Reed, Elliot
(played by John McLiam)
Father of Sarah Reed Carter. Born in England, he migrated to the U.S. to try to make a name and business for himself. He became publisher of one of New York's top newspapers, the "New York Globe-Telegram", when he married Emma Reed in 1845. They had only one child together, Sarah. Elliot was a very shrewd person who can manipulate anyone and anything to suit his desires. Elliot did not approve of his daughter's marriage to John Carter or the Carters' move to the prairies of Minnesota. When Emma became ill with tuberculosis in 1887, Elliot had his wife committed to a sanitarium in Conneticut deliberately so that he would keep his daughter as far away as possible from her mother. Upon visiting Walnut Grove after his wife died, he literally took over the small town newspaper her daughter had launched and conspired with Harriet Oleson to print a scandalous article about one of its citizens, and caused Sarah emotional harm. Not long after, he had enrolled his grandsons in several military and boarding schools in the East Coast against his family's will. When John Carter finally set his father-in-law straight, he left Walnut Grove (and his daughter) never to return again...but not before he had made a short peace with his family and his estranged daughter.
appearance: "Sins Of The Fathers"
Hear his voice in .wav format 293 KB
Reed, Vance
(played by Cooper Huckabee)
Former student of Walnut Grove School and beau of Etta Plum. Born Herman Stone in 1854, he was developmentally disabled from birth, that is why he started school at a late age. He eventually possessed many qualities such as being a farmer and a hard worker. When he was 18 years of age and in the ninth grade in school, he was embarrassed by a substitute teacher named Hannibal Applewood. Ashamed of himself, he wanted to start a new life and a new identity. He changed his name to Vance Reed, finished high school, and found a steady job. By 1901 he had fallen in love with teacher Etta Plum and wanted to establish life for the two of them even though he became unemployed by this time. Through the harsh times both Vance and Etta survived, and they both lived to a ripe old age.
first appearance: "Troublemaker"
last appearance: "Look Back To Yesterday"
Rogers, Matthew(played by Jonathan Hall Kovacs)
Mute boy who came to Walnut Grove for a brief time in the late 1880s. Born in 1875, his parents were forced to give him up during the Terrible Drought of 1878 due to money problems. He was sent to live in many oprhanages. Because of his often weird behavior, one family he lived with put lye down his throat, rendering him without a voice for the rest of his life. Later he was captured by a circus showman named Joshua McQueen and was exhibited as a freak. McQueen nicknamed him "The Wild Boy Of The North".
One day, in 1887, he escaped the circus, eventually finding solstice in Isaiah Edwards and his friends. For the first time since childhood, his new-found friends taught him how to communicate with people, and how to behave like normal people. But when McQueen found out where Matthew was hiding, he captured him again. Matthew was sent to trial for a custody hearing to determine his sanity. The State eventually won custody when McQueen could not prove his case, but when Mr. Edwards came to Matthew's defense, the ruling was overturned. Matthew became Mr. Edwards' ward until 1889, when his real father returned to claim his son and took him home back West.
first appearance: "The Wild Boy"
last appearance: "Hello And Goodbye"
Rogers, Phillip(played by Robert Darnell)
Father of Matthew Rogers. After his only child's birth, he and his family had become victims of the Year Of The Drought in 1878. Broke and starving, Phillip knew the only way he could save his son's life was to give him up for adoption. Heartbroken for many years after the calamity, he and his wife began searching for their lost son, but it seemed that the closer they got to finding him, he had been sent somewhere else. When his wife died in 1887, it gave him even more courage to find him. Then Mr. Janes in Bur Oak, Iowa finally helped Phillip track down his son...in Walnut Grove. When Matthew finally saw his father, it was under resentment...at first. But when the "wild boy" accepted a gift from his father (a Bible his mother had left him before her death), he was able to find God, and that led him to reconcile with the father he had not known since he was a baby. Not long after, Phillip took his son Matthew home to California.
