Rod and Julia had ten children: Rulon, Benjamin, Peter, Carl, James, John, Marie, Clayton, Albert, and Julianna. John is James’s twin, but he died as a baby, so you don’t hear about him very much.
*Rulon is the oldest child and eldest son of Rod and Julia Owen. He is sometimes called “Rule” by his loved ones. Gone for a Soldier tells his story. He is also a character in The Man from Shenandoah and Spinster’s Folly. I discovered in Gone for a Soldier that Rulon has a middle name with the initial “S,” and later learned that the name is Scow, his maternal grandmother’s maiden name.
*Benjamin Owen, also known as Ben, is the second child and second son of Rod and Julia Owen. He appears in Gone for a Soldier, and is mentioned in The Man from Shenandoah and Mended by Moonlight.
*Peter Owen came along third in the Owen family. He was the first child who had dark hair like his mother. Peter plays a role in Gone for a Soldier, and is mentioned in The Man from Shenandoah.
*Carl Owen, the fourth son, plays a part in Gone for a Soldier, but his story is told in The Man from Shenandoah, which takes place after he returns home from fighting the American Civil War with Colonel John Mosby’s Rangers. He is also a character in Spinster’s Folly.
*Fifth child/son James Owen is a minor character in Gone for a Soldier, takes a more active role in The Man from Shenandoah, and is mentioned in Spinster’s Folly. But the fourth novel, Ride to Raton, focuses on his journey to manhood, and Trail of Storms brings him fulfillment. His twin brother, John, died as a baby. James has demanded another story. He is waiting semi-patiently for it to be told.
*After five sons, Marie is the first daughter. Although she has been pampered in that position, there is much work for a daughter of a farming family to do. She has minor roles in the first three novels, but Spinster’s Folly is her story.
*Clayton, child number seven, is better known as Clay. He is mentioned in most of the novels, but his own story has not yet been told. However, I discovered some facts about Clay’s future, and his story is coming later.
*Albert is the youngest son of the Owen Family. I learned in Gone for a Soldier that he was sometimes called “Bertie” at that time, but I imagine he quashed that nickname as soon as he could. He appears in The Man from Shenandoah and plays a role in Spinster’s Folly. He also is a character in the Owen Family Story Broken.
*Julianna is the youngest child of the Owen Family. I discovered in Gone for a Soldier that besides her usual nickname of “Jule,” her mother sometimes called her “Anna.” She is a character in The Man from Shenandoah. Due to teen hormones run amok, she is in trouble with her parents in Spinster’s Folly. Read Scandalous: An Owen Family Story to learn how that played out.
The Owen Family Universe 