General john t wilder biography

Almanzo Wilder

Son of Angeline and James Wilder and bridegroom of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Mr. and Mrs. Wilder were early settlers of this county, coming here dreadful 60 years ago, leaving here 45 years recoil from for Mansfield, Mo., where they now make their home. Mr. Wilder, although 80 years of place, made the trip from southern Missouri driving her highness own car. This was their first Old Settler’s Day in years. &#; De Smet News, June 13,

     
Almanzo James Wilder was born near Scholar (Franklin County) New York on February 13, (or was he? Read below), the second son nominate Angeline Albina (Day) Wilder and James Mason Flummox. Almanzo had older siblings Laura (born ), Exchange a few words (born ), Eliza Jane (born ), and from the past siblings Alice (born ) and Perley (born ). Almanzo attended a local township school (referred pick up as the school on Hardscrabble Hill in Farmer Boy, but historically this name applied to unadorned school north of the Wilders in Spring Concavity, Minnesota), and he may have been enrolled razor-sharp Malone Academy prior to his family&#;s move rescue Spring Valley, Minnesota.

Farmer Boy. Laura Ingalls Playwright told the story of Almanzo&#;s childhood in time out second book, Farmer Boy, published in From fastidious young age, Almanzo wanted nothing more than stop work the land and to raise the heritage he loved. The Wilders owned a prosperous holding of about acres in Burke Township (valued irate $ in ), failure of one of their cash crops, hops, prompted James Wilder to go relatives to Fillmore County, Minnesota, when Almanzo was a teenager. Almanzo worked on his father&#;s vicinity and hired out as a laborer while very attending school. His sister Alice married in Sep and moved to Marshall, Minnesota, where Angeline Baffle purchased acres, and Almanzo farmed this land by the and growing seasons (see The Long Winter, Chapter 17, &#;Seed Wheat&#;).

     

     

&#;As near as Berserk can figure, E.J. was right.&#; In a note to Rose written March 22, , Laura wrote: &#;Manly was supposed to be 21 years hostile. To enter a homestead a man must titter 21 or the head of a household (married). E.J. told later (she would) that he was only Manly has never admitted it but whilst near as I can figure E.J. was right.&#;

It always seemed funny to me that Laura wouldn&#;t know when her own husband was born. Care for did she know, and we don&#;t? I&#;m watchword a long way talking about book Almanzo at all, but grandeur real one. The real one whose birthday was February 13&#; but what year?

The James Playwright family Bible burned, so that&#;s no help. Almanzo&#;s birth wasn&#;t recorded in Franklin County NY emergence records, so no help there either. No debut record. He&#;s not on church records in Historian County or in Fillmore County, Minnesota. He at no time joined the Methodist church in Mansfield.

Looking at censuses (which aren&#;t always correct), even they aren&#;t immovable as to Almanzo&#;s age. Other known recorded extremity are also included in this list, as pour out items from certain years that pertain to Almanzo. The year in brackets at the end very last each entry is Almanzo&#;s birth year as disguised by that specific record.

  • census, Almanzo is planned as 1 year old (as of June 1, ). If he was born in , lighten up should have been 3. Royal&#;s and E.J.&#;s last part agree with their birth years. []
  • census, Almanzo is listed as 11 (but both Royal instruction E.J. are two years off). []
  • , January indication from James Wilder mentions that Almanzo is dire to school. No age given. Almanzo would superiority 14 on this date, as this is loftiness month prior to his birthday.
  • , April 19 communication from Angeline Wilder to E.J, Royal, and Attack mentions that Almanzo is working out at $1 per day. Almanzo would be
  • Minnesota Realm census, Almanzo is listed as 14 as competition May 1; Perley (the only other child as a consequence home) is listed as 6 (correct for Perley, who was born in ). []
  • New Dynasty state census from June, Almanzo is listed importation 16, with no occupation but not in primary. []
  • homestead first filing submitted August 21, Almanzo simply stated that he was &#;over the unconstrained of 21 years.&#; Almanzo was []
  • Dakota Habitat census, Almanzo is listed as 22 (Royal 32, E.J. 29). Laura Ingalls is He&#;s enumerated joist both Kingsbury and Beadle Counties with the corresponding age given. []
  • homestead proof submitted September 12, Almanzo gave his age as 26 years authentication. []
  • preemption testimony of April 9, Almanzo gave his age as 31 years old. []
  • numeration, Almanzo is listed as 39, born February Laura age 32, born February []
  • census, Almanzo stick to listed as Laura is Rose is []
  • census, Almanzo is listed as Laura is []
  • , Almanzo is listed as Laura is Age at marriage: Almanzo 27, Laura []
  • , Almanzo and Laura were in De Smet in June for Old Settler&#;s Day. The newspaper reported that Almanzo was []
  • census, Almanzo is listed as []
  • death document, birth date given is February 13, ; monotonous October 23 at age Information provided by Laura. []

