Portfolio de Couturier: The First American Flag

Portfolio de Couturier: The First American Flag…

I have always enjoyed the story of Betsy Ross and the honor bestowed upon her to sew the first American Flag. She was a loyal Patriot to her country and I can imagine her surprise when General George Washington, along with Governor Morris asked her to make the first of our beautiful flags.

... Sewing the American Flag…

What kinds of fabrics would Betsy have used?

It is said that Betsy Ross was an upholsterer. Now an upholsterer specialized in covering chairs and other furniture of the times with heavy and durable fabrics. Therefore the fabrics Betsy could have most likely used would have been linens and heavy silks. Everything would have been hand sewn and assembled with the utmost care to get the design correct.

Imagine if you will her excitement in making the flag, and perhaps her nervousness when she had to present it to the founders of our country.

Upon seeing the flag that Betsy created; she was asked to make the rest of the flags for the American naval fleet. After this, The Congress then commissioned her to make all of our government’s flags.

Did you know that Betsy was able to cut a five pointed start with one snip of the scissors?

As the story goes, at first General Washington originally drew the stars on our flag with 6 points; instead of five because he assumed they would be easier to cut. However, Betsy soon demonstrated that a five pointed start could be cut easily with a single snip, thus the 5 pointed stars still remain on our beloved flag.

Betsy’s Battle flag

by Minna Irving

*****
From dusk till dawn the livelong night

She kept the tallow dips alight,

And fast her nimble fingers flew
To sew the stars upon the blue.
With weary eyes and aching head

She stitched the stripes of white and red,
And when the day came up the stair
Complete across a carven chair
Hung Betsy's battle-flag.
Like shadows in the evening gray
The Continentals filed away,
With broken boots and ragged coats,
But hoarse defiance in their throats;
They bore the marks of want and cold,
And some were lame and some were old,
And some with wounds untended bled,
But floating bravely overhead
Was Betsy's battle-flag.

When fell the battle's leaden rain,
The soldier hushed his moans of pain
And raised his dying head to see

King George's troopers turn and flee.

Their charging column reeled and broke,

And vanished in the rolling smoke,

Before the glory of the stars,

the snowy stripes, and scarlet bars

Of Betsy's battle-flag.

The simple stone of Betsy Ross

Is covered now with mould and moss,

But still her deathless banner flies,

And keeps the color of the skies.

A nation thrills, a nation bleeds,

A nation follows where it leads,

And every man is proud to yield

His life upon a crimson field

For Betsy's battle-flag!

Did you know that July 25th is Threading the Needle Day?

On July 4th, 1776 the founders of our country signed the Deceleration of Independence that declared our country a free nation under God. Many man and women have given their lives and dedication to keep our country free.Remember to pray for our soldiers who are serving in Iraq and all over the world.

Sincerely,
Miss Brielle

Portfolio de La Vie: Betsy Ross

Betsy Ross is one of the most-well known ladies in history, but not too much is known about her except that she was the first to sew an American flag with the stars and stripes.


On January 1st, 1752 Elizabeth (Betsy) Griscom was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the 8th child out of 17, and was brought up in a household with strict discipline rules of Society. Being in such a large family plain, sensible dresses were a given, and Betsy was good at making her clothes having learned how to sew from her great-aunt Sarah.

Betsy attended a Quaker school, and after she finish her father apprenticed her to an upholsterer named William Webster. While working for the upholsterer, Betsy fell in love with a young man and fellow worker John Ross, who was the son of an assistant rector at a Episcopal Church of Christ.

Because Betsy and John were of different denominations, Betsy was voted out of Quaker meetings and the couple had to elope. They did so in 1773 when Betsy was only 21, marrying at Hugg's Tavern in New Jersey.

Because of the marriage Betsy was forced to split from her family and the Quaker congregation. The young couple decided to join the Christ Church and start their own upholstery business to make a way in life.

