Charles Ingalls was born in Cuba, New York, the second of nine children of Lansford Whiting and Laura Louise Ingalls. Ingalls' parents appear as "Grandpa" and "Grandma" in the Laura Ingalls Wilder book Little House in the Big Woods. Ingalls' father was born in Dunham, Missisquoi County, Lower Canada, a descendant of Henry Ingalls who was born in Skirbeck, Lincolnshire, England and settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His mother was born in Vermont and was a descendant of Edmund Rice, an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony. Ingalls' paternal grandmother was Margaret Delano, a descendant of Mayflower passenger Richard Warren as well as from the Delano family of New York and ancestors of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In the 1840s, when Ingalls was a young boy, his family moved from New York to the tallgrass prairie of Campton Township, just west of Elgin, Illinois. Ingalls grew into an accomplished hunter-trapper, carpenter, and farmer. He had a love of music and reading, and played the violin. On February 1, 1860, Ingalls married a neighbor, the quiet and proper Caroline Lake Quiner. Together, they had five children: Mary Amelia, Laura Elizabeth, Caroline Celestia, Charles Frederick, who died in infancy, and Grace Pearl.
For his entire life, Ingalls had a strong case of "wanderlust". He is quoted by his daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, in her Little House series of books as saying: "My wandering foot gets to itching". From their original home in the woods of Wisconsin, Ingalls moved his family to Indian Territory in southeastern Kansas, then back to Wisconsin, Burr Oak, Iowa and from there to southern Minnesota. Presented with an opportunity to work for a railroad in Dakota Territory, he longed to move yet again, as the family was struggling financially in Minnesota. Charles moved to Dakota Territory in 1879, took a job with the Chicago and North Western Railroad, and filed for a homestead in Brookings, Dakota Territory, on February 19, 1880.
De Smet, final home
After promising his wife, Caroline, that the family would finally settle in one place, it was in 1879 that Ingalls decided to stay in De Smet, Dakota Territory following their move from Minnesota. The first winter after arriving in De Smet, the family lived in what was known as the surveyor's house. Following the first winter, Ingalls decided to try farming in the area of Silver Lake, outside town. A few years later, he had "proved up" his claim and sold the farm, choosing to move back into De Smet and build a home on Third Street. Construction on the house began in 1887 and was completed in 1889. It was in this house that Ingalls, along with his wife and daughter Mary, lived out the rest of his days. In 1880, Ingalls opened a general goods store. The businessclosed in 1881. A respected citizen of De Smet, Ingalls held various elected positions in the town, including Justice of the Peace and deputy sheriff. Ingalls helped found, build, and was an active member of the First Congregational Church in De Smet. The first service was held in the new church building on August 30, 1882. Ingalls and his wife, along with oldest daughter Mary, were among the church's eight original charter members. , South Dakota , South Dakota
Death
Charles Ingalls died on June 8, 1902 at the age of 66. A Freemason, Ingalls was given Masonic rites at his funeral. He is buried at De Smet Cemetery alongside his wife, Caroline, his daughters Mary, Carrie, and Grace, as well as his infant grandson who died at 12 days old, the child of daughter Laura and son-in-law Almanzo Wilder.
In the media
Ingalls has been portrayed in the adaptations of Little House on the Prairie by:
Michael Landon in the television series Little House on the Prairie and its movie sequels
