Mother Wilder

If you've read Laura Ingalls Wilder's Farmer Boy, this post is for you. It's about the unforgettable Mother Wilder (Angeline Day Wilder). She's described in Farmer Boy chapter 2 "Winter Evening": 

But to Almanzo the most beautiful sight was his mother, bringing in the big willow-ware platter full of sizzling ham.
Mother was short and plump and pretty. Her eyes were blue, and her brown hair was like a bird's smooth wings. A row of little red buttons ran down the front of her dress of wine-colored wool, from her flat white linen collar to the white apron tied round her waist. Her big sleeves hung like large red bells at either end of the blue platter. She came through the doorway with a little pause and a tug, because her hoop-skirts were wider than the door. 

She's also mentioned later on in These Happy Golden Years chapter 31 "Wedding Plans":

"You know Eliza," said Almanzo. "She's headstrong, and she always was bossy, but I could handle this, if it was only Eliza. My mother's different, she's more like your mother; you'll like her. But Eliza's got Mother's heart set on our having a big church wedding, and if they are here before we're married, I don't see how I can tell Mother, 'No.' I don't want that kind of a wedding, and I can't afford what it would cost me. What do you think about it?" 

These two quotes give us a little snapshot of Mother Wilder. Elsewhere in Farmer Boy, we learn how she lovingly devoted herself to her family, practiced resourcefulness, was a skilled cook, drove a hard bargain, and didn't stand for any nonsense. All these attributes, combined with Laura Ingalls Wilder's skillful descriptions, make her quite a memorable character in the Little House books.

If you're interested: Here is Angeline Day Wilder on Ancestry.com. Here's the article about Mother and Father Wilder on Laura Ingalls Wilder, Frontier Girl.

How is Mother Wilder similar to your mother? How is she different? 
Elizabeth
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