When the American Revolutionary War broke out it affected the Rosses and they were financially weakened because the fabrics they depended on became scare and there was no business. John decided to join the Pennsylvania Militia and was then seriously injured by an ammo explosion just before the war was about to end in mid-January of 1776. He soon died afterward and was buried in Christ Church cemetery. Betsy continued on with the upholstery business by herself.

Only supported by 18th century affidavits and family oral history shows accounts of the widowed Betsy Ross meeting with George Washington, George Ross, and Robert Morris at her small upholstery business where it's said to have been the birth of the first American flag, complete with stars and stripes. It's been said that these

men met there in silence because the men protested that these new [five-pointed] stars would be unfamiliar and difficult for seamstresses to make, she folded a piece of paper, made a single scissor snip, and revealed a perfect five-pointed star.

After John's death, Betsy joined a group called the "Fighting Quakers", who were quite nontraditional and support the war effort. In 1777, June, Betsy remarried to a sea-captain named Joesph Ashburn in Philadelphia.

During the war the Ashburn's house was occupied and used by British soldiers, of course, forcibly when they controlled the city in 1777. Betsy nursed both American and British soliders after the Battles of Germantown.

Several years later Betsy was notified by her husband's old friend, John Claypoole, that her husband was dead. Betsy then married Claypoole and the couple had five daughters together. However, an unfortunate event kept being repeated in Betsy's life as Claypoole died after 20 years of ill health. Widowing her once again. She kept working at her upholstery business, which included the making of United States until 1827. Betsy then retired and moved in with her married daughter, Susannah Satterwaite, who continued with her mother's business. Betsy died at the age of 84 in 1836, and her body is buried at the Free Quaker burial ground on South 5th Street. However, 20years later her remains were reburied in the Mount Moriah Cemetery in Cobbs Creek Park, a section of Philadelphia. In 1975 in preparation for the United States Bicentennial celebration the city ordered that Ross' remains be moved to the Betsy Ross House courtyard. The workers found no remains under her tombstone though, but bones were found in the family plot and were deemed to be her's. Her remains are now at the Betsy Ross House for tourists to see.

Portfolio de Couturier: Handkerchiefs & Helen Keller

Portfolio de Couturier: The Handkerchief.
This little item has been around for hundreds of years; even dating back to the days of the Pharaohs in Egypt…I’m sure many Egyptian ladies had fine linen handkerchief to use. Handkerchiefs were considered a necessity for any young lady whether you were just a little girl, or the most distinguished queen….no matter what time period, century or year… handkerchiefs have been used and enjoyed by many people all over the world.

We have most often seen them tucked into ladies ridicules (purses), sleeve cuffs or perhaps dropped in hopes that a suitor would retrieve it for her. Handkerchiefs were a place for young ladies to practice their needle work and lace making…and it also allowed girls to be creative in use of colors and laces.

Perhaps you have read the story by Beatrix Potter titled “The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle”. In that story a little girl name Luci, has lost 3 of her pocket-handkins and is looking for them everywhere, of course Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle; being the kind hedgehog she is, has found Luci’s pocket handkins and cleaned and pressed them for her.
It was common for little girls to be losing their handkerchiefs or pocket-handkins, as Luci called them, because they were simply tucked in an apron pocket or pinafore…thus, it is quite easy for them to fall out while playing.

Why do you think carrying fancy lace edged handkerchiefs have gone out of fashion?
They are still very useful to have tucked into a purse or pocket…and are a fun way to practice sewing with lace and maybe trying your hand at embroidery.

If you would like to make your own dainty handkerchief I have included some instructions of how to make a simple one edged with lace. You can embellish them however you choose… perhaps with a small daisy in the corner, or your initials, but don’t forget you are not limited to just a white pocket-handkin…why not try one in a soft mint green? Or edge it with a pretty pink lace… The possibilities are endless.

