The Real Family History of Laura Ingalls Wilder. (Little House on the Prairie TV series)

Ever wanted to know what really happened when the Ingalls girls grew up? Here's a brief history of Laura and her close family. This gets long, but its very interesting. I hope you enjoy it!

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder was born on Feb 7th, 1867 in Pepin WI. The second of 5 children of Charles and Caroline Ingalls. Her sisters included Mary Ameilia Ingalls: born January 10, 1865, in Pepin, WI., Caroline Celestia Ingalls (Carrie): born August 3, 1870, in Montgomery County, Kansas, and Grace Pearl Ingalls: born May 23, 1877(the youngest of all the children). Laura also had one brother Charles Frederick Ingalls Jr: born November 1, 1875 in Walnut Grove, MN. he lived only 9 short months then began to loose wieght and died on August 27, 1876 despite a doctor being called.

In DeSmet, SD she met and married Almanzo James Wilder. When Laura was teaching school twelve miles away when she was only sixteen, Almanzo came and took her back and forth each weekend behind the Morgan horses Laura loved so much - Prince and Lady. After courting for two and one half years, they were married on August 25, 1885, with the bride wearing black. They spent four years trying farming which is documented in The First Four Years, which ended with a fire which destroyed the home Almanzo "Manly" had worked so hard to build. The Wilder's then spent several years living with various family members while Almanzo gained his strength back from his bout of diptheria, which resulted in his partial paralysis. In 1890, Laura, Almanzo and Rose lived with Almanzo's parents in Spring Valley, MN. Between 1891 and 1892, the three then moved to Westville, FL in hoped the warmer climate would help Almanzo's legs. Laura hated living there so much, they returned to De Smet. In July, 1894 the three then left for Laura and Almanzo's final home, Mansfield, MO where they bought Rocky Ridge Farm with the hidden $100 bill. Laura's diary of the trip is published in On the Way Home. Laura died on February 10, 1957 at her Rocky Ridge home, the last surviving member of her pioneering Ingalls family

Almanzo James Wilder was the fifth child born to James and Angeline Wilder, on February 13, 1857, near Malone, NY. In 1879, Almanzo and his brother Royal, settled near DeSmet, SD. In The Long Winter, Almanzo and Cap Garland brought back wheat for the town to eat so everyone did not starve to death, since everyone was so short of food when the trains did not come. Almanzo was plagued with debts and other hardships related to farming, which is documented in The First Four Years. Almanzo also got diptheria, which resulted in his paralysis. Almanzo lived out the rest of his life working on his beloved farm, until his death on October 23, 1949 from two heart attacks.

On February 1, 1860, Charles married Caroline Lake Quiner, in Concord, Wisconsin. Pa always wanted to go out west, but Ma insisted that they at least stay somewhere where the girls could attend school. They travelled a great deal before finally settling in DeSmet, South Dakota where he held many jobs, including Justice of the Peace. Pa died in De Smet on June 8, 1902, leaving his wife and daughters. Pa's memory lives on through his wonderful stories in the Little House books, and with his wonderful fiddle music, which often filled the hearts of the Ingalls on hot summer evenings and cold winter nights.

In Brookfield, Wisconsin, Caroline Lake Quiner was born to Henry and Charlotte Quiner on December 12, 1839. When she was just seven years old, her father died, and it is during this period where the new Little House series The Early Years takes place with the first book Little House in Brookfield. Three years after Henry died, Caroline's mother remarried to Frederick Holbrook. Caroline taught two terms of school when she was only sixteen years old, until she married on February 1, 1860, to Charles Phillip Ingalls in Concord, Wisconsin. Ma was always kind and gentle, and always full of wisdom for her daughters to follow. It was Ma who insisted that Pa stay somewhere where the girls could attend school. They travelled a great deal before finally settling in DeSmet, South Dakota. When her husband died, she continued to live in De Smet with her eldest daughter Mary. She died on April 20, 1924.

Contrary to the popular TV series "Little house on the Prairie", Mary Ingalls never married. After she graduated from the school for the blind in Vinton, Iowa, she moved back home to DeSmet, South Dakota to live with her parents. After "Ma" and "Pa" deaths she then lived with her sister Grace and her husband. Mary died on October 17, 1928 at the home of her younger sister Carrie, in Keystone, South Dakota.

After finishing school, Carrie Ingalls worked for a newspaper in DeSmet, SD, then later moved onto larger newspapers. Carrie met David Swanzey in the Black Hills. David was a widower with two young children, Mary and Harold, and they married on August 1, 1912 in Rapid City, South Dakota. Carrie raised David's children, and on June 2, 1946, Carrie died in Rapid City, South Dakota, leaving her older sister Laura as the last surviving member of the Ingalls family. she never had any children of her own.

Grace Ingalls was the youngest of "Ma" and "Pa's" offspring. She was 8 when Laura and Almanzo got married. She grew up to become a school teacher near DeSmet, SD. On October 16, 1901, Grace married Nathan William Dow in the Ingalls family home, in the front parlor. She cared for her older sister Mary after her mother's death. Grace never had any children, and died in Manchester, South Dakota on November 10, 1941.

Laura and Almanzo's daughter Rose married Claire Gillette Lane in San Francisco, California, on March 24, 1909, and divorced in1918. She had one son who died at birth. Rose wrote many books, including Let the Hurricane Roar, Old Home Town, Faces at the Window, Home Over Saturday, and Free Land, a story of homesteading. She spent much of her time travelling to different parts of the world, including Vietnam where she worked as a war correspondent, and wrote many books and articles about her experiences. On October 30, 1968, Rose died in Danbury, Connecticut, on the eve of a world tour trip.

Eliza Jane Wilder was Almanzo's older sister. In 1879 Eliza Jane accompanied her brothers Royal and Almanzo to DeSmet, SD where they all took claims. Later, she relocated to Washington D.C. where she became a "Government Girl" working for the Department of the Interior. At the age of 42, Eliza Jane married Thomas Jefferson Thayer, a twice-married Spring Valley merchant with six children. In June of 1894, Walcott Thayer was born, named after the father of Thomas, whom was nicknamed Wilder. In 1899, Thomas died, with his estate being left to Etta, his daughter from a previous marriage. It was at this time when Rose stayed with Eliza Jane to continue school in Crowley, Louisiana. In 1904, Eliza Jane married Maxwell Gordon, whom she later seperated from. Eliza Jane died on June 1, 1930 in Lafayette, Louisiana, and is buried there.

I got this information from http://www.pinc.com/~jenslegg/family.htm

~Ferret

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