The Lighted Valley

The Lighted Valley is a biography of a Christian woman whose piety was revered in her congregation. Spending her final months in considerable pain, she calls upon the Lord to support her departure from the Earth to the next life.


Introduced by William Jay, an American jurist and Christian reformer, this book was originally intended for the use of the woman’s family – the Boltons were a prominent presence in New York state in the early 19th century. The moving descriptions of the subject’s journey to England and her immense belief in the power and justness of the Lord God led to a public release and a positive reception among the American public.


Perhaps most affecting of all is the description of the woman’s gradual expiry. Her dying wish is to be taken to New York, to see the place where she grew up and lived. Only through the power of prayer and mindfulness in the Lord does she keep enough bodily strength to endure the journey. Throughout, she describes her feelings as death approaches, with several of these spiritual reflections comprising the book’s later chapters.