Minor Characters in Kit's Series (H-R)
Miss Hart
One of the two nurses boarding with the Kittredge family. She and Miss Finney board together in the former guest room.
She has a boyfriend in Boston who is attending medical school and he sends her long letters in fat envelopes, to which she writes just as long letters. He comes to Cincinnati for the holidays. In Kit's Surprise, she and Miss Finney help Kit and Ruthie with unraveling old sweaters to make scarves for their father; her own will be going to her boyfriend. When Kit says she is uncomfortable with accepting ballet tickets from the Smithens for December 26, the Smithens give the tickets to Miss Hart, Miss Finney, and their dates.
Mr. Henry
A man boarding with the Thatchers'. He weaves white oak baskets and moves into homes until he decides to leave.
Mr. Hesse
An old friend of Jack Kittredge. In Changes for Kit, Mr. Kittredge runs into him in a hanger at the airport, and Mr. Hesse says there could soon be jobs repairing airplane engines. Mr. Kittredge is hoping to use his mechanic skills to get one of those jobs.
Later in the book, Mr. Hesse offers to drive Mr. Kittredge, Charlie, and Kit to the airport so she can take photos of her father next to the walls he built. However, Mr. Hesse changes his mind because of the snow.
The Hobart Brothers
Three blond boys that bullied Stirling Howard and a paperboy named Vinnie in A Thief in the Theater. The eldest brother is named Hobart.
Mr. Hoffstader
The owner of the hospitality shop in the hospital. He is seen in Kit's Home Run. His wife used to take care of the plants and flowers in the shop, but can't since they recently had a baby two weeks ago; he is too busy cooking and cleaning to handle the plants.
Louise Howard speaks to him when she escorts Kit to clean her up after her busted lip. He mentions that Louise Howard comes to the hospital to weed the flower beds more than the other ladies. Kit asks after who attends the flowers, and after Kit suggests Louise as a helper, he hires her as an assistant at the shop for two dollars a week (as he cannot afford much in pay). He later says she is the best cleaner he's seen and the plants and flowers are well cared for.
Mr. Stirling Howard
Mr. Stirling Howard is the husband of Louise Howard and and father of Stirling Howard. At the start of the series, he has gone to Chicago--according to Louise, to find work, as he has been unemployed for two years since the company he worked for went out of business. He gave Stirling twenty dollars to use in an emergency before he left. While he promised to write, he never does so, and Stirling is sure that's he's "flown the coop" and won't return, having abandoned his wife and son.
In Kit Learns a Lesson, Stirling uses Kit's typewriter to fake a letter from his father to himself. He uses this as a way to get his mother to accept the emergency money. Roger also tries to make fun of Stirling for his father's abandonment, causing Stirling and Kit to get their revenge on him while they prepare for their school's pageant.
In Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, Stirling is named as Stirling Howard IV, implying his father's name is Stirling Howard III.
Hungry Boy
A hungry and dirty young boy, seen in Full Speed Ahead: My Journey with Kit. He first appears at the back door of the and the girls give him a scrap of bacon instead of giving it to the dog with them, Buddy. Once the girls earn their nickels, the reader can choose for them to give the boy all their money rather than buy their train tickets; if they do, he breaks into a giant smile upon getting the money, looking at them as if they're good fairies or magicians, and the protagonist says she'll never forget the look on his face. If they don't they do give him half--ten cents--and he's still overwhelmed, saying "thanks" with his eyes filled with tears.
Inky
Uncle Hendrick's ill-tempered Scottie dog. In Kit's Surprise, Kit helps Uncle Hendrick with his chores while he is sick, and this includes taking care of Inky. Kit refers to Inky as the "meanest, most hateful dog in Cincinnati," and she believes Inky's temper is worse than her uncle's. When Kit goes over to the house to help her uncle, Inky frequently barks at her and watches her. He sits in a chair by the fire. Kit has to carry Inky down the stairs for his walks, but he walks very fast when they do reach the sidewalk. However, he refuses to play fetch at the park with Charlie's tennis ball, preferring to bite the cover off of it later.
