Catherine Durant Voorhees

The Home Tree: Jerusha's Journal Catherine Durant Voorhees

Sixteen-year-old Jerusha Shurtleff and her 18-year-old sister, Orrillia, live with their family on a prosperous farm. Unfortunately, their home is located on a contested strip of land between the Vermont border and "British North America." Like the Shurtleffs, most of the American residents are confident that the boundary dispute will be resolved in the United States' favor. Imagine their shock and dismay when they learn in 1834 that the land has been ceded to Great Britain. All residents must either show official ownership of their properties or repurchase them from the British crown. Jerusha 's family can do neither, so they are evicted from the only home they have ever known. Jerusha and Orrillia face many challenges: they are separated from their family and forced to work in a textile mill where their faith and courage are tested by long hours and perilous conditions. Worse, they do not hear from their father for over a year and presume him dead. Join Jerusha and Orrillia as they embark on their brave quest to reunite with their family, a trek that takes them across America at the dawn of its Industrial Age.