During America’s 250th year of independence, I’m proud to promote a middle-grade book about a real-life patriot and heroine named Sarah Bradlee Fulton. Sarah lived near Boston and was known as the “Mother of the Boston Tea Party.” She held a prominent position in the Daughters of Liberty. On March 2, 1776, Sarah suddenly found herself on a spy mission for General George Washington! This book is an interesting read about the Revolutionary War.
The author, Ellen Chervenick, is Sarah’s descendant. Ellen first learned about Sarah from her mom when she took Ellen to see a treasured family heirloom at the bank. Ellen’s book, Sarah Saves the Day, recounts how her ancestor, Sarah, came into possession of this valuable pin. It was a thank you gift for her courageous service to the Continental Army.
A New Statue of Sarah in Medford
Sarah Fulton was honored on Patriots’ Day (April 20, 2026) in Medford, Massachusetts, when the city unveiled a statue of her outside of Medford City Hall. Laura Duggan, a local historian, actress, and playwright, was behind the effort. Her nonprofit Looking Back at Medford History raised money for the monument. This goes to show how incredible and inspiring Sarah’s story is!
Kudos to both Ellen and Laura for preserving and promoting the legacy of a Revolutionary War heroine. Ellen and Laura met on October 18, 2024, when Medford observed Sarah Bradlee Fulton Day. Ellen, an honored guest as a descendant of Sarah, spoke at the reception.
“Sarah was called the ‘Mother of the Boston Tea Party,’ but most people these days have never heard of her—an example of how women’s important roles in history are often forgotten and their stories lost.”
~ Ellen Chervenick
Book Formatting
I had fun formatting two editions of the book (paperback and e-book) for Ellen and writing the blurb. I love the historical look of the Microsoft Word template we found, which includes the location and date of each chapter (e.g., Boston, Massachusetts, 1750-1762). The drop cap letter at the beginning of the first paragraph is an elegant nod to the noble people who led the Revolution.
As a retired school teacher, Mrs. Chervenick is passionate about hands-on learning. Her graduate school research was on using sensory activities to teach. “Studies have shown that students of history learn and retain more information when presented with correlating activities that involve as many of the senses as possible.” This concept is called Schema Theory. Ellen includes learning activities in her book that relate to 18th-century America. We set those apart from the story by placing the activity in a sketched-style text box.
Teachers and parents will also appreciate the shaded “Did you know” boxes that help readers understand the context of the story. The images are helpful, too. Ellen is a talented artist and illustrated some of them herself (see page 26 below).
Writing Historical Fiction
I asked Ellen a few questions related to writing historical fiction.
Are there any family heirlooms, letters, or specific passed-down stories that helped you connect with Sarah while you were writing?
The Lafayette pin was the main artifact that kept me interested in the story about Sarah. It was very precious and important to my mom and grandmother. Neither of them knew the details of the history of the circumstances of the pin. I decided that I would find out more information about it.
How did you go about researching 18th-century Massachusetts? What was the most surprising historical detail you uncovered?
I began looking up information on the internet connected to Sarah Bradlee Fulton and the Revolutionary War. I spoke with a geneologist, Dr. Patrice Stark, who was knowledgable about the time period. Also, I found a book published by the CIA titled, Intelligence in the War of Independence (published in 2017), which explained actual tactics used by spies at that time.
The climax of the book is a secret courier mission for General Washington. How much of that specific night is based on historical record, and where did you have to fill in the blanks with creative liberty?
Sarah’s delivery of the secret message for George Washington is documented in an article titled “Sarah Bradlee Fulton” by Helen Tilden Wild, in the Medford Register, (published in 1897). The contents of the dispatch that she carried are still a secret. However, as I began to read more about Intelligence in the Revolutionary War, I discovered that Washington often used false information (left where the British would find it) written in his dispatches to distract the enemy.
Also, I have a very clear memory of my grandmother telling me that Sarah carried Washington’s message to the British. This information led me to fill in the blanks that Sarah delivered deceptive information directly to the British to distract them from the fortification of Dorchester Heights. Another spy, James Armistead, carried out a deceptive operation that caused the Americans to finally win the war.
What do you hope young readers take away from Sarah Saves the Day?
I hope readers take away a better understanding of events that were important in the War of Independence. Also, I am trying to get Sarah’s story more publicly known as a woman who deserves to be recognized for an important role in American history.
Do you aspire to publish another story? If so, who would it be about?
I aspire to publish a book about the slave-turned-spy James Armistead Lafayette. I believe his deceptive operation for Lafayette allowed us to win the war, and that correlates to Sarah’s deceptive operation for George Washington. I think that Lafayette may be a key to finding out more about Sarah’s secret message. It is possible that Lafayette knew about Sarah’s message from conversations he had with Washington about military tactics. It is significant that Lafayette himself presented Sarah with a jewelry pin as a token of appreciation for her bravery. It is also significant that George Washington visited her to thank her for her bravery. My thesis is that she delivered the false message directly to the British; an action like this would be significant enough to warrant visits from Washington and Lafayette.
Blurb
Sarah’s life in 18th century Massachusetts was adventurous from beginning to end. Not long after Sarah married her best friend, John, Britain’s oppression in Boston came to a boiling point. She and John responded by joining forces with other Patriots who wanted freedom from England.
In 1775, General Washington arrived in Boston to lead the newly formed Continental Army against the British. Knowing it would be nearly impossible to push the redcoats out of Boston, Washington devised a plan. He would need a courageous courier. That search led the general to John. But when something unexpected happens on the night of the secret mission, Sarah volunteers to cross enemy lines in John’s place.
This book is written for fifth graders, homeschoolers, or anyone studying American History and includes educational activities related to the Revolutionary War.
Author Ellen Chervenick is a descendent of the real-life heroine, Sarah Bradlee Fulton, and created this book to preserve Sarah’s story.
About the Author
Ellen Chervenick is an artist and the author and illustrator of Sarah Saves the Day. She holds a master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Biola University and has taught art, ESL, and special education. Ellen’s graduate school research (on using sensory activities to teach) inspired this educational book. She once taught a group of fifth graders about the Revolutionary War by impersonating her great-great-great-great-great grandmother Sarah Bradlee Fulton and providing sensory activities. It’s one of her favorite teaching memories.
You can follow Ellen on Facebook and Instagram, where she sells her artwork (paintings and pottery). Ellen lives on a small horse ranch in Northern California with her husband (Joe), daughters (Amanda and Savannah), a horse (Paint), mini horses, mini Aussiedoodle dogs, and some cats. Her book, Sarah Saves the Day, is available on Amazon. If you live in the United States, reading it is a great way to celebrate 250 years of freedom!
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