appearance: "Hello And Goodbye"
S
Sanders, Col. Harland(played by John A. Roberts)
Founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken food chain. In 1886, after Mrs. Sullivan's franchise folded in Walnut Grove, Col. Sanders approached Mrs. Oleson with a "business proposition"...to run a franchise that devoted itself to one meal...fried chicken. Mrs. Oleson turned it down, little knowing what success she would have made. Like Major Guffey's franchise, Col. Sanders called it the "wave of the future".
appearance: "Wave Of The Future"
Note: the actual depliction of Col. Sanders in "Wave Of The Future" is obviously an anachronism. The story is set in 1886, and the real life Col. Sanders was not even born yet, and Kentucky Fried Chicken would not open until the middle of the next century. For legal reasons, the character is listed in the final credits as "Bearded Man".
Sanderson, Alicia
See Alicia Edwards.
Sanderson Jr., John
See John Edwards Jr.
Sanderson, Julia
(played by Patricia Neal)
Mother of the three children who would become adopted into the Edwards family. Widowed for many years, Julia found out she was dying, but it took a short while to accept her fate. So she envisioned a future for the kids with one simple poem which she wanted read by Rev. Alden upon her death, called "Remember Me". A strong, but stern woman, her greatest wish was not to be remembered for the way she suffered, but for the way she lived. She died from cancer in 1871.
appearance: "Remember Me"
Schiller, Erich(played by Ike Eisenmann & Dan McBride)
Gifted son of Otto & Maria Schiller, he came from an illiterate family. But his father had plans for him...to get a good education and learn to live a normal life. In 1876 during the town's annual Spelling Bee, Erich was embarrassed by Harriet Oleson and her vindictive gossip about him, which she contributed to her short-lived newspaper, "The Pen & Plow", and ran away from school vowing never to return. Eventually, his father taught Erich that his education meant so much to the Schiller family, and he returned to school.
When his parents died years later, Erich became a frequent customer at Nellie's/Caroline's restaurant, often checking in as either "Taylor" or "Reilly". He also took on a job as a steward on trains.
first appearance: "Harriet's Happenings"
last appearance: "Bless All The Dear Children"
First hear his voice (as played by Ike Eisenmann) in .wav format (50K+ bytes),
then hear his voice (as played by Dan McBride) in either RealAudio (35.6 KB)
or in .wav format (77K+ bytes) and you'll hear two contrasting attitudes of Erich.
Schiller, Otto
(played by King Moody)
German-born father of Erich Schiller. Otto was born illiterate, but when he had his one and only child, he had a dream for his Erich...for him to get a good education and to learn what Otto himself could not in his lifetime... to learn how to read. When Erich ran away from school after losing in the annual Walnut Grove Spelling Bee in 1876, Otto taught his son the importance of education, and thus Otto's family dream was realized.
appearance: "Harriet's Happenings"
Sherman, Jenny
(played by Anne E. Curry)
Woman who almost died giving birth to her child. In 1885, she was expecting her first child when her husband objected to a black doctor examining her (she had experienced complications during her pregnancy). After Charles Ingalls intervened, Dr. Caleb LeDoux gave her medicine and performed emergency surgery that allowed her to give birth to a healthy baby daughter. Both mother and baby survived.
appearance: "Dark Sage"
Sherman, Nathan
(played by John Shearin)
Husband of Jenny Sherman. Nathan was extermely prejudice and jealous of having a black doctor tend to his wife during the birth of his daughter. Nathan's wife Jenny had experienced complications during the latter stages of her pregnancy. Dr. Baker had tended to the Sherman's needs when Dr. Caleb LeDoux came to Walnut Grove. After Jenny experienced life-threatening complications, Dr. LeDoux immediately arrived, but Nathan would not allow him to care for her. Charles Ingalls intervened, giving Nathan a punch in the jaw, thus allowing Dr. LeDoux to save the life of Jenny and the baby. Nathan finally learned to appreciate a black doctor's work, but it was too late...he had earned the mistrust of Hero Township.
