Person Page - 1267

     Born the fifth of seven children of Henry and Charlotte Tucker Quiner in Brookfield, Wisconsin. At sixteen, she started as a teacher, but married Charles Ingalls in February of 1860 effectively ending her career. She followed her husband through numerous moves and settled in more than half a dozen homes before she extracted a promise from her husband that their next move would be their last. The family settled in Dakota Territory on Silver Lake outside what would become the town of De Smet, South Dakota. She and her husband had five children Mary, Laura, Carrie, Charles Frederick, and Grace. It was daughter Laura who immortalized her family in the popular ‘Little House' series of books. She died unexpectedly at her home after a short illness at age 84.

     Born the second of nine children of Landsford and Laura Ingalls in Cuba, New York, when he was 12 his family moved to Illinois, and then to Wisconsin. He married Caroline Lake Quiner in February of 1860 and with her, headed west in what would become a long string of moves which indulged his wanderlust, his dislike of large towns, and the prevailing job opportunities. The young family moved from Wisconsin, to Kansas, back to Wisconsin, to Minnesota, to Iowa, back to Minnesota, and finally to Dakota Territory in 1879 where, among other occupations, he was appointed Justice of the Peace of De Smet. The Ingalls' had five children; Mary, Laura, Carrie, Charles Frederick, and Grace. It was daughter Laura who immortalized her family in the popular ‘Little House' series of books. Ingalls died in his home at the age of 66 after an illness of several weeks led to heart failure.

     American Author. Laura Ingalls Wilder's experiences growing up in the unsettled West inspired her famous children's series Little House on the Prairie.