| Mr. Edwards … that colorful Tennessee Wildcat Laura Ingalls Wilder so deeply loved. He helped Pa build the family’s cabin, saved Christmas by carrying presents across a raging creek, and spit further than Laura thought possible. Though he was a little rough around the edges, Laura simply adored Mr. Edwards. Through her vivid, heartwarming stories, we came to love him, too. But who was he? Virtually all Laura’s Little House characters were real people … even those whose names were changed to protect their reputations. Mr. Edwards, however, wasn’t so easy to track down. In fact, he’s the sole Little House enigma … the only mentioned character that hasn’t clearly surfaced via historical records. Was he fiction, for the sake of illustrating pioneer stereotypes? Was he a composite character, built from several men Laura knew during their time in Kansas? Was he a loose collection of memories and family lore, cobbled together for the sake of the narrative? Or was he a real man, whose full identity had previously evaded discovery? We wanted to know the answer … So, we dusted off our boots and headed out … hot on the trail of the wildcat from Tennessee! |  |
Genre: Nonfiction/Historical Biography/Literary History
Release date: August 24, 2023
Release date: August 24, 2023
Click here to get your copy!
My Review
Was he real or fiction...
My mom read the Little House books to me when I was about 5 and I credit them with being a major contributor to my eventual love of history and historical fiction. Later on, of course, I read them for myself and loved them just as much. Now, I'll admit that more than one, even two, decades have passed since the last time that I read any of them. However, my fascination with just how much truth and how much fiction they contained has long remained.
After reading Robynne Elizabeth Miller's book The Three Faces Of Nellie sometime ago I was totally intrigued when I saw she had also written a book with J.D. Rushmore on the topic of Mr. Edwards who is arguably one of the more favorite characters from the TV show.
Tennessee Wildcat is very well laid out with careful progression showing the original question, the clues to be found within the pages of Laura Ingalls Wilder's writings, and the author's systematic search through records and maps spanning centuries and continents that leads to a logical and thoughtfully presented conclusion to the mystery...who was Mr. Edwards...?
I found Tennessee Wildcat to be every bit as intriguing as anticipated. The authors didn't just take other people's word for it but scoured the records themselves and they found a few surprises along the way. Despite the fact that I never read as much non-fiction as I should nor as much history as I want to, I finished this book in very short order. It was a good and informative read that I would highly recommend to any Little House, be it the books or the TV show, fan out there....
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Tennessee Wildcat by Robynne Elizabeth Miller and J.D. Rushmore a 4 Bark rating.
My mom read the Little House books to me when I was about 5 and I credit them with being a major contributor to my eventual love of history and historical fiction. Later on, of course, I read them for myself and loved them just as much. Now, I'll admit that more than one, even two, decades have passed since the last time that I read any of them. However, my fascination with just how much truth and how much fiction they contained has long remained.
After reading Robynne Elizabeth Miller's book The Three Faces Of Nellie sometime ago I was totally intrigued when I saw she had also written a book with J.D. Rushmore on the topic of Mr. Edwards who is arguably one of the more favorite characters from the TV show.
Tennessee Wildcat is very well laid out with careful progression showing the original question, the clues to be found within the pages of Laura Ingalls Wilder's writings, and the author's systematic search through records and maps spanning centuries and continents that leads to a logical and thoughtfully presented conclusion to the mystery...who was Mr. Edwards...?
I found Tennessee Wildcat to be every bit as intriguing as anticipated. The authors didn't just take other people's word for it but scoured the records themselves and they found a few surprises along the way. Despite the fact that I never read as much non-fiction as I should nor as much history as I want to, I finished this book in very short order. It was a good and informative read that I would highly recommend to any Little House, be it the books or the TV show, fan out there....
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Tennessee Wildcat by Robynne Elizabeth Miller and J.D. Rushmore a 4 Bark rating.
(I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)
More from Robynne
If you’re a Little House fan like us, you know how risky it was to delve into Mr. Edwards. Rumors have flown for decades as to his real identity, and some folks have double-downed on who they believe he was … declaring a particular name with certainty.
But it just didn’t add up. Through all our team’s collective Little House research and general love of 1800’s history, the name that had been put forward just didn’t make sense.
So, we had a choice.
