The People of Deep Valley

Betsy Warrington Ray was Maud Palmer Hart. She was born on April 25, 1892 to Thomas and Stella (Palmer) Hart in Mankato, Minnesota. She was the second of three daughters. Like Betsy, Maud began to write very early and used to follow her mother around the house asking "How do you spell 'going down the street'?". After Maud graduated from high school, her family moved to Minneapolis. She describes the new house in Betsy's Wedding. She attended the University of Minnesota where she was an editor for the Minnesota Daily. She was unhappy there, as described in Betsy and the Great World. Sensing this, her father sent her to Europe. She returned when the War broke out and met and married Delos Wheeler Lovelace. They had one daughter, Merian. Maud died on March 11, 1980 in Claremont, California.

Tacy Kelly was Bicky Kenney. Bicky was short for Frances Vivian just as Tacy was short for Anna Anastacia. Bicky and her husband, Charles Kirch (who was a knitwear salesman as described in the books) lived only a few blocks from Maud when she was married as depicted in Betsy's Wedding. The Kirches spent most of their married life in Buffalo, New York. They had two sons. They remained in close contact with Delos and Maud for the rest of their lives.

Tib Muller was Midge Gerlach. Midge's real name was Marjorie just as Tib's real name was Thelma. Her father was an architect as was Tib's father. She was an independent working woman at the time of Maud's wedding. She worked in the art department at Dayon's and boarded for a time with the Harts. Eventually, she married Charles Harris and lived in Nebraska and later, in Chicago, where she became a dress designer. They had no children.

Bonnie Andrews was Constance Davis. She was the daughter of Presbyterian minister George W. Davis who lived on South Broad Street. In 1908, the Davis family moved to St. Paul. Constance later married Arthur Houlihan.

Irma Biscay was Mildred Oleson, who lived on Pleasant Street. She married John Cahill and lived in Waseca, Minnesota.

Cab Edwards was Jabez Lloyd who lived on East Cherry Street. He was neighbor of the Harts' during Maud's high school years. He and his wife, Grace (who was Jean in the books) were married the same day as Maud and Delos, November 29, 1917. Jabez, like Cab lost his hair (while he had typhoid fever), shaved his head, and never grew his hair back well.

Dennie Farisy was Paul G. Ford who lived on East Hickory Street. He worked in a barber shop after high school.

Katie Kelly was Theresa Kenney, Bicky's older sister. As described in the books, she was Maud's older sister, Kathleen's, close friend.

Alice Morrison was Ruth Williams. She went to school in New York and later married a man who was also name Williams. They moved to Montana.

Grandpa and Grandma Newton were Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey Austin, Mrs. Hart's mother and stepfather. They owned Austin's Park (Pleasant Park in the books) where Maud Hart's parents met.

Julia Ray was Kathleen Hart, Maud's older sister. She was born on Sept. 6, 1889. Kathleen studied music in Europe as described in Betsy and Joe. She married twice, first to Eugene Bibb with whom she had one son, and later to Frohman Foster. The character of Paige, the flutist in Betsy's Wedding is based on Foster. They had no children together. Kathleen became an soloist in Minneapolis and later went on to teach singing in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Margaret Ray was Helen Hart, Maud's younger sister. She was born on July 7, 1898. She became a librarian in Minneapolis and married Frank Fowler. They had no children, but they did take care of many foster children and raised an adopted teen-age son.

Mr. and Mrs. Ray were based on Maud's parents, Thomas and Stella Hart. Thomas Hart was a shoe salesman and a shoe store owner before he was elected as the Blue Earth County Treasurer.

Carney Sibley ws Marion Willard who lived on South Broad Street. She married William Everett. One of her brothers, Grant, was Hunter Sibley in the books.

Joe Willard was based on Delos Lovelace, Maud's husband. However, Delos did not attend school in Mankato as Joe did. Maud met her husband through his former employer. Delos was born on Dec. 2, 1894 in Brainerd, Minnesota to Morimer and Josephine Lovelace. He studied at the University of Minnesota, at Columbia, and at Cambridge in England. In May of 1917 he left his job as a newspaper reporter for officer's training at Fort Snelling. He married Maud Hart on Nov. 29, 1917 and left for duty overseas the following summer. He returned a year later.

Uncle Keith Warrington was Frank Palmer, Mrs. Hart's sister and Maud's uncle. He appeared on stage in Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. He did not return to Mankato to reunite with his sister as he did in the book, but Maud did visit him in California as a young adult. He gave her the typewriter on which she typed the first story she sold for publication.

Return to the Maud Hart Lovelace home page

Sources:

Betsy-Tacy in Deep Valley. Carlienne A. Frisch. Friends of Minneosta Valley Regional Library. Mankato, MN. 1985.

Between Deep Valley and The World. Amy Dolnick. Twin Cities Betsy-Tacy Society. Minneapolis, MN. 1993.

If you have another character whom you would like to see on this page, please email me at ptooey@iname.com and I'll see what I can do.