Ella Giles Ruddy, nineteenth-century Wisconsin author, was the daughter of H. H. Giles, a member of the State Board of Charities and Reform. She inherited an interest in public welfare from her father, and for many years was sent as one of Wisconsin's delegates to the annual national Conference on Charities and Corrections. But her primary interest was in writing. Before her marriage Mrs. Rudy was active in contemporary literary circles and was an intimate friend of such Wisconsin authors as Ella Wheeler Wilcox and Hattie Tyng Griswold. She corresponded with many Wisconsin and other American authors of the day. She herself appears to have devoted most of her time to writing magazine and newspaper articles, although she also produced a book of poetry and three novels in the sentimental style: Bachelor Ben, Maiden Rachel, and Out of the Shadows.
