Edward Bellamy 
The Duke of Stockbridge (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) 
A Romance of Shays’ Rebellion

Although written in 1879 and serialized in a local paper,
The Duke of Stockbridge was not published in book form until 1900, when it was revised following Bellamy’s death. 
The Duke of Stockbridge is set in the past:  during Shay’s Rebellion of 1786. It’s soft and romantic, but hidden inside the sentimentality are hints of Bellamy’s political ideas.    

About the author

Edward Bellamy (1850-1898) was an American writer and socialist involved in progressive causes.  He is best known for his utopian novel Looking Backward (1888), set in the year 2000, which had a strong influence on both American and European science fiction as well as the political movement known as Nationalism.