Ellen's Story takes place around 1830-1831.  It is about a family living near Funks Grove in Central Illinois.  Ellen's mother died so she has to take care of the home.  Her chores include cooking, cleaning, and sewing.  She worries much about the sewing because she lacks fabric.  Her mother had made her own fabric, but Ellen did not know how.  When her father, a stockman, leaves home to go to Springfield, Ellen asks him to bring her blue calico.  He returns several days late, not with blue fabric, but with a new mother in a blue dress.  Ellen is very careful not to betray her own mother by liking her step mother, Julia, too much.  Mrs. Kirby uses the story to make the reader wonder if this patchwork family will "unravel and fall apart or make something beautiful."

Tidbits:
• Mrs. Kirby wrote Ellen's Story second.  Originally Silas was not one of Lacey's relatives.  Mrs. Kirby's editor suggested that she connect both sides of the family to Lacey.
• The antiquie Hornbuckle Quilt (pictured) that this story is centered around has been donated to Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site.  Family legend says that Clarissa Hornbuckle purchased the fabric from Abe Lincoln and because he returned the money that he over charged her, she gave him the name "Honest Abe."  Although the stitches are missing, one can still see the shadow where Clarissa sewed her daughters' names. The Hornbuckle family claims that the fabric was once orange but has faded to white.
• The Hornbuckle Quilt pattern is known by two names:  "Robbing Peter to Pay Paul" (a name that bothered Ellen) and "Orange Peel".  It has been said that Marquette LaFeyette peeled an orange for the lady next to him at a dinner party.  She had been so impressed that she made a quilt pattern from the way the orange peels fell.

Thing to do:
Crossword Puzzle
Visit New Salem
Questions and Vocabulary
Order in the Story
Other Ellen Activities

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