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A thru E

A

NEW!!! Adams, Judge Henry
(played by John Zaremba)

Judge of the Minnesota County Seat for many decades, often presiding over small claims court cases like the legendary "Mr. Mills Land Swindle Scandal" and sometimes officiating adoptions for people like Albert Quinn Ingalls.

first appearance: "The Family Tree"
last appearance: "Blind Justice"


Alden, Rev. Robert
(played by Dabbs Greer)

Walnut Grove's most respected man of God didn't start out to be that way. Once an ordinary citizen of Walnut Grove, his life changed dramatically in his 30's when a major disaster killed his entire family. Totally distraught, he turned to drinking. During his binge, he was said to have "heard God's voice". It was only then that Alden knew God had work for him to do, and in 1860 he decided to become a minister for the Lord. Six years later he founded the Walnut Grove church, thus becoming a more loving and kind person. In 1877 he found true love again as he married the widow Anna Craig, but she died shortly after. But Rev. Alden would not let another tragedy keep him from the path of God. His ministry in Walnut Grove ended when the town was destroyed in 1901.

first appearance: "A Harvest Of Friends"
last appearance: "The Last Farewell"

Hear his voice in .wav format (40K+ bytes)


NEW!!! Annabelle
(played by Harriett Gibson)

Sister of Nels Oleson who joined London's circus in the 1870s. Annabelle was so ridiculed by her brother because of her tremendous weight that she ran away from home and joined London's Circus. There, she was met by people who were able to accept her for what she was. When London's Circus made its rounds to Walnut Grove, she happened to cross paths with her brother Nels, but he had not changed one bit. When Annabelle finally struck back at Nels by ridiculing him, it was only then that her brother finally accepted her for what she was, and one night during a performance Annabelle and Nels reconciled. Annabelle remained with London's Circus for many decades until she passed away in 1914.

appearance: "Annabelle"


Applewood, Hannibal
(played by Richard Basehart)

Substitute teacher who came to Walnut Grove briefly in 1871. "Crab-Applewood", as most of his former students called him, was a very strict teacher who was very hard to handle. He taught at many different schools, each job not lasting very long. In 1871, he was assigned by the Walnut Grove council the job vacated briefly by Miss Beadle. Taking advantage of some of his "tough-love" methods, Mr. Applewood was set up by Harriet Oleson so he would make sure he would torment as much as possible Miss Beadle's "pet student", Laura Ingalls, so far as to suspend her for an incident she did not cause. When Charles Ingalls found out the truth behind Laura's "punishment", he (and the rest of the council) banned Mr. Applewood from ever teaching in Walnut Grove again. Mr. Applewood died of a massive stroke some time later.

appearance: "Troublemaker"



B

Baker, Harry
(played by Jimmy McNichol)

Nephew of Dr. Hiram Baker and student of Walnut Grove school in 1870. He later disappeared and was never heard from again.

first appearance: "The Love Of Johnny Johnson"


Baker, Dr. Hiram
(played by Kevin Hagen)

One of the most respected country doctors. For nearly 30 years, he was the physician of Walnut Grove, aiding everyone (and everything) from human beings to even farm animals. By 1885 his work load had become so huge that he decided to take on an assistant. He never counted on getting a black doctor. At first, his own feelings of prejudice made him jealous, but when he discovered the black doctor, Gaston LeDoux, obtained skills Hiram never had, he had a change of heart and took on Dr. LeDoux as an assistant-at-large until the town was destroyed in 1901. Dr. Baker has never been married.

first appearance: "A Harvest Of Friends"
last appearance: "The Last Farewell"


Bates, Lou
(played by Billy Barty)

Midget-sized circus performer and banker. Once a member of a nationwide circus troupe, he left after his wife died giving birth to a baby daughter. Desperate for money to support his family, he decided to find work as a banker in Walnut Grove. But "Little Lou" (as he was called) was set up by Harriet Oleson so that he would not obtain the job because of his size. Disgraced, he decided to steal from the mercantile to support his family, and he was detained in the ice house for his actions. But he redeemed himself when he saved the life of Harriet's daughter Nancy from a well. Because of the size of the well, only Lou could rescue her. Seeing that she was wrong, Harriet apologized and recommended Lou to the bank, and there he stayed for several years.

