Mary Ingalls
| Mary Amelia Ingalls | |
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| Born | Mary Amelia Ingalls January 10, 1865 near Pepin, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | October 20, 1928 (aged 63) De Smet, South Dakota, U.S. |
Mary Amelia Ingalls (January 10, 1865 – October 20, 1928) was born near the town of Pepin, Wisconsin. She was the first child of Caroline and Charles Ingalls. She was the older sister of author Laura Ingalls Wilder, who was best known for her Little House on the Prairie book series.
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[edit] Biography
At the age of 14, Ingalls suffered an illness described as "a severe case of measles", which was scarlet fever, and a stroke in her sister's unpublished memoir, Pioneer Girl, which resulted in lifelong blindness.[1] Between 1881 and 1889, she attended the Iowa College for the Blind at Vinton, Iowa.
There was one year in that interim when she did not attend the school, and the historical record is silent as to why, but she did finish the seven year course of study in 1889 and graduated. Then she returned home to De Smet, South Dakota and lived with her parents until their deaths. There she was able to contribute to the family income by making fly nets for horses. Later, she lived with her sister, Grace, and then Carrie. She died on October 20, 1928 at the age of 63, as a result of pneumonia and complications from a stroke. She is buried at De Smet Cemetery.
[edit] In the media
Ingalls was portrayed in the television adaptation of Little House on the Prairie by :
- Masako Sugaya (voice) in Laura, The Prairie Girl Japanese cartoon series,
- Melissa Sue Anderson in the television series Little House on the Prairie and its movie sequels,
- Barbara Jane Reams and Alexandra Smith (younger version) in Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder films,
- Danielle Chuchran in the miniseries Little House on the Prairie.
Additionally, there was Mary Ingalls, On Her Own (Mary Leaves Little House) novel written by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. The book was released in December 2007 and tells about the times Mary spent in The Iowa College for the Blind.
[edit] Little House on the Prairie series differences
| Mary Ingalls Kendall | |||||||||||
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| Little House on the Prairie | |||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Melissa Sue Anderson | ||||||||||
| First appearance | The Pilot Movie | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | A Christmas They Never Forgot | ||||||||||
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Mary Ingalls's life depicted in the television series is quite different from her real life. When she had lost her sight in the series, she was immediately sent to the Iowa College for blind people, where she met a young teacher, Adam Kendall. The two grew close and eventually fell in love. Mary lived at the school for a few months and returned home to Walnut Grove, Minnesota, preparing to join Adam in a new school for blind children in Winoka, Dakota Territory. Mary and Adam married after relocating to Winoka. After the school in Winoka closed, they opened their own school in Walnut Grove and later Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. They had a baby son, Adam Charles Holbrook, who later died in a fire at the blind school located in Walnut Grove.
Although Mary thought that she would regain her sight two different times, she never did. Adam, however, eventually regained his sight after tripping over explosives and having a concussion. Since a concussion blinded him, another concussion also cured him. They then moved to New York to fulfill his dream of being a lawyer like his father.
[edit] References
- ^ Benge, Janet and Geoff (2005). Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Storybook Life. YWAM Publishing. p. 180. ISBN 1932096329. http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=hbdPbFVxE7oC.
[edit] Bibliography
- Zochert, Donald. Laura - The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Avon Books, 1976. ISBN 0-380-01636-2.
[edit] External links
- Mary Ingalls at Rootsweb
- "Mary Ingalls Era 1877-1889." Vinton School for the Blind.
- Mary Ingalls at Find a Grave
- Little House Wiki: Mary Ingalls Kendall
