She came from very rural beginnings, lived in poverty most of her life, weathered the death of a child, her husband’s life-threatening bout with diphtheria that left him partially paralyzed, and ongoing financial problems.
She taught school at the age of 15, while attending school herself, despite hating teaching.
She married at the age of 18 and had her first child at 19.
She wrote a very popular, weekly newspaper column at the age of 44 and held the position for over ten years.
She published her first book with Harper Brothers in 1931, Little House in the Big Woods, at the age of 66, for which she received a $500 royalty check, the present day equivalent of $7,300.
Her name was Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Oddly enough, despite the urging of her successful writer daughter, Rose, Laura fought against writing her books. She seemed unwilling to leave her columnist job behind to enter the national publishing arena. Laura did sell a few articles to some national publications, but it’s generally believed this was due to her daughter’s connections and promotion within the industry. When Laura finally decide to make the move to novelist, it was due to her skills as a storyteller and her daughter Rose’s ability to edit her book-length publications that helped the books gain national prominence and a comfortable financial existence for the Ingall’s family.
The books of Laura Ingall’s Wilder have remained in print since the release of her first book in 1931 and have been published throughout the world and translated into a number of foreign languages. When asked why she wrote her books, Laura said it was to preserve the stories of her childhood for today’s children, to help them to understand how much America had changed during her lifetime.
In 2006, Reverend David Ingall’s, a cousin, attended a ceremony on the Missouri Walk of Fame in Marshfield, Missouri, where a star was placed to honor Laura.
Blessings,
Diva Elizabeth
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