Mrs. Kittredge suggests giving cheese rinds to Inky to win him over, though Kit never mentions actually giving these to Inky. When a bad storm arrives in Cincinnati on Christmas Eve, Inky is restless all day, and he refuses to go outside for his walk. The ice from the storm prevents Kit from going home, so she has to spend the night at her uncle's. Partway through the night, Inky scratches and whines at her bedroom door, and he leaps up onto the bed and curls up with her. Kit thinks that she is actually happy for his company, even though he is smelly. Inky accompanies Uncle Hendrick to the Kittredges' for Christmas. Mrs. Kittredge also gives Kit a small Scottie dog pin that she had received when she was Kit's age. However, she has a twinkle in her eye when she gives it to Kit because she knows how Kit feels about Inky.
Joey
Annie-Dot's younger brother, who was also staying at Goodmont Children's Home.
Butch Johnson
A blond boy who is best friends with Roger.
Boogie-Woogie Jones
A drummer who plays in Stewart Simpson's band, and is seen performing at the Burns' Theater in The Jazzman's Trumpet.
Josh
A member of the Civilian Conservation Corps. He grew up in Kentucky and is commonly referred to as "Big Josh".
Jimmy Lake
A boy who works in the mail room of the Cincinnati Register.
Mr. Leiser
Kit's, Ruthie's and Stirling's sixth grade teacher.
Lex
A hobo Kit and Stirling met in Kit Saves the Day.
Eli Littlefield
The infant son of Mrs. Littlefield. He's in Full Speed Ahead: My Journey with Kit. His mother says he's growing fast out of his clothes.
Mrs. Littlefield
A resident of Mountain Hollow, Kentucky. She meets the protagonist and Kit in Full Speed Ahead: My Journey with Kit as they're trying to walk to Millie's home; she offers them dried apple slices, then when Kit mentions who they're going to see, she escorts them to Millie and Myrtle's cabin. She can also attend the library swap party, and is seeking newer baby clothes for her infant son, Eli.
Ernie Lombardi
Ernie Lombardi is the catcher of the Cincinnati Reds. Kit and Stirling call him the "Schnozz" because of his big nose. Kit has an article of him holding that she used to keep in her room before it was redecorated; when she moves to the attic, she is able to put it back up as part of her decorating. Stirling likes him in part because he's big and Stirling is small.
Lucias
A tall railroad bull. He is among the men who finds the protagonist, Kit, and Mr. Birdseye on the train in in Full Speed Ahead: My Journey with Kit. He escorts them (or only Mr. Birdseye, depending on choices) to the Lewis Falls Jail and does not wish to show the girls any mercy.
Lucille
Uncle Hendrick's great-niece. She is near Kit's age, and visits Cincinnati in summer 1933 to stay with Hendrick for an unstated time. Hendrick has decided she should stay with the Kittredges, with her room and board being paid by Hendrick. Lucille is only mentioned in Full Speed Ahead: My Journey with Kit, and it is possible for the unnamed protagonist to take on Lucille's identity if this is chosen (if not, she is instead mistaken for a young hobo with the name "Lulu", so either way is called Lulu).
Lucille's Mother
Lucille's mother and Hendrick's niece. She is only mentioned, not seen. She is as headstrong as her cousin Margaret Kittredge about her full-time job. Lucille's mother went to college, rather than staying home as a young lady as Hendrick suggested she do. Uncle Hendrick says doing so filled her head with "nonsense" and she is now one of those modern women, always rushing around and wasting her energy at work.
Mabel
A girl in Kit's fourth grade class.
Mr. and Mrs. Maggiano
The owners of Maggiano's Grocery Store.
Mrs. McCorkle
A resident of Mountain Hollow, Kentucky. She has a son named Robert and knows how to quilt using traditional Appalachian designs.
