentioned, note that one dollar in 1867 was worth about $21 in 2024.)

This book was written when she was still in the depths of her "valley", written when she was about 30 years old. The "Valley of Baca" is mentioned in Psalm 84:6, and means "Valley of Weeping" or a dry, desolate, sterile place. The proceeds from the sale of the book helped support the family. In 1878, when she was 33 years old, she was almost instantly and completely healed.

The author Pansy wrote a slightly fictionalized account of her in her book Spun from Fact.- Summary by TriciaG (7 hr 12 min)