List of Supplies you will need:

- Sewing machine or needle and thread
- Sewing pins
- Fabric cutting scissors
- Iron (ask an adult for help if needed)
- Fabric cut in a square, about 12in x 12in
- Lace or trim (enough to go around the edge of your handkerchief)
- Thread to match lace
- An iron on embroidery pattern (optional)
- Embroidery thread (optional)
- Embroidery hoop (needed if you are going to do any embroidery)


What kind of fabrics will work best?
I like to use a nice cotton or linen fabric for making handkerchiefs because then it washes easily, but you can certainly try using another kind of fabric that you like.

Step 1. Cut your fabric to the desired size, and iron it smooth.

Step 2. Thread your machine or needle with thread that matches the lace or trim you would like to use.

Step 3. Iron the edge of your handkerchief down in a small hem, about ¼ of an inch. Once you have the hem ironed all the way around, do the same thing again by turning down the hem you just did. This will create a nicer hem without any raw edges showing.

Step 4. Pin the hem in place.

Step 5. Sewing all the way around, close to the edge of the hem, but not be careful not to go off of the hem, you want to stay right on the edge of it. (If you are sewing it by hand, simply stitch all the way around as you would on a machine)

Step 6. Once you have finished sewing your hem, trim all your loose threads and iron your handkerchief again.

Step 7. Next, start to pin your lace your trim around the edge. Be sure to either take a fold at the corners of your trim or lace to ensure it goes around the corner nicely. Don’t just pull it to fit, otherwise you will end up with rounded corner handkerchief.
Carefully sewing your lace onto the edge but be careful to not get any of your lace stuck underneath of where you are sewing on the stitch line.

Step 8. You now have a lovely new handkerchief that looks nice the way it is or you can dress it up even further with some embroidery or other decoration.

Miss Brielle


Portfolio de La Vie: Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27th, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Helen Keller is widely known for being an deaf-blind American author, activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf- blind person to graduate from a college.

Helen's father was a former officer of the Confederate Army, and her mother was the cousin of Robert E. Lee. The Keller family lived at their estate called Ivy Green, but they had immigrated to America from Germany and one source claims that Helen's father was also of Swiss descent.

Helen Keller was not born blind or deaf, but when she was thirteen months old she was no longer responding to motion or sound. The doctors said that she had "an acute congestion of the stomach and the brain, which could have actually been scarlet fever or meningitis. After the illness was gone, Helen was left with the loss of two of her senses. She had one friend with whom she communicated. The daughter of the household cook, six-year-old Martha Washington, helped Helen create different signs so she could communicate in some way, and by age seven the two girls had come up with over sixty different home signs. In later years a Soviet blind-deaf psychologist Meshcheryakov said that the time Martha had spent helping Helen was a crucial part of her later developments.

In 1886 when Helen was six-years-old, her mother read Charles Dickens's American Notes, where he wrote about the successful education of another deafblind girl, Laura Bridgman, and was inspired to seek out help for Helen. She sent out Helen and her father to go to a Dr. J. Julian Chisolm, an eye, nose, and throat specialist in Baltimore, for advice. He advise them to go to Alexander Graham Bell, who worked with deaf children at the time. He pointed them in the direction of the Perkins Institute for the Blind, which was the same school where Bridgman went.

It was there that the school chose a teacher, and former student, to go tutor Helen. Anne Sullivan, herself was visually impaired and very young at the age of twenty. This was the beginning of a forty-nine year long relationship between the two.

Helen, being disabled, was very spoiled by her family and the house-workers, so Anne had a lot to do before she could even really start teaching Helen. Anne asked Mr. Keller if she could isolate Helen from the family and house-workers by moving into the little house that sat in the Keller's garden. Anne dearly loved the little girl and was to love her like her own. It took a lot of effort to put up with spoiled Helen, but one day they had a break through when Anne ran cold water over Helen's hand and then gave her the water sign in the palm of her hand. It was then that Helen made the connection with the signs that Anne was doing into her palm and the objects that she encountered everyday.

When Helen was ten she was made aware of the story of a deaf-blind Norwegian girl who learned to speak, and Helen was to do the same. Anne taught Helen how to speaking using the Tadoma method, which was when you touched the lips and throats of others as they spoke. This was in addition to the finger spelling that Anne did in Helen's palm. Helen also learned to read Braille, but this remarkable girl not only learned it in English, but also in French, German, Greek, and Latin.