Robert McCorkle
Mrs. McCorkle's son. He was taught a Shakespearean poem by Millie Morrison and knows how to recite it by heart.
Mr. McGregor
A man who works as a teacher at Goodmont Children's Home. He is considered by Annie-Dot and Joey as the nicest employer at the orphanage.
Miss McLenny
A woman who moves into the Kittredge's house in Missing Grace.
Birch Morrison
Mildred Morrison's late husband. He and Millie raised Jack Kittredge after his parents died. He worked in the coal mine in Mountain Hollow, Kentucky until his death. He is mentioned in Happy Birthday, Kit!
Luke Mueller
A German boy Kit meets in Missing Grace. He's nicknamed "Sunny" by hobos at the hobo camp.
Mr. and Mrs. Mueller
The parents of Luke Mueller. In Missing Grace, it's mentioned that Mrs. Mueller is ill and expecting a baby, and Mr. Mueller is struggling with earning enough money to take his wife to a doctor.
Elsie Mundis
An elderly woman who lives in a manor house, Rivermead Manor. Miss Mundis is a big science fiction fan, and had attended school alongside Uncle Hendrick before she was transferred by her mother to a European finishing school.
Mrs. Newcomb
A librarian at the public library.
Officer O'Dell
A park ranger at Mammoth Cave National Park.
Otis
An assistant keeper at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Tony Panetta
The owner of a prize-winning basset hound named Roland.
Sergeant Paul
A police officer who is engaged to Nancy Smithens.
Myrtle Peabody
A close friend of Mildred Morrison. When Millie lost her cabin (as it was part of the teaching job, and the school is closed), she moved in with Myrtle. She is sensible and practical, in contrast to Millie, and thinks things through thoroughly. She has a calm, twangy voice. In Happy Birthday, Kit!, Aunt Millie mentions that Myrtle had wanted her to move in with her for some time, and the school closing means it will finally happen.
Mr. Peck
A man boarding with the Kittredge family. Mr. Peck can play a double bass fiddle and is mentioned to be tall with a beard.
Beatrice Pew
A friend of Margaret Kittredge. Mrs. Pew knows how to upholster and offers to help Mrs. Kittredge redo the living room chairs at her house in exchange for using some of the curtain material for her own chairs. She also asks Kit to babysit her three children during the afternoons that she worked.
Jessamine Porter
An African American girl who was once close friends with Kit Kittredge. Jessamine's father had worked at Jack Kittredge's dealership prior to its closing in 1932, and Jessamine and Kit used to play with each other with a tire swing behind the dealership. She only appears in Intruders at Rivermead Manor.
Miss Preston
The secretary at the Cincinnati Register.
Frank Richards
Angela Bravetti's husband, who had previously worked at an insurance company.
Ginger Rogers
A young woman the protagonist and Kit meet while working at Mrs. Finch's general store in Full Speed Ahead: My Journey with Kit. (She is so "named" because the protagonist says she looks like Ginger Rogers--using a name of a then-current movie star--but it is not actually her.)
She says she doesn't know what material to buy for a suit she's having made, as she now has a new job in Cincinnati and needs to look tailored and businesslike, not dowdy, and is trying to decide between blue chiffon and navy serge. The protagonist speaks up, telling her which is right fabric for her suit--the navy blue serge, as chiffon will look frilly. Upon learning Ginger is moving to Cincinnati, Kit offers her boarding at her family's house. Ginger gets along with the dog Buddy as well. She takes Kit's address and a neighbor's phone number to call. Ginger then buys them both sandwiches and pie in thanks, and the girls shake her hand before she leaves.
When the girls get back, Margaret lets them know that Ginger wants to rent a room, and is willing to share with Kit and Buddy, moving in next week.
Rudy
A boy who works as an assistant keeper at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Mr. Runyan
An elderly man residing in Lonesome Hollow. His wife passes away a few months prior to Midnight in Lonesome Hollow, and he takes his anger out at everybody else.