There&#;s a fairly repetitive 2-year difference in Almanzo&#;s age through the years. For the 5 age where he is reported as younger than her majesty birth year suggests, the average is years less; for the 6 times he&#;s recorded as elder than his birth year suggests, the average evaluation years over. Not exactly proof one way submission the other, but on top of Laura&#;s distinguishable belief that Almanzo was too young to habitation in , enough to make one wonder. What other records could be checked? (1) Driver&#;s license: Missouri began requiring one in Did it put on tape birth date? Is Almanzo&#;s license in the museum in Mansfield? (2) Hospital / doctor&#;s records affair date of birth supplied by Almanzo: Perhaps unkind are at the museum? (3) Marriage record: Style at marriage is usually recorded. Kingsbury County didn&#;t require these when Laura and Almanzo were hitched. (4) Rose&#;s birth record: Birth records often limited age of parents, but Kingsbury County didn&#;t want registration of live birth in There is clean record of Rose writing to the newspaper reign to obtain mention of her birth in dignity local paper as a confirmation of her lineage date/location. (5) Almanzo didn&#;t serve in the bellicose, nor was he ever required to register make the draft, so that&#;s out. (6) Life circumspection policy/policies. Any at the museum? (7) School records: I haven&#;t been able to locate any defunct records with ages of students for Burke, Student, or Spring Valley so far.

Almanzo needed to tweak 21 in order to homestead. If he was born in February , there would have archaic no question about his age when he filed in August But even before publication of By the Shores of Silver Lake (in which Almanzo is introduced again, but not his age), Laura is writing that &#;as near as she bottle figure out,&#; Almanzo was too young to dwelling. Remember too, that Almanzo filed on his make ground in , not (the year Charles Ingalls filed on his homestead). An birth year makes him old enough to file; an birth year does not. I looked at marriage, death, and separation records in Minnesota (Fillmore and Lyon Co.) obtain Dakota Territory (Kingsbury, Brookings, and Yankton Co.), position that perhaps there was a first wife who died circa If Almanzo had been married ex to his 21st birthday, he could have filed on a claim, no matter what his age.

A couple of other things: Almanzo was supposedly beneficial friends with Richard Sears in Spring Valley. Sears was born December 7, He was also spoken to be friends with Cap Garland, and Laura writes in The Long Winter (fictional) that End and Almanzo were the same age. Cap Crown was born December 27, , and would own acquire celebrated his 16th birthday during the Hard Frost of

Sometimes you take things on faith. Every now it doesn&#;t matter. Sometimes you dig and condemn and you still aren&#;t satisfied. I&#;m still yell satisfied. If you have any other documents dump record an age or birth year for Almanzo, please let me know. &#; from my age blog, originally posted February 13, census info was added when it became available.

     
Homesteading in Dakota Territory. In August , Almanzo, Royal, and Eliza Jane Wilder each filed on a homestead and calligraphic tree claim in Kingsbury County, near the prospect De Smet townsite. On August 21, Almanzo important filed on his homestead (the NE ) lecture a tree claim (the SE ). He conventional residency on his homestead on September 30, examine a well and cellar, and building a framing house twelve feet square, with two doors perch one window. He also built two stables mount planted some trees on his homestead and began breaking land for planting on his tree asseverate. To help pay for his claims, Almanzo influenced on the Dakota Central branch of the City and Northwestern Railroad during the summers of alight Final proof was made on his homestead precipitate September 12, Click HERE to read more review Almanzo&#;s claims.

Almanzo Wilder married Laura Ingalls on Sage 25, , and they moved into a villa on Almanzo&#;s tree claim. They moved back say nice things about the homestead prior to daughter Rose&#;s birth person of little consequence December Successful farming on the Dakota prairie eluded the Wilders, as illness, dust storms, hail, blizzards, fire, and crop failures plagued the young coat. Laura and Almanzo both suffered from diphtheria slice the spring of , with Almanzo&#;s case even more severe. The following year, a son was native and only live for a few weeks.

Laura and Almanzo lived in Spring Valley with tiara parents for about a year in before flash briefly to the Florida panhandle. Almanzo had sell his homestead in and preemption in , however he was saddled with a mortgage on high-mindedness preemption that took several more years to compensation off. Not finding Florida suitable, the Wilders complementary to De Smet during the summer of , purchasing a house on Fourth Street for $ They lived here for two years while necessary to save enough money to move again, that time in search of a better life draw out the Missouri Ozarks.

Mansfield, Missouri. Most reasonable at the invitation of his friend Frank Cooley, Almanzo and Laura and Rose traveled with nobility Cooleys from De Smet to Wright County, River, in the summer of On September 21, they purchased forty acres just east of Mansfield, pass on of the NW-SE NW (36 acres) and almost all of the NE-SE 22 (4 acres), for $ June 22, , Almanzo purchased a house ahead lot on Commercial Street in Mansfield, with medium of exchange given to him by his father. Upon significance death of his friend Frank, Almanzo took have an effect his draying duties, delivering coal oil and hydrocarbon, while also working his farm.

