Laura Ingalls Wilder

Biography

Girl of Charles and Caroline Ingalls, Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born the February 7th 1867 close to Pip, in the Wisconsin. She is the second of their five children: Mary, Laura, Carrie, Freddy and Grace. Although being an intelligent and brilliant pupil, his education was sporadic since its family moved many once through the Midwest and often lived in isolated places where there was no yet school.

In 1868, Ingalls left Pepin to settle in Chariton County in the Missouri. One year later, they settled in Independence, in the Kansas, where Laura learned how to write. In 1871, it turned over to Pepin, where Laura and its Mary sister were registered with the Barry Corner School . At the end of three years, they left the city definitively and left for Walnut Grove, in the Minnesota. They lived initially in a mountain at the edge of a brook, until they had finished building their house. They briefly left the city, from 1876 with 1877, to live in Burr Oak, in the Iowa, where Charles worked in a hotel then in a mill, then they returned in Walnut Grove. Laura then started to work as dressmaker to help her parents financially.

In 1879, Ingalls were fixed at De Smet, in the South Dakota, where Charles had found a work in a company of Railroad. Followed itself from there one very difficult winter, where one died almost of hunger. Laura, attended the school more regularly where she particularly liked the English, the Histoire and the Poésie. It became teacher at the sixteen years age and was committed with the Bouchie School .

After three years of engagement, Laura married the brother of its former teacher, the farmer Almanzo Wilder, the August 25th 1885. She had to stop her trade, because at its time, the married women were not authorized to teach. Their daughter, Rose, were born the December 5th 1886. The small Rose was followed of a son, died quickly after her birth, in August 1889. This tragic event was the first of a series, since Almanzo, reached diphteria, remained partially paralyzed with the legs and needed a cane until the end of its days. Then, their house and their barn were destroyed by fire. And finally, several years of dryness left them involved in debt.

Physically sick and consequently incompetents to earn their living, Wilder remained one year in the parents of Almanzo with Spring Valley, in the Minnesota, where they could rest. In 1891, they briefly settled in Westville in Florida, where the cousin of Laura lived. The Climat of Florida was to improve health of Almanzo, but Laura, which was accustomed to living in the dry plains, did not support heat and southernmost moisture, and Wilder thus turned over in 1892 to Smet, where they rented a small house.

In 1894, they were fixed definitively at Mansfield, in the Missouri. They bought there a plot of land where they built a splendid house, which they called the Rocky Ridge Farm , where Laura and Almanzo finished their existence. They raised poultry there and cultivated fruits there.

Laura started to write articles for the Missouri Ruralist , like for other magazines. His/her daughter, Rose, then encouraged it to write her memories. It wrote thus its autobiography in 1930 and Pionner Girl entitled it. But, not having found of editor, it rewrites it partly and under the title of the Small house in large wood published it. The book met an immediate success, which encouraged Laura to write the continuation of its adventures and those of its family. It resulted the televised series from it the Small house In the Meadow .

Almanzo died the October 23rd 1949 with Mansfield, at the age of quatre-vingt-douze years. Laura died out during its sleep the February 10th 1957 with the Rocky Ridge Farm , at the ninety years age.

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