Helen was 18 when she started attending the Royal Institute for the Blind, and later in 1894 she and Anne moved to New York City to attend the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf and Horace Mann School for the Deaf. Afterwards Helen and Anne went back to Massachusetts, where Helen enrolled in the Cambridge School for Young Ladies before she went to Radcliffe College in 1900. Mark Twain admired the young woman and introduced her to Henry Huttleton Rogers, who with his wife paid for Helen's college education. When Helen graduated from Radcliffe in 1904 at the age of 24 with a manga cuma laude she became the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.

The following year Anne married a John Macy, and when her health started failing in 1914, Polly Thompson was hired to keep house for Helen. She was young, from Scotland, and didn't have any experience with deaf or blind people. She did progress though, and worked as a secretary later on. When Anne died in 1903 Helen and Polly, close and constant companions, moved to Connecticut. They both went traveling worldwide, raising funds for the blind, but in 1957 Polly had a stroke and never full recovered, and died in 1960. The nurse who had taken care of Polly, Winnie Corbally, would now be Helen's new companion... for the rest of her life.

Helen was a world famous speaker and activist, especially for those with disabilities a mist other numerous causes. Helen Keller had a wide variety of acquaintances such as Alexander Graham Bell, Charlie Chaplin, and Mark Twain. She also met every US President from Grover Cleveland to Lyndon B. Johnson.

Helen was an author from the young age of seven when she wrote 'The Frost King'. Though it was said to be a copy of 'The Frost Fairies' by Margaret Canby, which Helen had read but suffered from cryptomnesia and was hidden in her subconscious. When Helen was 23 she published her biography entitled The Story Of My Life in 1903, with the help of Anne and her husband. She also wrote "The World I Live In" in 1908, trying to give people a glimpse into her life and how she felt. "Out of the Dark" was a series that Helen wrote about Socialism, published 1913. Also Helen wrote "Light in my Darkness", which was previously called "My Religion" and acted as a spiritual biography of dear Helen's life.

In 1961 Helen had a series of strokes and spend the rest of her life in her home. Three years later on September 14, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Helen the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the United States highest civilian honours. The next year Helen Keller was elected to the Women's Hall of Fame at the New York World Fair.

On June 1st, 1968 Helen passed away in her sleep, just twenty-six days before her eighty-eighth birthday at her home, Arcan Ridge, in Connecticut. She was given a memorial service at the Nation Cathedral in Washington, DC and her ashes were placed next to her dear friends, Anne Sullivian and Polly Thompson.

Her life is an example that anything is possible with God, and believing is not seeing.

During Helen's childhood she may have worn a bonnets to keep from the sun when outside. Aprons also were very ideal for keeping one's day dress clean, and though we don't see too many girls wearing bonnets or aprons, that doesn't mean they aren't practi Blessed Designs has made it possible for GGM to give you the chance to win a Apron/Bonnet Sewing Pattern.

Portfolio de Couturier: Olivia-Kate

This edition of Portfolio de Couturier is a little different than the previous ones. We're not going to show you any old fashions or a biography on a very important lady from history. Instead we're going to being interviewing Mrs. Spade, a 21st century seamstress, who owns and runs OliviaKate clothing. OliviaKate is a Mother-Daughter business Mrs. Spade and her daughter, Olivia Kate, team up to bring elaborate and colourful clothing for little girls. I hope this interview will give you a a behind the scene look at her as a seamstress and designer.

GGM: Is knowing how to make your own clothes something in your heritage? Did your grandmother, aunts or mother know how to sew?

Mrs. Spade: Both grandmothers and my mom enjoyed sewing, crochet, knit and hand embroidery. They loved making gifts for their children and grandchildren. I have fond memories of my mom sewing play dresses for me when I was little. I still have a beautiful applique quilt from my grandmother on Olivia's crib. Growing up around home projects made it easy for me to start creating after my own daughter was born.

