I met you at Our Saviours Lutheran Church when you made a presentation there. You were kind enough to sign the book I bought for my granddaughter, Amanda. Amanda has now read the book and has become quite interested in Ruth Murray. She has wanted to know more about Ruth after she settled here. Amanda and I would like to get to know more about Ruth as she lived the rest of her life. Thanks for any information you can share.

--Peter

I am so happy to hear that you are interested in Ruth! Ruth married a man named Harlyn Shattuck and they lived on a farm in Belvidere, Illinois.They raised possibly 11 children. One of the oldest boys she named Murray after her father’s family name. Murray Shattuck served in the Civil War, and there is a Murray namesake living today, although he’s descended from one of the other children. 

The Shattucks were originally from the same part of Ohio as the Murrays, and they lived in Naperville for a while. I imagine Ruth and Harlyn met here and then moved out to Belvidere. After mother Amy's death, Ruth’s dad, John Murray, lived with her and her family. There are still lots of Shattucks in Boone County, but I don’t believe any are Ruth’s descendents.

Thanks again for your interest!

 

What would you consider to be the reading level or age level for your book?

--Cathy

Children aged eight through twelve will be most comfortable reading the book. I have heard from families with younger children who enjoyed having the book read to them. And busy adults seem to like the fact that it’s a very quick read! Thanks for asking!

 

I read and loved your book. It gave me some more insight to my ancestors. If I've done my research correctly, Henry and Sarah (Murray) Babbitt were my ggg grandparents.

Great job on the book, is there going to be a sequel?? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

--Terrie

Yes, I intended to write a sequel to follow Ruth's brother Ned over the following summer during the Black Hawk War. I decided against it, but thank you so much for the kind words!

 

Just want to send you out a quick note saying that the board looks AWESOME!  I popped in the branch Saturday after you had come in and I was amazed! This by far is the best presentation yet! I hope this gives you more opportunities and helps to spread the word about the book. 

Take care!

--Sara

Thanks, Sara! We wanted to put our best foot forward. We’ll let you know if sales go up! Thank you so much for the opportunity!

Have you been up in the [Millennium Carillon] tower? Tell Kate we are on the last chapter of the book. It's taken us a while but Ben has really enjoyed it. I think it is a great lesson in history and he was able to relate so much more yesterday [at the Carillon] because of the exposure to names in the book.

--Tracy

No, we haven't been up yet, but hope to soon. It's so neat that Ben recognized the names from Naperville's history! That's exactly what we hoped would happen when kids read Ruth's story. Thanks for writing!

 

I saw the article about your book today in the Daily Herald. I loved the idea and want to buy the book and read it with my grandaughter...Congratulations on such a great idea. I'll look forward to reading your book.

--Dagmar

Wanting to share the history of our town with her youngest citizens is what inspired this book, so I'm thrilled to hear that the two of you will be reading it together. Thank you so much!

 

Happy St. Patrick's day to Naperville's first Irish girl!

--Rachel

Thanks, Rachel! Visit the St. Patrick's Day Parade page to see the photos of how Naperville's first Irish girl celebrated!

 

Congratulations! This is all very exciting. By the way, I once knew a lady who described to me how her family traveled to Kentucky from Missouri (and back) in a covered wagon.

--Maribeth

Thanks, Maribeth! I'm excited, too! How interesting that you met someone who traveled by covered wagon! That part of history is really not as far back as it seems, is it?

The girl on the book's cover looks familiar. Is she a famous actress?

--Ken

Not yet! That's my daughter Emily from a few years ago when she was a costumed interpreter at the Naper Settlement Living History Village. Right now, she acts in school and community theater.