appearance: "Little Lou"


Beadle-Simms, Eva
(played by Charlotte Stewart)

Kindergarten teacher in Walnut Grove until 1875. Beloved by all her students who knew her well, especially Laura Ingalls. Miss Beadle nearly gave up teaching altogether after an incident involving two older students, but still she was able to carry out her job in the best loving way she knew how. In 1874 she met and married a widow named Adam Simms, and they had one child together, Matthew Adam, a short time later. She left Walnut Grove a year later after Mary Ingalls became blind, but not without taking with her fond memories of the school and students she cherished.

first appearance: "Country Girls"
last appearance: "I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away"


Blanche
(played by Strawberry the ape)

Orangagtan who ran amok throughout Walnut Grove (and nearly done in by Nancy Oleson and authorities) in 1889.

appearance: "For The Love Of Blanche"


Brown, Harrison
(played by Jack Ging)

Father of Rachel Brown-Oleson and father-in-law of Wille Oleson. His wife Rachelle died during the Great Tornado of 1886, but he always had a simple dream for his only child, Rachel...just to be happy. So three years later, in 1889, he allowed Willie Oleson to marry her with absolutely no regrets. Years later, he moved to Bur Oak, Iowa where he replaced Charles Ingalls as manager of Janes & Son.

appearance: "May I Have This Dance?"


Brown-Oleson, Rachel
(played by Sherri Stoner)

Rachel was just a homely country girl who was quickly swept off her feet by Willie Oleson during his Senior year in school. They quickly fell in love, and in 1889 (just after Willie's graduation) they were married...despite objections from Willie's mother, Harriet!!! Rachel had no children.

first appearance: "May I Have This Dance?"
last appearance: "The Last Farewell"


Bunny
(played by Bunny the horse)

Horse that ran in the Horse Race Championship in 1872. Laura Ingalls originally owned the horse, but when Nellie Oleson wanted to buy the horse but couldn't, Laura made a deal to sell the horse to Nels Oleson to give to Nellie as a gift at Christmas of 1870 in exchange for a stove. Later, Laura became upset at the way Nellie treated her horse, and in jealousy Nellie took her horse, and in riding Bunny crashed into a tree. Fearing the horse would be destroyed for causing the accident, Laura stole Bunny back and hid her in a barn. When Nellie's feigned illness became known, the Olesons punished Nellie by returning Bunny to its original owner. Some time later, Laura entered Bunny in the annual horse race championship and won first prize. Months later, Bunny got into a freak accident when Laura ran her beloved horse into a barbed wire fence which she did not see in time. Because of its injuries, Bunny had to be shot to death by Charles Ingalls.

first appearance: "Christmas At Plum Creek"
last appearance: "Journey In The Spring"


Burke, Dr. John
(played by Ford Rainey)

Optometrist who helped prescribe Mary Ingalls' reading glasses, and who would later diagnose Mary's blindness.

first appearance: "Four Eyes"
last appearance: "I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away"


C

Carter, Jason Reed
(played by David Friedman)

Younger son of Sarah & John Carter. Born in 1876, Jason was always considered the smart but curious member of the Carter family. Jason has claimed he wore glasses just so he can be the smartest one in his class.

first appearance: "Times Are Changing"
last appearance: "The Last Farewell"


Carter, Jebiddiah Reed ("Jeb")
(played by Lindsay Kennedy)

Oldest son of Sarah & John Carter. Born in 1873, Jeb didn't always approve of his younger brother, but he did have a knack for swimming and fishing. Aside from his schooling, he took an afterschool job being caretaker for Linda McAndrews until she was driven from Walnut Grove by Jeb's own grandfather. Jeb received high honors in school.

first appearance: "Times Are Changing"
last appearance: "The Last Farewell"


Carter, John
(played by Stan Ivar)

Renowned blacksmith who once lived in the big city until he met and married Sarah Reed. Years after having their two sons, John felt life would be better for the family in the plains of Walnut Grove. He eventually took over the blacksmith job held vacant for eight years after the disappearance of Irv Hartwig. He and the family were very happy until they learned about the impending destruction of Walnut Grove. Shortly after, they moved back to the big city.

