September 2026 Birthdays/Wedding Anniversaries

 Ingalls-Wilder Family

Alice Maria Wilder - September 3, 1853-February 1892

Cast

Radames Pera (John Sanderson-Edwards, Jr.) - September 14, 1960

Merlin Olsen (Jonathan Garvey) - September 15, 1940-March 11, 2010

Melissa Sue Anderson (Mary Ingalls-Kendall) - September 26, 1962

Wedding Anniversaries

Thomas & Eliza Jane (Wilder) Thayer - September 1893

August 2026 Birthdays/Wedding Anniversaries

 Ingalls-Wilder Family

Caroline Celestia "Carrie" Ingalls-Swanzey August 3, 1870-June 2, 1946

Cast

Wendi & Brenda Turnbaugh (Grace Ingalls) August 13, 1977

EJ Andre (Matthew Sims/Jedidiah "Jed" Cooper/various roles) August 14, 1908-September 6, 1984)

Ketty Lester (Hester Sue Terhune) August 16, 1934

Wedding Anniversaries

David & Carrie (Ingalls) Swanzey August 1, 1912

James & Angelina (Day) Wilder August 6, 1843

**Almanzo James & Laura Elizabeth (Ingalls) Wilder August 25, 1885

Charlotte "Lotty" Holbrook (Laura Ingalls Wilder's Aunt/Half-Sister to Caroline Lake Quiner Ingalls

 

Half-sister of Caroline Quiner Ingalls. Aunt to Laura Ingalls Wilder.

She is Aunt Lotty in Little House in the Big Woods.

Frederick Marshall Holbrook (Caroline Lake Quiner Ingalls Stepfather)

Frederick was an early settler of the town of Concord, Wisconsin, coming from Connecticut in the year 1848. He lived in Concord until 1867 and then went to the town of Sullivan and settled on a farm adjoining the village until his death. He was an active member of the Methodist Faith.

Frederick was also the stepfather of Caroline Lake Quiner, Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother. In essence, he was Laura's Grandfather.∼He was the second husband of Charlotte Quiner and the father of Charlotte Holbrook

Charlotte Tucker Quiner Holbrook (Laura Ingalls Wilder's Grandmother)

 

Henry and Charlotte Quiner

Henry Newton Quiner, born in 1807, married Charlotte Tucker, born May 25, 1809, on April 2, 1831. They had seven children: Martha (died in childhood), Joseph, Henry, Martha, Caroline, Eliza, and Thomas. Henry and Charlotte were Laura's maternal grandparents.

Henry was a farmer, but also traded with the nearby Wisconsin Indians. In the fall of 1844, he sailed off on Lake Michigan on a trading trip. A storm arose and sunk the schooner, and Charlotte Quiner was left a widow.

BIOGRAPHY: In 1849, Charlotte remarried to a farmer named Frederick Holbrook. The couple's only child, Charlotte, was Aunt Lotty of the Big Woods. When asked by Mary and Laura which color of hair she preferred, Aunt Lotty replied wisely that she liked both kinds best. Lotty later married Henry Moore and had 6 children.

BIOGRAPHY: Charlotte died in 1884 in Rome, Jefferson Co Wisconsin, just before her granddaughter Laura married Almanzo Wilder many miles away. It is unlikely Laura ever saw her grandparents again after leaving the Big Woods at age 7.

∼

She was the daughter of Martha Tucker and the grandmother of Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder.

July 2026 Birthdays/Anniversaries

 Ingalls Wilder Families

Baby A. J. Wilder July 11, 1889-August 10, 1889

TV Show Cast

Sherrie Stoner (Rachel Brown-Oleson) July 16, 1959

Patrick Labyorteaux (Andrew "Andy" Garvey) July 22, 1965

Karl Swenson (Lars Hanson) July 23, 1908-October 8, 1978)

Lucy Lee Flippin (Eliza Jane Wilder) July 23, 1943

Wedding Anniversaries

Maxwell & Eliza Jane (Wilder-Thayer) Gordon July 1, 1904

3 Generations of Ingalls Women: Caroline Quiner-Ingalls, Laura Ingalls-Wilder, Rose Wilder-Lane

 

Three generations of Ingalls women, each having sons who didn't survive, somehow carried the Ingalls line into legacy. It is truly haunting to reflect on the immense sorrow they endured and the quiet strength it took to persevere. Their resilience ensured that the Ingalls family name and story would continue to be honored and cherished by fans across generations. Does anyone else find this specific thread of their family history particularly moving?

**Discussion Points to Engage the Group:**
* **Historical Context:** How much of the Ingalls family history do you find is most accurately portrayed in the books versus the show?
* **Emotional Resilience:** Which Ingalls family member do you believe possessed the most internal strength when facing loss?
* **Legacy Preservation:** What is the most important lesson the Ingalls family teaches us about overcoming tragedy?
* **Fan Perspectives:** Does knowing the real-life history of the family change how you view the characters during their more difficult moments on screen?.