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Of all the many real Ingalls/Wilder characters, Caroline Ingalls is my absolute favorite. I’m in awe of all she endured and withstood while at the same time, repeatedly made a loving, safe, and wholesome home for her family with very little material provisions.
She was strong, feminine, intelligent, calm, kind, empathetic, selfless, polite, resourceful, creative, virtuous, comforting, consistent, respected, encouraging, tactful, supportive to a fault, faithful, and faithful-filled.
Other than a few family letters and the personal recollections of others, not much exists that gives us insight into the real Caroline’s thoughts and feelings.
Pondering her life has left me with many unanswered questions, some relating to clarifications or confirmation of things mentioned in the books. The answers to some of my questions are probably self-explanatory (taking into account the era they occurred, lifestyles at the time, experiences of other pioneers, etc.) but I’d still love to hear responses straight from Caroline’s heart.
It would be wonderful to have her adult perspective and in many cases, compare it to Laura’s childhood perspective.
If you, too, could have a heart-to-heart over the picket fence chat with the real Caroline, what questions would you like to ask?
Mine include:*If the decision were solely yours, which of your moves would you have not made? Is there a location that you longed to visit that you did not?
*During your baby son’s illness and passing, what or whom did you seek for emotional support? Were any Bible passages especially helpful to you during this time?
*Was the decision to finally settle in De Smet a mutual decision, or, did you insist and Charles relented?
*Did your China shepherdess really exist? If so, where was it acquired and what happened to it?
*What was it really like having the young couple and their baby live with you during the “long winter?”
*Were you really fearful of the “Indians?” If so, why were you afraid when in the past you, your mother, and siblings were helped by them after your father’s passing?
*Were you able to express your fears, reservations, and concerns with Charles prior to each move? Was your input acknowledged and/or taken into consideration?
*What did you grow in your garden in De Smet? Along with selling fresh produce items, did you preserve/can them as well?
*How did you cope with the loneliness and lack of female friends/family members while living in isolated locations far from others?
*What one inaccuracy in Laura’s books would you most like to correct or clarify?
*Did anyone really offer to take any of the children as their own…was this a serious offer, a frightened child’s overreaction to friendly teasing, or, was it purely fiction added to the story?
*When Laura and then Rose each lost their baby sons, was this heartbreaking but common thread among the three of you an opportunity to bond and a source of mutual support, or were those feelings truly not discussed or shared?
Leave a comment to share any questions you might also have for the real Caroline.
Thanks so much, Carolyn! I love thinking more about the real people of the Little House books.
If some of those questions left you a bit confused based on the books, Carolyn actually considered the life of the REAL Caroline Ingalls. As mentioned in my book, Laura had a little brother who died in infancy and another family lived with the Ingalls family during hard season written about in The Long Winter.
Do you have another Ingalls or Wilder character you'd like to interview? Feel free to contact me to discuss submitting a guest post! My email is annettemwhipple[at]gmail[dot]com. (Replace the words in brackets with symbols.)
Carolyn Suchecki lives in a 1900s stone farmhouse in a small Texas town with her husband. She enjoys family, friends, and all things home, with a deep fondness of Ingalls and Wilder family history.
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