Walnut Grove: A Brief Biography

In 1836 the PL and Harriot were intermarried with the permission of Dr. Emerson Elisa and Lizzie are the children of this marriage between the PL and Harriot. Eliza was around the age of fourteen and Lizzie was around the age of seven at the time of proceedings. In the year 1838 Dr. Emerson took the PL his wife, and two children to the State of Missouri where they have stayed since.

Mrs. Bessie Vanburen was born in July 1816 to Mary and David Windburn. She grew up in the small town of Mcbee, South Carolina, where Bessie’s father was a poor dirt farmer, and her mother an underpaid seamstress. Bessie attended school in her small town, and as she approached her sixteenth birthday, a new teacher came to town.

Bessie Vanburen was from a little town called Ashville, located in the middle of South Carolina. Although, they were poor Bessie and her husband Paul made ends meet. Their kids were the age four and six. During this century they didn’t have schools. So she home schooled both of her kids, while her husband was out looking for a well-paying job.

Laura Secord was born September 13th, 1775 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Laura was the daughter of Thomas Ingersoll, an American who had sided with the Patriots during the American Revolution(1775–83). Ingersoll moved his family to the Niagara Peninsula in 1795 and ran a tavern at Queenston. Early during the war of 1812, James

Lugenia Burns Hope was born February 19, 1871 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was the baby of the family having 7 older siblings. Around the 1880’s her father passed away, her mother then moved the family out to Chicago, Illinois. Once Lugenia got to Chicago, Illinois she began to become interested

Laura Secord also known as Laura Ingersoll was born on September 13, 1775 and died on October 17, 1868. Laura Ingersoll Secord was the daughter of Thomas Ingersoll. Thomas was wounded in the war of 1812, and Laura saved him and took him home to nurse him. Laura’s father used to fight in wars. Thomas (Laura’s Father) lived in Massachusetts and later on took his family and moved to Niagara Region (Upper Canada) after granting a land after applying. Short while later when Laura was married to James Secord. James Secord was seriously wounded at the battle of Queenston Heights. Laura’s mother passed away on February 3rd, 1784 and a really sad incident.

Lizzie Borden was born on July 19, 1860 and died on June 1st, 1927. Her family lived a moderate life through the years. Borden’s father Andrew Jackson Borden grew up in modest surroundings and struggled financially in his younger years. He eventually prospered through the manufacture and sales of furniture. He strived on to later become a successful property developer. Borden lived with her mother Sarah Anthony There were various items the Borden home lacked. Their residence was located in Falls

Laura Ingalls Wilder readers likely remember the role wheat played in The Long Winter. Frequent blizzards prevented trains from bringing food, fuel, and supplies from the east during the winter of 1880-1881. The Ingalls family ground wheat seeds intended for the fields into a coarse flour. They used this flour to make bread and ate a few potatoes for their daily meal. The meager food could not last until the next train. No one in De Smet, South Dakota had food to spare. Everyone in the town was struggling just to survive.

According to A Little House Sampler, she made her husband Almanzo wait three years before agreeing to marry him ( 37). Her family had many hardships. A Little House Sampler says that her husband was partially disabled by diphtheria, and her baby boy died in 1888 ( 3). A turning point in Laura’s life is when her house burned down in 1890 according to Laura Ingalls’ official website. “In 1894 the Wilders bought a 200-acre farm in the Ozarks of Mansfield, Missouri” (website). Wilder's official website elaborates saying that Laura, along with her husband Almanzo and daughter Rose, moved to Rocky Ridge farm near Mansfield Missouri in 1894. “By the mid-1920s Wilder and her husband were doing little of their own farming…,which allowed her to spend most of her time writing” (Notable Biographies). When her first of eight Little House books was published in 1932, suggests Notable Biographies website, it was a big turning point in her life. Rocky Ridge farm was Laura’s last home, and it is where she wrote the Little House books, according to Wilder’s Official website. “Wilder was seventy-six years old when she finished the final book in her ‘Little House’ series” (Notable

David Owen Dodd was born in Victoria County, Texas on November 10, 1846. Records provide little information of Dodd’s childhood, the youngest records we have of him is at age 10. When Dodd was 10 years old, his family returned to arkansas and settled in Benton. It was in Benton that Dodd attended school for the very first time. In the fall of 1861, the Dodd family packed up and moved to Little Rock to be closer to Dodd’s sister Senhora. Who was in Little Rock to live with her aunt and attend school in the capital. Dodd then transferred to St. John’s College, the Dodd family remained in the capital city until August of 1862. David Owen Dodd then traveled to Monroe, louisiana with his father, leaving his sister and mother in the capital city.

Abigail Smith was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts in 1744. She was the second child born in her family. Abigail’s father was a pastor and her mother spent her time helping others in the community by visiting those who were sick and bringing supplies such as food and clothing to families that were in need, as Abigail got older she joined her mother on these visits. Abigail did not attend school but taught herself by reading books that she found in her father’s library. (nps.gov).

It is true that we cannot take our worldly possessions with us after we leave this world. Thus, deciding which possessions are worth fighting for is something most people grapple with in their lives. Because mortgage bills and other financial responsibilities have the power to cripple a family’s finances, the story of the family portrayed by Mary Oliver in “The Black Walnut Tree” that decides to keep a Walnut Tree instead of paying off their mortgage is endearing and relatable. The use of communal diction, simile, and personification convey the relationship between the tree and the family as invaluable and indispensable.

In 1891, Zora Neale Hurston was born in Alabama, the fifth of eight children. She published her first story at the age of 30 after getting her associate degree at Howard University. Not only that, but she also studied anthropology at Barnard College, earning her bachelor of arts degree. She later tried to earn her Ph.D in anthropology, but failed to show up to class on most days. She did marry twice, but divorced each one shortly after the marriage.

Rose Hawthorne Lathrop was in Liverpool, England, as the daughter of famous author, Nathaniel Hawthorne. She lived in many cities throughout

Burnette spent the first eight years of her life in a three-room, shotgun house in the red clays of Albany, Georgia, while being raised by grandparents who were very loving but could not read nor write. She was reunited with her mother when she was eight years old. From these humble beginnings, she rose to become a nationally recognized consultant, trainer, and speaker.