appearance: "Dark Sage"
Simms, Adam
Brother of Nathan Simms and husband of Eva Beadle. A widowed man with one son (Luke), he met Eva Beadle while his son was courting Nellie Oleson. Not paying attention to her age (Eva was 20 years younger than Adam), he fell victim to the young teacher's charms. It was in 1874 (while his son's marriage was being annulled) that Adam married her. They had one son together, Matthew Adam Simms.
first appearance: "Here Come The Brides"
last appearance: "A Most Precious Gift"
Simms, Anna
(played by Lurene Tuttle)
Wife of Matthew Simms. In 1871 while trying to find a permanent place to live in Minnesota, she and her husband Matthew heard that the Ingalls farm was put up for sale after a mild tornado. They went to Plum Creek to accept the offer, but later decided against it and moved on. Anna had two children, Adam & Nathan, and was grandmother of Matthew Jr. & Matthew Adam Simms.
appearance: "Going Home"
Simms, Matthew
(played by E.J. Andre)
Father of Adam & Nathan Simms, grandfather of Matthew Jr. & Matthew Adam Simms, and father-in-law of Eva Beadle Simms. In 1871 he came to Walnut Grove to accept an offer to buy the Ingalls farm in Plum Creek after a mild tornado hit the area. He changed his mind and decided not to buy it, so he and his wife Anna moved on to another town.
appearance: "Going Home"
Simms, Nathan
Brother of Adam Simms and brother-in-law of Eva Beadle Simms. In 1886 he met Grace Snider Edwards at a time when she was divorcing her husband Isaiah on grounds of his drinking. He later married her. Nathan is a loving family man and loves the Edwards children as if they were his own.
mentioned in: "A Promise To Keep"
Sprague, Ebenezer
(played by Ted Gehring)
Banker who operated the Walnut Grove bank in the early 1870s. Sprague grew up with no one to lend a hand for him...in fact, no one helped him with his education, not as far as to lend him a book! For many years, he became a miser, not wanting to be a giver. He carried that attitude through his arrival in Walnut Grove when he established the Walnut Grove Bank in 1872. But one day, for the first time ever in his life, he made a friend, in a young girl named Laura Ingalls. Both he and Laura went fishing together for many days, all the while being taught the value of love and life. But when Laura discovered who her friend really was, she realized the deception and discovered that Sprague and Charles Ingalls were at odds on a loan, and their friendship was briefly broken. When Charles visited Sprague the next day, the banker was berated for wasting what he had long missed in his life. It was only then that Sprague learned that giving is as much important as taking, and finally contributed to the economy of Walnut Grove. In return, he once again earned Laura's friendship...as well as the whole town. He remained the town's banker for many years until he left Walnut Grove to start a family.
first appearance: "Ebenezer Sprague"
last appearance: "The Collection"
Stacey, John
(played by Brian Richards)
First boyfriend of young teacher Eva Beadle, whose actions inadvertantly taught Mary not to be ashamed of herself wearing glasses. Mr. Stacey's crush on Eva didn't last very long as he went to jail for robbing a bank in nearby Mankato and was never heard from again.
appearance: "Four Eyes"
Standish, Jeb
(played by Adam Gunn)
Son of Miles Standish, mayor of Winoka. Jeb, like his father before him, knew the ins and outs of gambling even before he was ten years old! But he also did his best to bully the Ingalls children. He was disowned by his father after he inadvertantly set off fireworks bought by his father for Winoka's "Fourth Of July" celebration.
first appearance: "As Long As We're Together"
last appearance: "There's No Place Like Home"
Standish, Miles
(played by Leon Charles)
Mayor and ruler of the town of Winoka. Miles was a millionaire, but he was a very shrewd and stern businessman and mayor who could control anything, everything, and everybody who visited or lived there. Nothing could stand in Mr. Standish's way. Even if anyone asked for a raise, he would stand firm on his decision to pay people on time...or else. Miles was also a professional gambler...his most famous win was managing to beat wandering stranger Toby Noe out of $5,000. Mr. Standish remained mayor of Winoka until his death in 1894.
first appearance: "As Long As We're Together"
last appearance: "Blind Journey"
Hear his voice in .wav format (63K+ bytes)
Stevens, Belinda
See Michelle Pierson.