GGM: When did you learn how to sew and what was your first project?

Mrs. Spade:I learned to sew at around 14 years old (if I remember correctly) with my mom who taught me the basics. My first project was a simple dress. I'm pretty sure mom did most of the sewing for that, lol...

GGM: Why was sewing something that interested you enough to learn to do it well?

Mrs. Spade: My interest in sewing came after my daughter was born. I wanted to make some clothes for Olivia and started learning new techniques which eventually developed into a small home business. Sewing is valuable in so many other ways as well; I can make my own dress skirts, make play dresses and church dresses for Olivia, take in my husbands clothing or make gifts for loved ones. I recently machine embroidered hats with the words "Jesus Saves" on the front for my family. These are my husband's favorite.

GGM: Why do you think it's important to know how to sew?

Mrs. Spade: Sewing is how I get rid of stress. It also allows me to make things at a very low cost which is beneficial when something needs repaired. I recently took in all of Edward's dress pants (my husband). This would have been expensive if we went to a seamstress for alterations. It's also something I look forward to teaching Olivia.

GGM: What ways can knowing how to sewing better one's life-style and home?

Mrs. Spade: If you know how to sew, old things can become new with little effort. Whether you're making something pretty to wear or sprucing up the pillows in your living room with new fabric, there are endless possibilities without spending a fortune at a retail store. I love to search local thrift stores for vintage fabrics and notions. I find items (many are brand new) for pennies that can be worked into my sewing.

GGM: Your little girl's clothing is cute. Where did you come up with the styles and what gives you inspiration for sewing projects?

Mrs. Spade: My greatest inspiration is my daughter Olivia. Right now I love bold, bright colors and using entire lines of fabric in one set. I also enjoy mixing vintage and new clothing patterns to come up with a set that's completely unique.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to speak with you and your readers. I have to thank the Lord Jesus for all the many blessings in my life. Also I have to thank my husband Eddie for being so supportive and all of my family and friends that have encouraged me along the way.

Thanks for taking the time to join me, Mrs. Spade. Many blessings to you in your business! You can visit Mrs. Spade and little Miss Olivia by going to OliviaKate.com. I hope you as a young lady or even a mother will be inspired by this article to start learning how to sew yourself. It's a wonderful homemaking skill and life-essential.

Portfolio de Couturier: Pioneer Days

Portfolio de Couturier: Pioneer Days
The year was 1848 and New Territory was added to the United States of America…Oregon Territory. This new territory included the areas we now know as the states of Oregon, Montana, Washington and Idaho, but then it was one large area of land that was opened up for settlers and pioneers.

The opportunity to settle in the new land had many people excited about the possibility it could hold. People looking for new farmland, timber and a chance for a new life could find it in the Oregon Territory.

The journey was hard and long, taking at least 4 months to reach your destination. Wagons were small, thus requiring people to pack only what they would need…nothing more. With little space to pack more then just your necessities, women were required to leave their fancy hoop skirts and crinolines behind. Some ladies made working gowns and aprons to take with them, while other insisted on bringing along their costly silks and satins.

A new life in Oregon meant making do with what you had and also learning new ways to sew garments. Without access to ready made gowns, silk fabrics and dress shops ladies on the frontier learned to make their own fabrics.

One of the most important items a pioneer lady or girl could own was the Sunbonnet.
With the hot sun, and harsh weather conditions the sunbonnet was their do it all fashion accessory. Some of the early sunbonnet styles were made with casing in the brim of the sunbonnet, so that wooden slats could be inserted into it to hold the brim of the bonnet out to shield the face.

Many styles of the Sunbonnets were made, fancy versions for church and social occasions, sturdy homespun bonnets for doing farm chores and warm wool bonnets for the harsh and cold winters on the prairie.

Straw bonnets were popular because straw was so readably available. Girls and ladies found braiding bonnets to be an enjoyable pastime and it also gave them something to do when walking those long dusty trails on the way to Oregon.



