Who Was Mr. Edwards?

The Ingalls Family

One big question fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder have asked over the years is "Who was Mr. Edwards?" There's been much speculation but what most agree is that there is no one "Mr. Edwards." Like the character of Nellie Olsen, Mrs. Wilder possibly borrowed experiences from different people she met along her journeys to create the "Mr. Edwards" character for her book.

So who might Mr. Edwards have been?

The Fictional Mr. Edwards

Mr. Edwards first appeared in Laura Ingalls Wilder's 3rd children's novel "Little House on the Prairie" as a neighbor of the Ingalls family when they briefly lived just outside of Independence Kansas. Laura was two during this time.  You may recall, Mr. Edwards was the neighbor who saved Christmas for the Ingalls Family by swimming across the swollen creek to bring food and presents. He and "Pa" helped each other as neighbors, and if he was a real person, he no doubt left a lasting impression on the Ingalls family.

Mr. Edwards also made an appearance in "By the Shores of Silver Lake " when he held back an angry mob so Pa Ingalls could file his land claim, and again during "The Long Winter" after visiting briefly with the family in their home, where he left $20 to help Mary get to college.

(We won't even talk about the Mr. Edwards of the television show who is so far removed from even the characters of the book that it doesn't even have a place in this discussion.)

Was "Mr. Edwards" Really Mr. Mason?

In Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography, Mrs. Wilder remembers a "Mr. Brown" as the neighbor who brought Christmas to the Ingalls family after running into Santa and doing him the favor of delivering presents. However, researchers couldn't find any evidence of any Mr. Edward or Mr. Brown living in the Independence, Kansas area during this time. They did, however, find evidence of an "Edmund Mason," a 25 year old bachelor living near the Ingalls family at that time.

Note: In "Pioneer Girl," the editor lists his name as "Edward Mason" (P.16n36).

The image to the right, from "Find A Grave" is to a grave stone of Edmund Mason in Independence, Kansas, and believed this to be that of the man who was a good neighbor and friend to the Ingalls Famly.

What is interesting to note, however, is that this "Mr. Edwards" is not a "Wildcast from Tennessee" as indicated in both Little House on the Prairie and By the Shores of Silver Lake . Edmund Mason was born in England.

Did Hiram Forbes Add to the Mr. Edwards Story?

You may recall the story of Mr. Edwards slipping Mary a $20 bill after he briefly visited with the Ingalls Family in "The Long Winter ." However, In "Pioneer Girl" Laura recalls her Uncle High, Hiram Forbes, who was married to her Aunt Docia as handing Mary a fistful of dollar bills as he and Docia left the Ingalls to settle in the Dakota Territory before moving on. This time period would have been about the age Laura was during "By the Shores of Silver Lake ."

Mr. Edwards DID NOT Hold Back An Angry Mob

In "By the Shores of Silver Lake ," Laura Ingalls Wilder tells of how Pa overheard someone who was planning on filing for the same claim he, himself, had been planning on filing. So he slept on the doorstep of the claim office to ensure a place in the front of the line. However, the men who were planning on filing the same claim weren't happy about it and a fight broke out. The Ingalls' friend "Mr. Edwards" appeared just in the nick of time and held off the angry mob saving the day once again. Pa filed his claim and the Ingalls family became pillars of the DeSmet, SD community.

Except that wasn't true, at least not the part about Mr. Edwards.

In "Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography," the editor, Pamela Smith Hill, notes this story wasn't true at all. When asked about this specific story by a reporter from DeSmet, Mrs. Wilder admitted this part of the story wasn't true. She put the item in the book to illustrate the rush for land. Apparently this sort of thing happened all the time,.. (p.178n67)

Who Was Mr. Edwards?

There are still people who are surprised the "Little House" series was fiction based on incidents in Laura Ingalls Wilder's childhood. So no one should be too surprised or let down by Mr. Edwards being a fictional character based on one or more of the people the Ingalls family met in the different towns they lived in. We will probably never know who the real Mr. Edwards was, but I think we can all agree he is an important part of the the fictional "Little House" story and a beloved character in American Fiction. Did he teach Laura how to spit? Somehow, I can't see Ma allowing that at all!



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