1892

Ruth was born August 6 in Hawarden, Iowa, to William John Suckow, son of John and Caroline Suckow, natives of the dukedom of Mecklenburg, Germany, and Anna Mary Kluckhohn, whose father, the Reverend Charles Kluckhohn, a Methodist minister, came from the small city of Lippe-Detmold in the province of Lippe.

1894

Ruth's father accepted the pastorate of the Congregational Church in LeMars, Iowa, a town of 5,000, which he held for one year.  During this time, Ruth and her sister, Emma, lived with an aunt in Paulina, Iowa, while their mother was receiving medical treatment, first in Hawarden, then in Kirksville, Missouri, and later in St. Paul.

 1896

Family returned to Hawarden to live.

 1898

Father accepted the pastorate at Algona, Iowa. There Ruth attended Central School.

 1901

The old parsonage was moved about 1900 and served as a private
residence for a hundred years. In January 2000, it was moved again to Calliope Village in Hawarden.

The parsonage where Rev. Suckow and his family lived.  Ruth referred to her
birthplace as "the prairie cottage with the long windows.

Father accepted the pastorate at Algona, Iowa. There Ruth attended Central School.

Ruth dressed in a Martha Washington costume at age 10.

 1906

The family moved to Manchester, Iowa, the county seat of Delaware County. This pastorate was held for one year.

 1907

Ruth's father began a three-year field service for Grinnell College. The girls attended school there.

After Ruth's graduation from high school at Grinnell, the family moved to Davenport where the Reverend Suckow became pastor of the Edwards Congregational Church. Ruth matriculated at Grinnell College and specialized in English.

1910

While Ruth was at Grinnell, Emma married Edwin Hunting, a Grinnell College classmate. They had two children, Robert Suckow Hunting and Judith Ann Hunting.

 1912

Father resigned from the ministry to take position writing lectures for the Victor Animatograph Company, manufacturer of stereopticons and moving pictures, in Davenport. Father purchased forty acres of land twenty miles west of Mobile, Alabama.

 1913

Ruth left Grinnell College in June. While a student at Grinnell, she spent one summer as a waitress in Yellowstone Park

 1914

Emma moved to Colorado for her health.

Ruth graduated from the Curry School of Expression in Boston and came home to be with her father who had returned to the ministry and accepted in January his second pastorate at Manchester, Iowa. 

 1916

Father's church building in Manchester destroyed by fire on November 24

 1917

Ruth received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Denver.

 1917-1918

For one year, Ruth was assistant to Dr. Ida Kruse McFarlane, Head of the Department of English, University of Denver. After receiving her degree, Ruth spent one winter as employee of a map company in Denver. Wrote material for automobile guide books.

First published poem, "An Old Woman in a Garden," appeared in Touchstone in August. "Song in October," poem, published in The Midland, September-October.

 1919

Learned the apiary (bee-keeping) business from Miss Delia Weston in Denver. Mother died and was brought to Garner, Iowa, for services in the Congregational Church and for burial. Father's resignation from Manchester pastorate to be effective in October. 

 1920

Emma lost her son.

 1921

First published story, Úprooted," in the Midland for February. Her father began pastorate in Forest City, Iowa, May 1, 1921. "by Hill and Dale," poem, published in Poetry, June

 1921-1922

Ruth served as the editorial assistant on The Midland for six months.

 1922

January 25 father married Mrs. Opal Swindle in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She had two sons, Earl and Duane Swindle. During the winter of 1922-1923, Ruth lived with them.

 1924

Country People first published serially in The Century Magazine; later by Knopf. From 1924 to 1935, Ruth lived in New York City in the winters and kept bees in Earlville during the summers.

 1925

The Odyssey of a Nice Girl published

Here is a newly discovered photo of Ruth with a cat; I don't know the precise date but am guessing the mid to late 20s.

 1926

 1926

The Bonney Family published. Father accepted his last pastorate at Alden, Iowa.

 1926

On March 1 in San Diego, California, Ruth married Ferner Nuhn, son of Mr. and Mrs. William C. Nuhn of Cedar Falls, Iowa. 

 1929

Ferner and Ruth lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, until November 1929. Cora published.

 1930

The Kramer Girls published. Ruth received an honorary degree from Grinnell College.

Here is a recently discovered picture of Ruth visiting the farm of Mr. E. O. White. On the back it says that this was after a day of cider making and scouting afield, and that Ruth seemed to always find a cat, if one was around.

 1931

Children and Older People published. Ruth and Ferner lived in McGregor, Iowa, part of the year.

This photo is dated 1931 and was just discovered last summer by past President Barb Lounsberry.