What did Girls and Ladies in Pioneer Days wear?

Many of the garments that girls and ladies wore were made to be practical and wear well. Aprons and pinafores were a must when working or doing chores in the kitchen. Dresses were simple styles with long full skirts and long sleeves that could be rolled up for working or fancier sleeve styles were made for Sunday Dresses.

The styles for fancy dresses or Sunday Dresses were kept relatively simple in design, perhaps accented with hand made lace or some pretty pieces of silk on the neckline or sleeves. For winter time, girls and ladies wore warm wool coats and knitted or crocheted scarves, shawls and hats or bonnets.

A Petticoat was a must have item in any girls or ladies wardrobe. Made of a pretty white cotton or linen a lady always tried her best to keep them snowy white even on the dusty prairie. Petticoats were also a place that girls could practice their lace making skills and embroidery work. Girls and ladies would often have a couple petticoats, one for everyday, another for Sunday best and finally a heavy flannel or wool on for winter. If you wanted to look especially stylish you could layer on more then one petticoat for a full skirted effect.

Pioneer girls and ladies would wear jewelry to dress up many of their outfits. Pins, Cameos and brooches of all kinds were popular to wear on blouses, dresses and shawls.
Earrings or earbobs, as they were called in the 1800’s, necklaces, lockets and bracelets were still worn just as they are today. Ladies were also fond of wearing pin watches; these were delicate little watch faces attached to a pin and were put on upside down so that the wearer could reach down and look at the face of the watch and it would be the right side to her.


Fun Fashion Facts:
Pioneer Ladies learned to make their own fabrics with homespun fibers and colored the cloth with home made dyes. Vegetables were the most popular items used for dying colors as well as store bought pigments.
Interested in trying your hand at a little Pioneer Fabric Dyeing?

I would recommend starting with tea dying. This process is quite easy and requires little supplies….here is recipe to get your started. Tea Dying gives fabrics an aged or antiqued appearance and looks great on a variety of things.

--- Pioneer Tea Dying ---

What fabrics to dye: Cottons, linens, flannel, denim and cotton lace.

Ideas of what to dye: Fabric, skirts, blouses, curtains, quilts…etc.

What kind of Tea to use: I have found that Regular Lipton teas works the best, but any kind of regular tea (not herbs, or berry) will do just fine.
The more tea you have in the kettle, the darker the tea dye will be.

---Tea Dying Recipe---

You will need about 5 to 8 bags of tea per batch
Large cooking kettle or pot
Wooden spoon or stirring spoon

Fill the kettle with water until about half full or full enough to submerge your fabric completely. (Do not put fabric in yet) Put on Medium heat and let simmer.

Open your tea bags and remove the little paper tags from the ends of the strings. Next put all your tea bags into the kettle and let them steep for about 5min or until the water looks like a big pot of tea. Turn the stove heat to medium low. Remove the tea bags and place your fabric into the water, stir with the spoon and continue to stir your fabric until desired color is reached.

Once you are pleased with the color, rinse your fabric in cold water…wring it out then put it on the clothesline (or in the dryer works too). You now have a custom tea dyed fabric!

Sincerely,
Miss Brielle

Portfolio de La Vie : Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born in 1867 on February 7th near the town of Pepin, Wisconsin. She was born to Charles and Caroline Ingalls, and her father's parental grandmother was from the famed family of Delano, who was descendants of the Mayflower passenger Richard Warren. Laura had one older sister, Mary Amelia, who became blinded after having scarlet fever. Laura also had a younger sister Caroline Celestia, whom they called Carrie. She also had a young brother, Charles, who died at the age of nine months, and then a sister named Grace Pearl.

You may already know quite a bit about Laura Ingalls because you grew up watching or reading "Little House" books. My older sister and I did. It was one of my sister's favourite TV series, and one worth watching. Laura Ingalls lived a truly remarkable life as a pioneer. When Laura was still a young girl her father bought a homestead on what was called the Indian Territory, but only after two years of living in Independence, Kansas, the Ingalls family moved back to their home in the "Big Woods".

