Janet Owren

The Homestead Janet Owren

Fanny knew she was in trouble. She pushed against the man in a desperate attempt to free herself. In October of 1919, Fanny Field, at sixteen is orphaned. Fanny grew up on a large farm that her parents and grandparents homesteaded since their arrival from Kentucky in 1888. Alone Fanny realizes that she needs to find a way to support herself to remain living on the family farm. With help from a good neighbor, she finds a job close to home at the Sheridan Mercantile. When the store owner is away on business, Fanny is left alone to run the store where she is attacked and brutally raped. Fanny soon discovers she is pregnant. Having no one to talk to of her problem, and Afraid of how the strict church townspeople and farmers will react to her pregnancy; she continues working at the mercantile, saving her money hoping no one will discover her secret. Fanny?s thought is to run away. The plan, hastily made, is to have her child in Portland Oregon, find work, and when possible to return to her farm with her illegitimate child knowing full well she will then have to face the unforgiving church people and farmers when she returns. This story is of a young girl?s steadfast determination to survive; of how she outwits the narrow minded church people and farmers of her home town, nearly starves, suffers ridicule and extreme prejudice, and discovers there are good people in all walks of life. The discovery of a hidden map sends Fanny to Kentucky on an adventure that will expose her to life threatening danger; to find true love only to lose it, and to ultimately change her life forever.