Fan CastingAcross Five Aprils

Matthew and Ellen Creighton have borne 12 children. Four remain living at home (Bill, Tom, Jenny and Jethro); John lives nearby with his wife Nancy and their two boys. Matthew's orphaned nephew Ebenezer Carron also lives at the homestead. Three of their children died within four days in July 1852 of “Childhood Paralysis.” The deaths of the “three little boys” led Ellen to be more lenient on youngest son Jethro (main character) than with her older children. Shadrach Yale is the schoolmaster from Pennsylvania that has noted the potential of young Jethro. He also has the love of 14-year-old Jenny Creighton, and wants a marriage, which her father disapproves due to her youth. Daughter Mary Ellen's death is of major importance in the story. She was headed home from a dance in her escort's wagon when one of the Burdow boys fired a weapon meant to scare the team. The wagon crashed and overturned, killing Mary instantly. The Burdows are a disrespected family, bearing the burden of gossip surrounding the family patriarch's reason for leaving his home state. The successive generations have been mocked and ostracized based on this gossip. The death of Mary Ellen further destroys their reputation in the community.