I'm sure that he treasured that gift. Mary, of course, was followed by her sister, Laura, about a couple years later. And it was Laura who was to spend more time with her Pa, than Mary. Mary spent more time doing those "Girly" things with Ma. And Ma cherished her first born.
As Mary grew, her parents had high hopes for her success in life. They wanted the best for her, as most parents would for any and all of their children. But at age 14 years, Mary was struck with what was called, "Brain Fever". As a result of the illness, she began to lose her eyesight. This was, no doubt, quite a traumatic event in the family. Laura took on the assistance of Mary, becoming her eyes. She would help Mary with her school studies and read aloud to Mary, as well as describe what she saw around her. Mary seemed to take it all in stride.
Wanting the best care for Mary, and still hoping to see her succeed in life, her parents had discovered a school for the blind. If they could get enough money together, they could send her to that school. Laura helped by doing work outside of the home. And by the time Mary was 16 years old, she was off to board at the Iowa College for the Blind.
She was to be in school from 1881 to 1889, when she graduated. There she had all the regular schooling that she would have received had she stayed at home. But she actually had it better! While her family was struggling to make ends meet, and put food on the table; Mary was living in a comforable dormitory, with 3 balanced meals a day. She was able to learn how to care for herself and had classes teaching her how to read and write in Braille. She also learned crafts, music and other lessons which would not have been readily available at home.
On graduation day she recited Robert Burns', "Bide a Wee and Dinna Weary". She had received excellant grades in most all her studies; excelling in what was termed, "Deportment". So she ended up as her parents had hoped - with a well-rounded education, making for a successful or fulfilling life. Her parents may have silently hoped that Mary would find love and get married; but that was not what she had intended to do, so she never married.
Upon returning home from school, she found a pump organ awaiting her use. Mary had learned to play music in school. Once home, she became very active in their church; even teaching Sunday School classes. She did her own housework; pieced quilts, made clothes, netted hair nets and hammocks, and did bead work. She also wrote poems on her Braille slate.
In July of 1892 she was suffering so badly with neuralgia, that her parents made arrangements for her to travel from their home in South Dakota, to Chicago for an operation. Again, Mary showed that pioneer spirit and made the long train ride back and forth. There is no indication that the operation was a success or not. But Mary made the best of it and continued on with life as it was dealt her.
When Ma died in 1924, Mary was left all alone. Her sisters, living nearby, took care of her and the family home, sometimes living with her. Mary still had some health issues which had persisted since her "Brain Fever", which might have been complicated by a stroke. And while visiting with Carrie and her husband, in 1928, she suffered another stroke. She developed pneumonia and died. She was buried in the family cemetary in De Smet.
So, Mary died at age 64, having lived the life of a pioneer, as did the rest of her family. The Ingalls family was a close-knit family. I'm sure Laura regretted, to some extent, not being able to live near them all in their later years. I'm sure she took each one of their losses very hard. Her youngest sister, Grace, died in 1941. Carried died in 1946. Laura had outlived them all. It wasn't until most of her immediate family had died that she began writing about them in her "Little House" book series. So, her parents never knew the success she had achieved in her life. Nor did they ever imagine that they would be immortalized by her writings. Since the first publishing of those books, generations of readers have come to think of the Ingalls family as members of their own family.
Every family has a story to tell; but seldom are those stories ever written. Aren't we all glad that Laura told the story of her family? If she hadn't written that story, we wouldn't have such a great record of pioneer life and the hardships endured. I hope you'll join with me today, remembering the celebration of the birthdays of Pa & Mary. Happy Birthday!
The Old Man in the Bib Overalls
1 comment:
Glad I am indeed, that Laura wrote her family's story, and thanks to you for sharing "the rest of the story."
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