Stone, Herman
See Vance Reed.
Sweeney, Willa
(played by Celia Kaye)
One of the women who helped Caroline Ingalls during Charles' absence from Walnut Grove in 1870.
appearance: "100 Mile Walk"
T
Terhune, Hester-Sue
(played by Ketty Hester)
Ex-wife of Sam Terhune. Born Hester-Sue Johansson in 1837, her parents died during the annual plague. She was taken in by a family called the Terhunes and raised her as if she was their own daughter. By the time she was in her 20s, she met Sam, the Terhunes' nephew. She fell in love with him and within nine months she married him. Five years into the marriage, Sam and Hester-Sue were divorced. In 1875, Hester-Sue was selected to join a caravan of blind people in migration to a newly-built School For The Blind just outside Mancado, and soon became a teacher there. When the School burned down and the group found solstice in Sleepy Eye, Hester-Sue went with them and continued working for them for eight years until the State took control. Out of a job, she had planned to move to her sister's back east until Caroline offered her a job as a cook at Nellie's Restaurant. Hester-Sue accepted the offer and remained in Walnut Grove for many years. In 1886, Sam Terhune re-entered Hester-Sue's life, but she resented him for torturing her marriage with his drinking. She had forgiven him and intended to start a new life with him until the old drinking and gambling habits that led to the dissolution of her marriage returned, which led Hester-Sue to finally distance herself from her ex-husband forever. Hester-Sue died of a heart attack in early 1890.
first appearance: "Blind Journey"
last appearance: "A Child With No Name"
Terhune, Naomi
(played by Marguerite DeLain)
Second ex-wife of Sam Terhune. Married to Sam for 7 years beginning in 1880 and the mother of his two children, Naomi left Sam when nearly all of the family belongings had been gambled away. After Naomi left Sam, she was confronted by Hester-Sue, his first wife, and to whom Sam had planned to re-marry, and warned her of Sam's true nature. She filed for divorce not long after.
appearance: "Second Chance"
Terhune, Sam
(played by J.A. Preston)
Ex-husband of Hester-Sue Terhune. Sam was married twice, once to the former Hester-Sue Johansson, and again to Naomi, with whom he had two children. Although he was a freelance carpenter-by-trade, he often wasted his money away on gambling and drinking. When his first wife learned about his habits, she left him. That led him to go cold turkey and find another wife to settle down. But his old habits soon returned, and Sam left Naomi, obstensibly to go back to his former wife, Hester-Sue, but was overcome by his usual vices. On the day Hester-Sue prepared to re-marry Sam, she was confronted by his second wife with the truth about Sam, and thus Hester-Sue walked out of his life forever. Sam was killed during the Great Tornado of 1886.
appearance: "Second Chance"
Thomas, Little Alex
One of the blind students who resided in the Oleson/Garvey-Kendall Blind Schools in Mankato and Sleepy Eye.
appearance: "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not"
NEW!!!
Thorvald, Kate
(played by Anne Archer)
One-time fiance of Hiram Baker. She was a patient of Dr. Baker's when she fell in love with him and were engaged to be married. They later called off their engagement. She moved to New York to become a nurse. She later married a socialite and had two sons.
appearance: "Doctor's Lady"
Tompkins, Beth
(played by Barbra Tarbuck)
Wife of Isaiah Tompkins. For a brief period of time in 1885, she was the adopted mother of James and Cassandra Cooper before Charles regained custody of the children. She had two natural children, Lydia (now deceased) and Seth.
appearance: "The Lost Ones"
Tompkins, Isaiah
(played by Len Wayland)
Husband of Beth Tompkins. Isaiah Tompkins was a hard-working, self-sufficient man who raised his family on tradition and hard work. He made sure that his children worked hard no matter what the cost. In 1885, at the insistance of his wife, he adopted two orphan children, James and Cassandra Cooper, to take the place of his deceased daughter, Lydia. His strict and harsh family rules eventually led to him losing custody of the Cooper children to the Ingalls family.
