The Witch of the Monongahela by Thomas White
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Yesterday was perfect—it was quiet, dark, and rainy, and I was able to stay in the whole day with my family. I finished The Witch of the Monongahela by Thomas White, a great (quick) book about local folk magic and witchcraft during the 18th century.
The author begins by recapping the accounts of a local witch that have evolved into urban legends and ghost stories (I would've been obsessed as a kid). He then goes on to discuss the history of the actual woman, Moll Derry, and how common folk magic was to the region. It gives a really succinct history of the different types of folk healers and their importance to the community at a time when healing, herbalism, divination, etc. were practiced unofficially by the common people ("folk"). Since their powers were rooted in a Christian framework, they invoked saints and angels to create charms and spells, find lost people, look into the future, etc. This therefore led to the belief that if there is supernatural good, then there must be supernatural evil. Enter witches, who were part of the same belief system, but drew their power from the devil. This leads to our idea of the primitive, flying, evil early-American witch.
There's also a small section of old timey spells, which I love. ('A Precaution Againt Injuries: Whosoever carries the right eye of a wolf fastened inside of his right sleeve, remains free from all injuries.')
Highly recommended if you're interested in witchcraft during that time period or the origins of North Eastern folk magic!