We could avert our eyes, go about our other writing projects, and leave this mystery untouched. Or, we could, with as much neutrality and meticulous research as possible, see if Mr. Edwards’ true identity could be established.
We risked two things: upsetting some people if our findings didn’t support their theories, and crushing our own hearts if Mr. Edwards turned out to be the one character who Laura Ingalls Wilder constructed purely from her imagination.
We hope our respect for previous researchers, and the strength of our newly discovered information, helped avoid the first worry. And, the second? We were thrilled to discover Mr. Edwards almost certainly wasn’t a work of fiction!
But it just didn’t add up. Through all our team’s collective Little House research and general love of 1800’s history, the name that had been put forward just didn’t make sense.
So, we had a choice.
We could avert our eyes, go about our other writing projects, and leave this mystery untouched. Or, we could, with as much neutrality and meticulous research as possible, see if Mr. Edwards’ true identity could be established.
We risked two things: upsetting some people if our findings didn’t support their theories, and crushing our own hearts if Mr. Edwards turned out to be the one character who Laura Ingalls Wilder constructed purely from her imagination.
We hope our respect for previous researchers, and the strength of our newly discovered information, helped avoid the first worry. And, the second? We were thrilled to discover Mr. Edwards almost certainly wasn’t a work of fiction!
 Robynne Elizabeth Miller | Robynne Elizabeth Miller holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction and Fiction and a B.A. in English Literature. She’s the author of ten books and countless articles, including Tennessee Wildcat, From the Mouth of Ma, and The Three Faces of Nellie. Along with speaking nationally, Robynne is a writing and publishing coach and mentor, a writing teacher at writers conferences, workshops, and retreats, the Writing Track developer and director for Unbound, and the director of the Vision Christian Writers Conference at Mount Hermon. She’s passionate about helping writers bring their stories and messages into the world and delving into the real people and places which populated the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder. |
J.D. Rushmore is a history and genealogy buff, with a particular interest in American history before
1900. He’s enamored with the opening of the west, pioneers, the gold rush, the Oregon trail, etc.
He’s particularly passionate about researching historical mysteries, especially when they relate to the
Little House series of books. He is a musician in his spare time, as well as an “at everything” father,
husband, and friend. He prefers the smell of historic archives to fresh air (unless it involves poking
around a remote historic cemetery!) and has a knack for reading handwriting on historical
documents that is illegible to others. Nothing thrills him more than finding the one tiny detail that,
after being overlooked for decades, or even centuries, changes EVERYTHING.
1900. He’s enamored with the opening of the west, pioneers, the gold rush, the Oregon trail, etc.
He’s particularly passionate about researching historical mysteries, especially when they relate to the
Little House series of books. He is a musician in his spare time, as well as an “at everything” father,
husband, and friend. He prefers the smell of historic archives to fresh air (unless it involves poking
around a remote historic cemetery!) and has a knack for reading handwriting on historical
documents that is illegible to others. Nothing thrills him more than finding the one tiny detail that,
after being overlooked for decades, or even centuries, changes EVERYTHING.
It's Time For A Giveaway!
To celebrate her tour, Robynne is giving away the grand prize package of
a $50 Amazon Card, copy of Tennessee Wildcat and The Three Faces of
Nellie, and a goodie bag of Laura Ingalls Wilder related gifts, including a
piece of the actual Loftus Store, mentioned prominently in The Long Winter!!
a $50 Amazon Card, copy of Tennessee Wildcat and The Three Faces of
Nellie, and a goodie bag of Laura Ingalls Wilder related gifts, including a
piece of the actual Loftus Store, mentioned prominently in The Long Winter!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!
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Little Homeschool on the Prairie, May 23
Lots of Helpers, May 10
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 11
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 12
Holly’s Book Corner, May 12
Lighthouse Academy Blog, May 13 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)
Locks, Hooks and Books, May 14
Texas Book-aholic, May 15
Mary Hake, May 15
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 16
Blogging With Carol, May 17
Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 18
For Him and My Family, May 19
The Lofty Pages, May 20
Life on Chickadee Lane, May 21
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 21
Connie’s History Classroom , May 22
Cover Lover Book Review, May 23
Little Homeschool on the Prairie, May 23
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