first appearance: "Times Are Changing"
last appearance: "The Last Farewell"


Carter, Sarah Reed
(played by Pamela Roylance)

The daughter of a wealthy businessman, Elliot Reed, Sarah did not want to be a shadow of her overbearing father. So she decided to start a new life away from the big city. She met and married John Carter, a blacksmith, and years later in 1887 moved to Walnut Grove in the little house formerly owned by the Ingalls. Once she moved in, she started a town newspaper called "The Walnut Grove Gazette". The Carters have two sons, Jeb and Jason.

first appearance: "Times Are Changing"
last appearance: "The Last Farewell"


Case, Mr.
(played by Ivan Bonar)

Physician and social worker in Mankato who handled the adoption of Nancy to the Olesons.


Cassidy, Tom
(played by Bill Zuckert)

One of the men who worked rock-blasting jobs during a crucial assignment in 1870.

appearance: "100 Mile Walk"


Cohen, Benjamin
(played by B.M. Margolese)

Father of Issac Cohen (alias Percival Dalton). Born in Jerusalem, Benjamin Cohen lived strictly by Jewish law, even when he came into the United States. He would go into fits of anger whenever people criticized his beliefs...so much that he suffered from heart problems. He would not accept his son's marriage to a Gentile (Nellie Oleson), nor the coming birth of his children until the Olesons compromised with Benjamin that if the child were a boy, he would be raised a Jew, or if the child were a girl, she would be raised a full Christian. When it turned out he had twin grandchildren, Benjamin finally accepted the Olesons' differences. He died in 1885 in New York due to a heart attack.

appearance: "Come, Let Us Reason Together"


Cohen, Edna
(played by Bea Silvern)

Mother of Issac Cohen (alias Percival Dalton). Born Edna Chaimian in Israel, came to the United States when she was a child. She met and married Benjamin Cohen in 1860. Edna was always alert to her husband's anger due to his disagreements with the American way of life. She ran a business which was passed over to his son Issac upon the death of her husband in 1885.

appearance: "Come, Let Us Reason Together"


Cohen, Benjamin Oleson Dalton

Twin son of Nellie Oleson and Percival Dalton, nicknamed Benny.

mentioned in "Come, Let Us Reason Together"


Cohen, Jennifer Oleson Dalton

Twin daughter of Nellie Oleson and Percival Dalton, nicknamed Jenny.

mentioned in "Come, Let Us Reason Together"


Cohen, Issac
(played by Steve Tracy)

Raised a Jew, Issac knew that one day he would escape his family tradition and create a life for himself. To that end, he changed his name to Percival Dalton, and in 1876 he met Nellie Oleson, who had just opened up a restaurant. Swept away by her charms (or lack thereof), he fell in love with Nellie and eventually married her several weeks later and stayed in Walnut Grove to live. Then, in 1885, Percival's father Bemjamin passed away, so feeling it was up to him to keep his father's business alive for the sake of the family, Percival, Nellie, and their two kids, Jenny and Benny, moved to New York permanently. Percival died many years later.

first appearance: "Loves Me, Loves Me Not"
last appearance: "Come, Let Us Reason Together"


Cooper, James
(played by Jason Bateman)

Cooper, Cassandra
(played by Missy Francis)

Two orphaned children adopted by the Ingalls. When their real parents were killed in a freak accident in 1885, Charles Ingalls was left responsible for finding the children a new home. He originally took them in for a short period of time until the Tompkin family offered to adopt them. Even Charles was unaware of the rough treatment the Cooper children received, so eventually he decided to take them in permanently...despite the small residence. The Ingalls came to accept them as their own children.

first appearance: "The Lost Ones"
last appearance: "He Was Only Twelve"


Cooper, Jed
(played by E.J. Andre)

Grand-uncle to James and Cassandra Cooper. Once wealthy, his wife died of a mysterious illness, rendering him nearly penniless and forced to live out in the wilderness while trying to find work. After his nephew died, Jed was offered care for James and Cassandra, but declined. Then suddenly he became wealthy again and came to Walnut Grove to gain custody of the Cooper children from the Ingalls (from whom the children were eventually adopted). He successfully won, but came down with tuberculosis. Dr. Baker suggested the only way Jed was going to survive was to move out West where the climate was warm and dry, so custody of the Cooper children reverted back to the Ingalls. Though sad to lose the children, Jed's love for them never ended.