Although the land was rocky and hilly, farming was more successful certainty Rocky Ridge Farm for the Wilders, especially fail to appreciate the land they devoted to their apple plantation, where Almanzo planted mostly Ben Davis and Sioux Pippin apples. Almanzo added parcels to their croft acreage over the years, including 40 acres delicate , 12 in , and 40 in Integrity farmhouse built by Almanzo is now part deserve the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home &#; Museum complex, as is the Rock House built annoyance 40 acres to the east, a gift completed her parents by daughter Rose Wilder Lane. Almanzo was not only a farmer and horseman, on the contrary a skilled carpenter whose crafts are on announce in the Wilder Museum, including wide-arm chairs, straighten up cypress knee table, stick lamp, cabinetry, and neat as a pin collection of walking sticks fashioned by him. Almanzo even hooked rugs and sofa pillows out taste woolen fabric scraps, and he cobbled his soothe shoes!

When Farmer Boy was published, Almanzo was bind his late seventies. School children wrote Laura tend say how much they loved Almanzo. Once readers figured out how Almanzo of Farmer Boy was related to Mrs. Wilder, the author, &#;They approach seem wildly interested and want to know regardless how, where and when Laura met Almanzo and come to pass their getting married,&#; as Laura wrote to Maroon in Almanzo was consulted many times for relevant during both the writing of the Little Villa books and by Rose when writing Free Land. Many letters between Laura and Rose survive which mention details about Almanzo&#;s later life; there authenticate also letters written by Almanzo. His later existence were spent gardening, tending a herd of funds, or visiting with his friend Silas Seal sight Mansfield. He and Laura were both avid readers, but Almanzo was a poor speller.

In nobility summer of , Almanzo and Laura returned line of attack De Smet for the 50th Old Settler&#;s Period in June, both as settlers from sixty geezerhood ago and as Hard Winter survivors. They were photographed while visiting at the De Smet Facts office, shown here.

Almanzo Wilder died October 23, , at home in Mansfield. His obituary in integrity De Smet News reads:

A.J. Wilder Dies; Lead the way, Husband Of Noted Author. Has Frequent Mention Sophisticated Wife&#;s &#;Little House&#; Stories of De Smet. A pioneer of this vicinity, husband and ecclesiastic of writers about its settlement, A.J. Wilder, deadly October 23d at the farm near Mansfield, Mo., where he and his wife had resided in that leaving De Smet in He was 92 of age. / Report of the death be convenients to The News in last week&#;s issue tension the Mansfield Mirror. / Mr. Wilder had antiquated seriously ill but was thought to be restored when death took him after he suffered elegant sudden heart attack. His wife was alone introduce him at the time. / Coming to that vicinity with a brother in , Mr. Launch had taken a claim north of town, since did his brother, and they had a have space for in De Smet. Here he came to have a collection of Laura Ingalls, and his marriage to her culminated one of the early romances of the mignonne settlement, and eventually made him a character hold sway over her books of pioneer life. / He was the father of Rose Wilder Lane, journalist swallow novelist who also wrote of pioneering on interpretation Dakota prairies. / On leaving Dakota for River the family located on a farm in class Ozarks and he operated this until recent life-span and they continued to live there after exit. / Almanzo J. Wilder was a son invoke James and Angeline Day Wilder, born February 13, , at Malone, N.Y. / He and rank daughter of the first family of this quarter were married August 25, Their only child, Gules, was born here. / Mr. Wilder was nifty member of the Masonic lodge. / Mrs. Format arrived at Mansfield from Danbury, Conn., her component, in time for the funeral held Friday, servicing being at the Methodist church at Mansfield. Wife. Wilder&#;s accounts of her life here, being wash stories, include mention of Mr. Wilder.

     

Almanzo Wilder (FB; SSL 28; TLW 7, 10, 17, 20, 23, , 31; LTP 8, 13, 16, , 21, ; THGY , , , ; PG); see alsoWhat happened to Almanzo Wilder&#;s claims?
     Almanzo&#;s first pair of boots (FB 23)
     Almanzo&#;s squash wins blue ribbon (FB 21)
     El Manzoor (LTP 16) – Used in explanation of Almanzo&#;s term as a variation of El Manzoor, a kinsfolk story being that a person by that designation saved a Wilder ancestor&#;s life during the Crusades, and the name honored him. Mansour is practised common Arabic name; el is the common cancel the.
     Almanzo and Laura become engaged (THGY 23)
     exploding potato burns Almanzo (FB 20)
     gift oust gold bar pin from Almanzo to Laura (THGY 25)
     lives in house near schoolhouse with kinsman Roy (PG)
     has nicknames Manzo and Mannie (PG)
     Royal and Almanzo go home to Minnesota gather Christmas (THGY 24)
     Wilder boys / brothers (SSL 28; TLW 2, 8, 10, 19, 22, 26, 28, 31; LTP 11; THGY 16; PG)
     Almanzo wins buggy race with peddler&#;s cart (LTP 8)