appearance: "The Lost Ones"
Tompkins, Lydia
Youngest natural daughter of Isaiah and Beth Tompkins. She was ten years old when she suddenly became ill and died in 1884.
mentioned in: "The Lost Ones"
Tompkins, Seth
(played by Randy Norton)
Son of Isaiah and Beth Tompkins. After the death of his sister Lydia, Seth became unforgiving, unloving, and jealous , even after his parents had adopted two orphan children. He was a smart-alec who got away with everything. When the Cooper children came to live with the Tompkins, he did not want anything to do with them, insisting he was the only family his parents have left. Before dinner one night, Seth stole money from his father and secretly put it in his adopted brother James' pocket. When Isaiah noticed money was missing, he suspected James did the stealing, and when he found money in his adopted son's pocket, Seth was delighted to see James "get a whipping just like he deserves". After the Cooper children left the family, Seth was sent away to West Point for military school to be taught the very manners he had rejected when the Cooper children lived with him.
appearance: "The Lost Ones"
Tyler, Jim
(played by Forrest Tucker)
Tyler was a hard worker who always liked to use his ax. But by the time he was in his mid-60s, he had become tired and weak from the passing years of his life. In early 1871, during Walnut Grove's "Founder's Day" festivities, he had won the right to face Charles Ingalls in an ax contest for "Outstanding Ax Man Of Walnut Grove". The prize was a gold watch and a blue ribbon. Although Charles was stronger and therefore had the uppper advantage, his wife Helen suggested that Mr. Ingalls switch axes with Jim and "throw away" the match so that Tyler would win and he would have something not only to retire by, but something to remind him that while time waits for no man, it can certainly be a remembrance of life. And sure enough, Jim Tyler did. He then retired to Minnesota and lived to be 98 years old.
appearance: "Founder's Day"
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Webb, Harold
(played by Royal Dano)
Twin brother of R. Hector Webb and ex-husband of Alice Garvey. Harold and Alice were once married for four years before Alice walked out on Harold because he was imprisoned for gambling charges. Following Harold's release from prison all he had left in his life was to run a saloon. He ultimately met up with Charles Ingalls and Jonathan Garvey, although he never knew that Jonathan was now Alice's husband. He died in 1876.
appearance: "Crossed Connections"
Webb, R. Hector
(played by Royal Dano)
Late father of Sylvia Webb. After he learned that his twin brother (and ex-husband of
Alice Garvey) died in 1876, he moved to Walnut Grove with his 15-year-old daughter Sylvia and
enrolled her in school. He had been an overprotective father since the death of his wife
Anna ten years earlier. When R. thought that her daughter was having an affair with classmate
Albert Ingalls, he had planned to move with Sylvia away from Walnut Grove. He was devastated
when he learned that Sylvia (who by then had become a rape victim) was pregnant with whom he
thought was Albert's child. Harriet Oleson had accused him of being the rapist, but he
strongly denied this rumor. When Albert Ingalls finally confronted R. with the truth about
Sylvia's pregnancy, he not only had forgiven Albert, but his own daughter to whom he had been
long estranged. But R. was still concerned about Sylvia, who by that time had run away from
home. That's when he figured out the real rapist was still at large. Both R. and Charles
Ingalls searched for Sylvia, finally reaching an abandonded farm house. There R. found
the rapist (who turned out to be blacksmith Irv Hartwig) who indirectly caused Sylvia to
fall to her death. Acting in revenge, he shot down Hartwig. After seeing his daughter
mortally wounded, he glanced back to find that Hartwig, the man he shot, had disappeared...
leaving only the mask he disguised himself with to commit his crimes for which he had been
wanted in several states for. He was never able to recover emotionally from his daughter's
death, and fearing that the authorities would come looking for him, he shot himself to death
weeks later.