first appearance: "The Lost Ones"
last appearance: "Uncle Jed"


Craig-Alden, Anna
(played by Iris Korn)

Widowed lady and faithful church member who fell in love with (and eventually married) Rev. Alden in 1877. The marriage, however, didn't last very long as she passed away from the annual plague some years later.

appearance: "The Preacher Takes A Wife"


Crowley, Dick
(played by Alvy Moore)

Landlord and owner of the General Store in Sleepy Eye for which Almanzo Wilder worked for a time during the re-establishment of the Blind School.

appearance: "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not"



D

Danforth, Rev. Edward
(played by James Olson)

So-called "faith healer" banished out of God's service by Charles Ingalls. Danforth was one of the "traveling preachers" who rode the circuit during the mid 1880's. He claimed to have brought miracles and healed people "in Thy name". In 1876 a member of Danforth's congregation brought his son to be healed against the orders of Dr. Hiram Baker. The son died as a result. When the truth about the tragedy, and that Danforth was taking members of the Walnut Grove church away from Rev. Alden to join the "faith ministry", was exposed by Charles Ingalls, the Rev. "faith healer" was banished from Walnut Grove and defrocked from his ministry. Weeks later, Rev. Danforth took a gun to his head and killed himself.

appearance: "The Faith Healer"


Dorfler, Hans
(played by Jim Jeter)

Respected blacksmith in Walnut Grove from 1870 until his death in 1885. He was instrumental in building the horseshoes that won Laura Ingalls and her horse Bunny the Horse Race Championship in 1871.

first appearance: "A Harvest Of Friends"
last appearance: "The Third Miracle"


Downey, Ann Christine

One of the blind students who lived in several Blind Schools in Mankato and Sleepy Eye before the state took control in 1885.

appearance: "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not"



E

Edwards, Alicia
(played by Kyle Richards)

Youngest child of the Sanderson family. When her mother died in 1871, she was taken in and eventually adopted by Isaiah and Grace Snider Edwards upon their wedding day.

first appearance: "Remember Me"
last appearance: "A Promise To Keep"


Edwards Jr., John
(played by Ramares Pera)

Oldest child of the Sanderson family. After his mother died in 1871, he was subsequently adopted by the Edwards family. For a time, he had a crush on the oldest Ingalls daughter, Mary. But when Mary discovered he was a womanizer, they broke off their engagement. John Jr. was murdered on the streets of Chicago in 1885.

first appearance: "Remember Me"
last appearance: "Times Of Change"


Edwards, Grace Snider
(played by Bonnie Bartlett & Corinne Michaels)

Once a widowed lady, she married Isaiah Edwards because she wanted to once again find true happiness in her life. She also adopted three children from the Sanderson family shortly after their mother died. A very loving mother and wife, she eventually fell victim to Mr. Edwards' old drinking habits, so a year after John Jr.'s death in 1886, she divorced him and married Nathan Simms (Adam's brother and Mrs. Beadle-Simms' brother-in-law).

first appearance: "Mr. Edwards' Homecoming"
last appearance: "A Promise To Keep"


Edwards, Isaiah
(played by Victor French)

Close friend to the Ingalls family. Once married, he lost his entire immediate family to the pox, and soon after became a drunk and a vagrant. He first stumbled upon the Ingalls family in the year 1869 while they were establishing a home on the Kansas prairies. He taught the Ingalls many things, even teaching Laura how to spit!
Eventually he followed the Ingalls to their new home in Walnut Grove, but his occasional drinking got in the way. He sobered up when he met a widow named Grace Snider, eventually winning over her and marrying her, as well as adopting three kids from the Sanderson family (John Jr., Alicia, and Karl). Though there were times he fell on the wayside, the Ingalls family (as well as his own) would help him out.
Then, in 1885, his adopted son John Jr. was murdered on the streets of Chicago, and fell back into alcoholism, which cost him his marriage, his family, and nearly his well-being. It took becoming godfather to Laura's baby Rose, his conversion to Christianity, and his eventual moving in with the Wilder family to bring him back again.

first appearance: Original movie
last appearance: "The Last Farewell"

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