The Wilder Family
The Wilder family, means parents and siblings of Almanzo Wilder (husband of Little House on the Prairie 's Laura Ingalls Wilder).
Laura Wilder
Laura Ann Wilder (born June 15 1844, died April 16 1899) was the first of six children of Angelina and James Wilder, and the eldest sister of Almanzo Wilder.
Biography
Little is there known of the eldest of the Wilder children. She was never mentioned in any of the Little House on the Prairie books, since she was already grown up and living separately at the time Farmer Boy took place. Another reason was Laura Ingalls Wilder's decision to not mention another Laura Wilder in order to not confused the readers.
In 1874, she married Harrison Howard and they had four children; Angelina Esther Howard Merritt (1876-1964), Josephine Mahala Howard (1879-1918), Harrison Howard (1878-1918) and Ralph Waldo Howard (1881-1934).
She is burried in Crowley, Louisiana.
Royal Wilder
Royal Gould Wilder (February 20, 1847 - April 21, 1925) - was the second of six Wilder children and the elder brother of Almanzo Wilder. He is buried in the local cemetery of Spring Valley, Minnesota.
Biography
Having moved with his parents and sibilings from Malone, New York to Spring Valley, Minnesota in middle 1870s, Royal Wilder soon continued the journey. Together with his brother Almanzo and sister Eliza Jane, he went to De Smet, South DAKOTA, where he run a shop. However, in 1890 he decided to return to Spring Valley.
He opened a store on Broadway. Soon he married Electa Hutchinson with four children and they had three more of their own, of whom only one lived until adulthood - Bernice Angeline Wilder Laging Granger (1894-1957). The second daugher died unnamed at birth in 1897, while the third; Susan E. Wilder (1898-1899) at the age of five months.
In the media
Royal Wilder is a character on the following: Farmer Boy, The Long Winter novels and Pioneer Girl autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Farmer Boy Goes West by Heather Williams.
His character guest-appeares three times on the Little House on the Prairie television series, played by Woody Eney in the episode 7.14 "The Nephews" and Nicholas Pryor in 9.01-2 "Times Are Changing: Part 1 and 2". He is also in the Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder movie, played by Kurt Woodruff.
Biography of Royal Wilder is also told in the book The Story of the Wilders: All AbOUT Almanzo and his Family by William Anderson.
Eliza Jane Wilder
Eliza Jane Wilder was the third of six children of James and Angelina Wilder. She was born in Malone, New York on January 1, 1850 and died on June 1, 1930 in Lafayette, Louisiana, where she is buried on the local cemetery.
Biography
In 1870s she moved with her parents to Spring Valley, Minnesota, where she worked as a teacher in 1877 and 1878. The year later she joined her brothers; Royal and Almanzo, and went West to De Smet, South Dakota. She took a claim there and again worked as a teacher but was not very likeable. Soon she went back East and even reached Washington D.C.. She was a "Government Girl", working for the Department Of the Interior.
She was married twice. Between 1893 and 1899 to Thomas Jefferson Thayer (twice married before) with whom she had a son; Walcott Thayer (born in June, 1894). The marriage ended due to Thomas Jefferson's death in 1899. The second husband to Eliza Jane Wilder was Maxwell Gordon (since 1904) but the marriage was not successful.
Between 1903 and 1904 her niece, Rose Wilder (daughter to Laura Ingalls Wilder and her brother; Almanzo Wilder), lived with Wilder in Crowley, Louisiana.
In the media
Eliza Jane Wilder is a character on the following: Farmer Boy and Little Town on the Prairie novels and Pioneer Girl autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Farmer Boy Goes West by Heather Williams.
Her character (although strongly changed), played by Lucy Lee Flippin, appeares in seasons 6 to 8 on the Little House on the Prairie television series.
Biography of Eliza Jane Wilder is told in the books A Wilder in the West: The Story of Eliza Jane Wilder and The Story of the Wilders: All about Almanzo and his Family by William Anderson.
Alice Wilder
Alice Maria Wilder (born September 3, 1853, died February 22, 1892) - was the fourth of six Wilder children, born directly before her brother; Almanzo.
Biography
Alice Wilder graduated from Franklin Academy in Malone. She did not move to Spring Valley with the rest of the Wilder family but stayed in Malone, where she met and married Albert Baldwin and the couple moved to Marshall, Minnesota. The couple had two children; Myrtle Baldwin Brown (1880-1945) and Leland Edward Baldwin (1885-1913). In 1877 the family moved to Georgiana, Florida, where Alice Wilder died in 1892.
In the media
The character of Alice Wilder appears in the Farmer Boy novel by Laura Ingalls Wilder, as well as Farmer Boy Goes West by Heather Williams.
Her biography is told in The Story of the Wilders: All about Almanzo and his Family by William Anderson.
She never appeared in any of the Little House on the Prairie books screening.
Almanzo Wilder
Almanzo James Wilder was the fith of six Wilder children, husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the character of Little House on the Prairie series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, as well as Farmer Boy Goes West by Heather Williams.
For more information, see: Almanzo Wilder.
Perley Wilder
Perley Day Wilder (June 13 1869 - May 10 1934) - was the sixth and youngest children of Angelina and James Wilder, born twelve years after Almanzo.
Biography
Little is there known of Perley Wilder since he was not born at the time farmer Boy novel by Laura Ingalls Wilder took place. he spent most of his childhood in Spring Valley, Minnesota, and in 1895 moved to Crowley, Louisiana.
In 1897 he married Elsie Merritt and they had six children; James Wilder (1903-?), Gladys Wilder (1905-?), Harold Wilder (1909-?), Perley Day Wilder Jr. (1911 or 1912-1977), Dorothy A. Wilder Pittman (1913 or 1914-1966), John Wilder (1916-1916 or 1918-1918).
He had a general store in Kinder, Louisiana. The local airport there is named by his last name.
In the media
The baby Perley appeares in Farmer Boy Goes West by Heather Williams.
He also gueat-appeares on the Little House on the Prairie television series episode 6.20 "Wilder and Wilder", played by Charles Bloom.