appearance: "Sylvia"
mentioned in: "A Faraway Cry"
Webb, Sylvia
(played by Olivia Barash)
Late daughter of R. Webb. Both she and her father came to Walnut Grove in 1876 to scrape out
a living (her mother had died ten years earlier). She had enrolled in Walnut Grove school
when she met a classmate named Albert Ingalls. Their attraction turned to love and became
almost inseperable. But by the spring of 1876 she was viciously raped by an unknown
person in a white mask and impregnanated her. Out of guilt, she decided to become engaged to
Albert in order to find a suitable life for her unborn child. But standing in her way was
her overprotective father R. Webb. When her father learned of what had happened between her
and Albert, he made plans for both father and daughter to move away from Walnut Grove...and
from Albert Ingalls (whom he believed was the father of her child). It was then that she
planned to run away from home to be with her now-fiance, Albert. But the rapist had
continued to watch her every move. Even when her father learned the truth about Albert and
that the real rapist was still at large, Sylvia still felt happier away from home. Eventually,
she went into hiding in an old farm house...that's when the rapist confronted her for the
final time. She was chased up a broken ladder, and the rapist (who turned out to be
blacksmith Irv Hartwig, whom Albert had briefly worked for) caused her to fall, critically
injuring her. She miscarried the baby, and died that evening from internal injuries caused
by the accident...but not before professing to Albert that she wanted to become Mrs. Albert
Ingalls.
appearance: "Sylvia"
Whipple, Granville
(played by Richard Mulligan)
Son of Mrs. Whipple who returned to Walnut Grove in 1872 suffering from
Emotional Repressed Syndrome following his involvement in the
Civil War. For a time, he brought joy to the Ingalls girls, but
even so he could not control his state of mind. It eventually drove
him to take his own life.
appearance: "Soldier's Return"
Wilder, Almanzo
(played by Dean Butler)
Husband of Laura Ingalls. Almanzo came to Walnut Grove in 1876 with her sister
Eliza Jane during a business trip. It was there he set his eyes on a 15-year-old
girl named Laura Ingalls. Laura was flabergasted at the sight of a handsome
man just passing through town. Realizing her being a "half-pint" was too
childish, Almanzo decided to nickname her "Beth". Nonetheless, Almanzo was
convinced he had found the right person to fall in love with. Charles
Ingalls didn't approve...at first.
Almanzo rescued Laura from a fight with her classroom bully Nellie Oleson and
took her into the Wilder house and gave her some comfort. But thinking that
Almanzo was falling in love with Laura too soon, Charles burst in and gave
"Manly" (as he was nicknamed) the smack of his life, but eventually saw the
truth of their relationship.
Some months later, Almanzo proposed to the young Laura Ingalls, but during his
announcement at the Ingalls', Charles quickly disapproved of it, having her
daughter wait until she was 18 before Almanzo could be free to marry her.
Eventually Charles had seen her daughter had progressed in her growth as
a person, and allowed Almanzo to marry her the following year in Sleepy Eye.
As the years passed, Almanzo came to work with Charles Ingalls in the lumberyard,
and occasionally helped his new father-in-law in several business trips.
In late 1885 he was joyful in the fact he was going to be a father. But in
the early spring of the following year a series of disasters for the Wilder
family occurred, and he suffered a minor stroke. During his rehabilitation,
his daughter Rose Wilder was born. Almanzo was in such terrible shape he
didn't accept his newborn daughter (in the beginning), and he felt his life
was no longer worth living so far as to convince himself he wanted to be
crippled for the rest of his life.
But the Great Tornado of 1886 changed his life forever. The Wilder home
(in which he and the family had been living) was destroyed, and that gave him
determination to begin to do things for himself again. He and his father-in-law
constructed a new, smaller home for the family to live, and both Laura and
Eliza were proud of how far he finally came.
The following year, his dying brother Royal Wilder came to town along with
his niece Jenny (whom Almanzo had only met one time since her birth).
Almanzo was entrusted with Jenny upon Royal's death, and adopted her as his
second child.
Two years later, in 1889, his next natural child was born, a baby boy who quickly
died within days. But Almanzo remained strong and willing to help his
family in any way possible. That same year, Almanzo co-inheirited a
Bed-And-Breakfast Inn from Mae Flanery, and eventually he and the family
moved into that inn and lived there for 11 years until the town was
destroyed in 1901.
