GREENE – Mildred English Cochraine Folsom wrote the book on Greene. Actually, she wrote two. Now her daughter, Jorette Martin, is returning to her hometown to unveil a book of her own, this one focused on the woman credited with documenting much of the village’s historic past.
Martin’s tribute to her mother is titled, “The Path to Home.” The self-published work is based on letters and journals she left to her daughter’s keeping. The result is a memoir, written primarily in Folsom’s voice, documenting the fifth generation Greene resident’s family history as well as her own experiences from her childhood in the early 1900’s through her nurse’s training, her 18 years as superintendent of Greene’s hospital and her subsequent 25 years as historian, during which she penned two volumes on the municipality’s storied past.
“Through the best and worst of times, the words that come through in Mildred’s writing shine of honesty, integrity, a sense of responsibility, faith and a love of family,” said current Greene Historian Peg Ross, in a review of the book.
“In the end, there is a feeling of peace and calmness; she believed that ‘every event in our life happens for a purpose,’” Ross said. “She knew that everything led to ‘the path to home.’”
Martin, who lives in Prescott, Ariz., will be in Greene this weekend to sign copies of the book, which can be purchased for $15 through the Greene Historical Society. Signings will take place from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday at Moore Memorial Library; Saturday during the alumni banquet at Baron’s Inn; and immediately following the Labor Day parade until 2 p.m. at the Scout House at the Greene Ball Flats.
Martin will be accompanied by her own daughter, DeeAhn Martin Murray, the seventh and last generation of the family to call Greene home.
For information on the signing, contact Greene Historical Society President Nancy Bromley at 656-4981 or Sharon Davis at 656-8314. More information on the book can be obtained at http://thepathtohomebook.com.