When you meet Maud Hart Lovelace in the Families exhibit, you will get to hear stories of her family, as well as what it was like to write so many famous books! So look for Maud in her stylish green suit, hat and corsage, and be sure to bring your childhood memories with you!

Maud Hart was born in Mankato, Minnesota, in 1892, and enjoyed a happy childhood. Because she was interested in history, Maud kept diaries and compiled scrapbooks as she was growing up. These diaries and scrapbooks later helped her write the books for which she became most well known: the Betsy-Tacy children's series, which were based on her own life. The first Betsy-Tacy book was published in 1940, but by that time Maud had written many other books, including several historical novels set in Minnesota: Early Candlelight, about life at Fort Snelling, and Gentlemen from England, which she wrote with her husband, writer Delos Lovelace.

Delos and Maud Hart Lovelace had one child, a daughter named Merian. The family lived for many years in New York, and later Delos and Maud retired to California, where Maud kept busy with many activities, including reading and answering large numbers of letters from her fans. She died in California in 1980, and is buried in her hometown of Mankato.

Funding for research and development for the Maud Hart Lovelace History Player project has been provided by the Noel Foundation.