"Manly" has been a strong influence on Laura Ingalls' adult life as well as
the lives of those people he touched.
first appearance: "Back To School"
last appearance: "The Last Farewell"
Wilder, Baby Boy
Youngest child of Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder. He was born in August
of 1889 and died within 12 days of his birth due to complications from an
epidemic picked up by Laura during her pregnancy with him. There was nothing
that could have been done to save him. He died before his parents could even
name him, so he was buried as "Baby Boy Wilder".
appearance: "The Child With No Name"
Wilder, Eliza Jane
(played by Lucy Lee Flippen)
Sister of Almanzo, Perley Day & Royal Wilder. Eliza arrived with the Wilder
family in Walnut Grove in 1876, replacing Alice Garvey as schoolteacher for
two years until Laura Ingalls took over. Eliza was a lady who wanted people
like her own brother to do whatever she pleased, but when fate proved otherwise,
she was terribly disappointed. Even spoiling and pampering Almanzo during
his recovery from a stroke in 1886 did not help her. Before she moved
permanently to Minneapolis that same year, she finally saw that people could
do just as well on their own without anyone to live their lives for them.
first appearance: "Back To School"
last appearance: "Days Of Sunshine, Days Of Shadow"
Hear her voice in
.wav format (54+ KB)
Wilder, Jennifer Royale ("Jenny")
(played by Shannen Doherty)
Adopted daughter of Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder. Born to Royal & Millie
Wilder in 1877. She met her uncle Almanzo three years later. She would
not see him again until 1887 when her father was dying. Jenny was brought to
Walnut Grove under the ruse she was there for a visit. Unbeknownst to her,
Royal wanted to give Almanzo the opportunity to know her so as if anything
happened to him, she would be entrusted to the care of her uncle and aunt.
Jenny did not know of her father's illness until just before he died. Overcome
by guilt, Jenny tried to take her own life until Jeb Carter came and
rescued her. Using toughlove methods, her aunt and newly adopted mother
Laura made sure Jenny would do what would make her parents proud, and not
for herself.
Since that time, Jenny has become accepted by Laura and Almanzo as a "second
daughter" to the Wilders.
referenced in: "The Nephews"
first appearance: "Times Are Changin'"
last appearance: "The Last Farewell"
Wilder, Laura Ingalls
(played by Melissa Gilbert)
Daughter of Charles and Caroline Ingalls, wife of Almanzo Wilder, and mother
of three children (two natural and one adopted, one now deceased). Born
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls in 1860, "Half-pint" (as her father called her) had
a penchant for writing and keeping a "rememberance book". She had a God-given
talent for remembering her life and everything it brought her.
Born in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, she traveled with her family in search
of a new life. When she lived in the prairies of Kansas, she met Isaiah
Edwards, who would become her best friend and future godfather of her
daughter Rose. Mr. Edwards taught Laura many things, even how to spit!
When she and the family moved to Walnut Grove in 1869, she met her circle of
friends, including the Olesons and Rev. Alden. But during her early schooling
she was almost constantly bullied by the Olesons' daughter, Nellie. But Laura's
quick wit would always succeed.
When her baby brother Charles Frederick was born in 1870, she was jealous
he would take her place in her parents' affections. She prayed the baby
would die, and God mercifully answered her prayer. So grief-stricken was
she by what she had done, she ran away from home, but an appirition of an
angel (in the form of a middle-aged human named Jonathan) appeared to her
to convince her that her family needed her now more than ever, so she
returned home to the Ingalls.
While Laura at first had trouble with her spelling in school, she eventually
was able to conquer her grammar skills. She was good in most of her subjects,
and even winning the love of her teacher, Eva Beadle.
In 1876, at the age of 15, she met the man of her dreams--Almanzo Wilder.
She was struck by Almanzo's charms, and quickly fell in love with him.