When Pa got restless in the Big Woods, he moved the family, various times, to Walnut Grove, Minnesota, South Troy, Minnesota, and Burr Oak, Iowa. The family finally settled down in De Smet, Dakota Territory on a homestead claim, and the next spring Pa got a job working on the railroad in 1879. From the winter of 1879 to 1880 the Ingalls watched De Smet rise from the prairie plains. The next winter, as Laura recorded in her book The Long Winter, was one of the worst winters in the Dakotas. When everything was settled for the Ingalls Laura began to attend the school, and there she met another homesteader Almanzo Wilder.

When Laura was fifteen she took a position as a teacher, and over the next three years she managed her time so she could teach and attend school herself in De Smet. Laura never really said if she liked teaching or not, but she had felt it was her responsibility to earn wages to help her family. On August 25th, 1885, Laura quit her teaching and married Almanzo, who had accomplished a degree of prosperity on his homestead claim, because the rain had been in his favour. Laura went with Almanzo to his new claim and determined to help him make it a success. In 1886 on December 5th, Laura gave birth to her first child, Rose Wilder, and then three years later; Laura gave birth to an unnamed son, who died soon after his birth.

For the first few years of the Wilder's marriage, there were many trails for which they had to face, including the complications of the bout of diphtheria that Almanzo had, which left him partially paralyzed. Though he did recover, he had to walk with a cane for the rest of his life. This and many other roadblocks led to a series of disasters in the Wilder's life. Those include the death of their son, the destruction of their home and barn, which caught fire, and they were unable to earn a living from the 320 acres of prairie land on which they owned. These trails are recorded in The First Four Years, which was a manuscript that was found after the death of Rose Wilder Lane, and was published in 1971.

In 1890, the Wilders went from their home in South Dakota to spend a year with Almanzo's parents in Minnesota, on their prosperous farm, before they went to live, briefly, in Westville, Florida. They went to Florida, thinking it would improve Almanzo's health, but it only wilted Laura, who was used to the dry plains, and not the heat and humidity. So in 1892, the Wilder's soon returned to De Smet and purchased a small house. The Wilder's got special permission to put Rose, who was precocious, which means she was unusually advanced or mature in development, in the school. Almanzo took a job as a day laborer and Laura as a seamstress so they could save up enough money to start a farm again.


In 1894, the couple moved for the finally time to Mansfield, Missouri, using their savings to place a payment on a piece of undelvopled land, which they named Rock Ridge Farm. It began as 40 acres of thickly-wooded stone-covered hillside, with a windowless cabin, but over the next 20 years the Wilder's turned it into to a 200 acre prosperous poultry, dairy, and fruit farm. They also replaced the little cabin with an impressive and unique ten-room farmhouse, complete with outbuildings. The Wilder's acquired financial security very slowly. The only income Almanzo brought was from selling wagonloads of firewood at 50 cents, which was the result of backbreaking work that worked towards the clearing of trees and the stones from land that eventually evolved into fertile fields and pastures. The apple trees that were there took seven years to bare fruit. Unfortunately the Wilder's were barely able to make it on their new farmland, and decided to move to Mansfield in the late 1890s and rent a small house. Almanzo then took a job as an oil salesman and general delivery man. Laura took on boarders and served meals at the local railroads. Any free time the couple had was spent improving the farm and looking to a better future.

During this period in the Wilder's life, Almanzo's parents came for a visit and presented Almanzo and Laura with a gift. The deed to the house they were renting, which was a boost for them so that they could eventually sell the Mansfield house and move back Rocky Ridge permanently and expanded their land. The house they had built there still stands today and is a testament to their labors. Laura was always involved in various clubs and associations, which was recognized as an authority in poultry farming and country living. Because of this, Laura was invited to speak in front of groups around the region. She also followed Roses as she developed a writing career, which also inspired her to write herself. She was given the opportunity to submit an article to the Missouri Ruralist in 1911, which led her to a permanent position as a columnist as well as an editor with the publication.