 1931-1932

Ferner and Ruth lived in Cedar Falls. Did some "guest instruction" gave talks at Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa), the University of Iowa, and Indiana University.

 1933

Spent part of the winter in Des Moines, Iowa, and part in Altadena, Califomia; spent the summer at Yaddo, the artists' colony in Sarasota Springs, New York, and at the MacDowell Memorial Colony at Peterborough, New Hampshire.

 1934

The Folks published. A Literary Guild selection.

 1934-1936

Residence in Washington, D.C. Lived for one year in Fairfax Court House, Virginia, while Ferner was connected with the Department of Agriculture for which he wrote pamphlets and other material.

 1935-1938

Ferner and Ruth lived in Cedar Falls; they took an active part in community life. During this time her sister's child, Judith Ann Hunting, was married to Wells Barnett.

 1939

Ruth's Father died; he was buried in Greenwood Cemetary in Cedar Falls, April 6. Ruth and Ferner traveled in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and England.

1942

New Hope published.

1945

Associated with the University of Wisconsin Writers' Institute in summer.

1940s

During World War II, the couple visited Civilian Public Service Camps, units in mental hospitals, fire-fighting units, starvation units under the combined sponsorship of the Service Committees of the Friends, Church of the Brethren, and the Mennonites. Ruth spoke on literary subjects, talked with young men and read manuscripts.

 1951

Set up residence in Tuscon, Arizona.

Moved to Claremont, California. Purchased home which she retained as her permanent residence until her death January 23, 1960. After moving there, spent part of one summer and early fall in Moylan, near Media, Pennsylvania.

Ferner studied at Pendle Hill. Affiliation with Friends Society began about this time, but interest had preceded this date. 

 1952

Some Others and Myself published.

 1955

"Friends and Fiction" published in Friends Intelligencer; review of Robert Elsmere in The Georgia Review.

 1958

"The Surprising Anthony Trollope" appeared in The Georgia Review

 1959

The John Wood Case published.

 1960

Ruth dies January 23 in Claremont, Califomia.  She is 68 years old; she is buried next to her father in Greenwood Cemetary in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

 1964

The Earlville Library was renamed the Earlville-Ruth Suckow Memorial Library.

 1966

A group of people, including Ruth's husband, Ferner Nuhn, establishes the Ruth Suckow Memorial Association.

 1978

Suckow was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1978.

http://www.women.iowa.gov/about_women/HOF/iafame-suckow.html

Iowa Commission on the Status of Women website

“Ruth Suckow is especially interesting to young feminists because of her own life and because of her portrayal of many strong, independent women who refused to be placed in a mold."--Margaret Matlack Kiesel, 1978

 1982

The group established the Ruth Suckow Park in Earlville at the site of her former home there.

1989

Ferner Nuhn died on April 15, at age 85. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetary in Cedar Falls, Iowa. However, there was no marker for him from 1989 until 2009. Ruth is buried between the two men who were so important to her: her father, William, and Ferner.

 1996

A plaque was placed on Suckow's birthplace in Hawarden, Iowa.

Work begins on restoring the Birth Place in Hawarden

2006 

Ruth Suckow gets her own website--and later, a blog.  Michael Dargan was the original webmaster of the website, and later turned it over to Cherie.  Cherie began the blog.

The Courier sent out a reporter to Greenwood Cemetary to interview Michael and Cherie, along with Barbara Lounsberry, about Ruth Suckow and the Ruth Suckow Memorial Association.  An article on Ruth Suckow & her grave appeared in the newspaper, along with a picture.

 2005-2010

Various members of the group purchased copies of Ruth Suckow's books online and donated them to the special collection of Iowa Books at the Cedar Falls Library.

These books were also then listed on the State Library's website, as being available for use by book clubs.

The Blog comes along in 2007 and serves as an easier way to keep members informed of events.

2009

Ferner finally gets a tombstone in the spring of 2009. 

2008--2009--2010

We expand the T shirt sales, offering them in both Tan and Pink. 

We have bookmarks produced, both in a give away version and a fancier one, laminated, for sale.

2010

Former President Barbara Lounsberry discovered this wonderful picture of Ruth for sale on Ebay, and soon we had a whole new face of Suckow for our materials. Know about other pictures of Ruth Suckow that you don't see on our website? We would love you to send them to us.

 2011

The new website is unveiled--and a new image for the T shirts, now in pink and orchid.

The Wikipedia article on Ruth Suckow

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Suckow

Here is an article about Ferner and Ruth, shown here in the yard.  Ruth is playing with a cat while Ferner does some yard work.

Here is a picture of Ruth at a dinner.