Character Notes: Julia Helm Owen

What am I doing up so early? The characters in my head wouldn't let me sleep. Since yesterday was Pioneer Day for LDS Church members in the Western United States (July 24th being the day the Latter-day Saints headed by Brigham Young entered the Great Salt Lake Valley for the first time), I figured I would feature Julia Helm Owen, because she has a cousin who joined the faith. Her son, James, has also done so, but she doesn't know that yet.

Julia's grandfather and grandmother were Elijah Scow and Louisa Phipps. They had two daughters, Phoebe and Emily Scow. Phoebe married Joseph Helm, and their children were Jonathan and Julia. Julia married Roderick Owen, and the rest is "history." Emily Scow married James Marshall. This family joined the LDS Church. Their son, Elijah, chronicles his adventures in an unpublished novel I started several years ago, The Zion Trail.

On the back of the character card, I have two photos of Elinor Donahue, whose early work included 68 episodes of "Father Knows Best" as Betty Anderson, and 12 episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show" as Ellie Walker. I think Melissa Gilbert is about old enough to play Julia now. Since Bruce Boxleitner would make a great Rod Owen, the couple is high on my wish list for the roles of the parents in a movie version of The Man from Shenandoah. Of course, there is no movie version in the works at this time. One can hope, right?

Here is the content of Julia's character card notes:

JULIA HELM OWEN
Julia is about 5' 2" tall, dark brown hair and brown eyes, she loves her husband and family, she's not an aristocrat, but a farm woman, but she is very attractive. Her hair is beginning to have a few wisps of grey, she has become quite independent because of keeping things going during the war with her man gone. Levelheaded and quick thinking, Julia taught her children to work and to amount to something thereby. She is called Ma, except by Julianna, her youngest, who calls her Mama. She is a passionate woman, who enjoys her marital relationship, and understands her husband. They usually can say a lot between them with a glance, catching the other's meaning easily. Julia is very religious, has a strict code of gallantry which she has passed to her children.