When Laura's "Little House" series began to receive notoriety the Wilder's wealth was stabilized, but even before then Laura's writing and working at a Farm Loan Association was enough for the family to live on and put them into the middle class. Rose encouraged her mother to use her writing career in national magazines, she as she had done. Laura was unsure of herself, and didn't want to go from something like the Missouri Ruralist to these well-known magazines. When she submitted anything it was heavily edited by Rose and placed through Rose's connections. For much of the 1920s and 1930s Rose's career continued to flourish and so she stayed with her parents at Rocky Ridge.

As Almanzo was in his 70s, help was hired to take care of the remaining farm work, which Almanzo could no longer manage. Everything seemed to be going well for the Wilder's, until the Stock Market crashed in 1929 and wiped out their investments. Rose was faced with the very gloomy choice of having to sell enough writing to maintain financial responsibility. Almanzo and Laura became dependent of Rose.

Laura, in 1930, asked Rose's opinion about writing a biographical manuscript about her childhood of the pioneer days. She wanted to preserve her life's story, especially now that with the Great Depression and the death her mother in 1924 and her sister Mary in 1928. She hoped that it would not only help her keep the memories of her life on record, but also bring in some income for her and Almanzo.

Much controversy surrounds how much of a part Rose played in the writing and publishing of her Mother's "Little House" series. Some think she was only there for support, while others think that Roses took Laura's manuscripts and turned them into the stories we have today. No one is certain. Though two of Rose's most successful novels, Let the Hurricane Roar (1932) and Free Land (1938), were written up during the time the "Little House" books were have many confused. Rose didn't take interest in writing "juvenile" books as she called them, but still it's not certain what part she had in the writing of the series.

At any rate the "Little House" series has remained one of the most loved stories of all times and is still being printed today. We have a few of the "Little House" series books around our house and at one time or another we've had them all from the library here. They truly are a treasure. The series has also been translated into many languages. By the mid-1930s the series had reached the earnings the Wilder couple had made over the past 50 years of marriage. Various honours and huge amounts of fan mail was given to Laura for this series. Her name received top billing on the covers of magazines where her fiction articles appeared.

In the late 1930s Rose left Rocky Ridge farm and established a home in Harlingen, Texas, and also in Connecticut. During these years Almanzo and Laura were often at home by themselves at the farm. Most of the surrounding property was sold, but them kept some to farm animals and tend to their flower and vegetable gardens. Almost daily carloads of fans would stop by to meet "Laura". The Wilder's lived independently without any financial worries until Almanzo died in 1949, at the age of 92. Laura was very grieved by the death of her beloved, but determined to live at Rocky Ridge, despite Rose's request for her mother to come live with her. During the next eight years Laura lived alone, and was looked after by a circle of friends and neighbors, most found it hard to believe that this was "Laura Ingalls Wilder". During these years Laura continued to correspond with many of her editors, fans, and friends.


Throughout the 1950s Rose came to spend the winters with her mother, and once Laura went with Rose to Connecticut by airplane. When Rose came to visit for Thanksgiving in 1956, she found her mother, who was now at the age of 89, very ill from undiagnosed diabetes and a weak heart. Several weeks at the hospital seemed to do Laura good and she was able to return home after Christmas. However she was old and very ill, and her health only declined. She had always remarked that she wanted to live until she was ninety as "Almanzo had", and she succeeded for three days after her ninetieth birthday, Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder died in her sleep at her beloved Mansfield home.

Rose left Mansfield for good shortly after Mother's death, but she did donate Rocky Ridge Farm and most all it's contents to the Laura Ingalls Wilder-Rose Wilder Lane Home Association, which continues to received thousands of annual visitors and is considered a National Historic Landmark.

In 2006 Laura was honoured on the Missouri Walk of Farm, and an Ingalls' cousin Reverend David Ingalls accepted the star in her place. The start is located in Marshfield, Missouri.