Her father Charles disapproved of her relationship with "Manly" at first,
but eventually saw how much Laura was growing as a lady, and as a person,
and allowed her to marry Almanzo a year later. About that time, she had
fulfilled a goal she had wanted ever since she was in school...to be a teacher,
and received her certificate right around her sixteenth birthday. Though
her first assignment would be miles away from home, she would eventually
take over the Walnut Grove school a few months later. Within seven years,
Laura's teaching skills improved, and developed the same type of teaching
her own former teacher Miss Beadle had established.
Late in 1885, Laura announced she was pregnant with her first child. Despite
this, Laura would risk her life in many situations, even carrying heavy
barrels of water through her yard during a heat wave.
Then, a series of disasters occured affecting her family, including her
husband suffering a mild stroke. During his recovery, she gave birth to
daughter Rose Wilder, her first child, in 1886. But even during the Great
Tornado of that same year, she was determined not to let family crisis
stand in the way of keeping the family together.
The following year, Laura retired from the Walnut Grove school to raise
baby Rose and adopted Jenny Wilder from her dying brother-in-law Royal. Her
tough-love methods (which she inheirited from her father) were instrumental
in shaping up Jenny's life.
Two years later in 1889 Laura gave birth to a baby boy who died within days
from an epidemic picked up during her pregnancy. That same year, she was
entrusted with caring for Mae Flanery, owner of a nearby bed-and-breakfast
inn. When Mae died, the Inn was willed to Laura, and she and the Wilders
moved there to live for 12 years until the town was finally destroyed in
1901.
In the years since, Laura has pursued her second great love...writing. Though
she had gone to summer college to learn her skills and eventually entered a
contest with disasterous results, she has been able to remember everything
she had been through in her life and written what has become the now-famous
series of "Little House" books which are still being read by people of all
ages.
first appearance: Original movie
last appearance: "The Last Farewell"
Wilder, Millie
(played by Aileen Fitzpatrick)
Wife of Royal Wilder. She was the mother of three children, Myron, Rupert,
& Jenny. She died many years after Jenny's birth.
appearance: "The Nephews"
Wilder, Myron
(played by Ham Larson)
Son of Royal & Millie Wilder and brother of Jenny & Rupert Wilder. Mischievious
as his brother Rupert and a knack for trouble, he eventually changed his ways
and became a minister, following in the footsteps of Rev. Alden.
appearance: "The Nephews"
Wilder, Perley Day
(played by Charles Bloom)
Younger brother of Almanzo, Royal, & Eliza Jane Wilder. Not much is known
about him except he was known mainly as a con artist and a man of mischief.
He was eventually disowned by the rest of the Wilder family.
appearance: "Wilder And Wilder"
Wilder, Rose
Only surviving natural child of Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder.
first appearance: "Days Of Sunshine, Days Of Shadow"
last appearance: "The Last Farewell"
Wilder, Royal
(played by Woody Eney & Nicholas Pryor)
Brother of Almanzo, Perley Day and Eliza Jane Wilder, father of three children.
Royal visited his brother Almanzo in 1877 while preparing for a vacation with
his wife Millie, leaving his two mischievious sons, Myron & Rupert, in "Manly"'s
care. During his vacation, he learned he was going to be a father for the
third time. His daughter Jenny was born nine months later. In 1880 he
brought all his three children to see Almanzo in Walnut Grove.
Seven years later, with his two sons sent away to college and his wife
Millie deceased, Royal learned he himself had a fatal illness. In order
to provide his only daughter a decent life, he returned to Walnut Grove
for a final time to die, though unbeknownst to Jenny his final days were
spent to get her daughter to know the man she would eventually live with
as her adopted father. He passed away knowing Jenny would always have a home
with Aunt Laura and Uncle Almanzo, who would be raised as their own
daughter.
first appearance: "The Nephews"
last appearance: "Times Are Changin'"
Wilder, Rupert
(played by Rossie Harris)
Son of Royal & Millie Wilder, and brother of Myron & Jenny Wilder. Just as
much of a troublemaker as his brother Myron ever was. But he studied
successfully to become a doctor, and became one in 1897.
appearance: "The Nephews"
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