While many fans of the Little House on the Prairie books know Caroline Ingalls as the mother of four daughters—Mary, Laura, Carrie, and Grace—the real Caroline actually had five children. In addition to her four daughters, she also gave birth to a son named Charles Frederick Ingalls, affectionately called “Freddie” by his family.
Freddie was the only son of Charles and Caroline Ingalls, and the younger brother of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Sadly, Freddie died as an infant, just shy of his first birthday. His early death meant that he did not appear in Laura’s Little House book series, but he remains a part of the true Ingalls family history.
The Children of Caroline Ingalls
Here is a complete list of Caroline Ingalls’ children:
Mary Amelia Ingalls (born January 10, 1865)
The eldest child, Mary is well known to readers for losing her eyesight at the age of 14.
She later attended the Iowa College for the Blind.
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls (born February 7, 1867)
The author of the Little House books, Laura became one of the most iconic American storytellers of frontier life.
Caroline Celestia “Carrie” Ingalls (born August 3, 1870)
Known for being small and delicate, Carrie later became a newspaper typesetter in South Dakota.
Charles Frederick “Freddie” Ingalls (born November 1, 1875 – died August 27, 1876)
Freddie was the only son in the family, and he passed away at only 10 months old while the family lived in Minnesota.
Grace Pearl Ingalls (born May 23, 1877)
The youngest of the Ingalls children, Grace eventually became a schoolteacher and lived a quiet life in South Dakota.
Why Isn’t Freddie in the Little House Books?
Freddie is not mentioned in the published Little House books, and many fans are surprised to learn that Laura had a younger brother. There are a few reasons for his absence:
Freddie died in infancy, between major moves and hardships, and Laura may have chosen not to include such a personal loss in books written for children.
Laura’s stories were semi-fictionalized memoirs, and she often omitted or softened difficult events from her real life to make the stories more appropriate for young readers.
Emotional pain and cultural norms of the time may have led the family to grieve privately, especially given the high infant mortality rates in the 1800s.
Freddie is mentioned in Pioneer Girl, Laura’s original unpublished memoir, which offers a more raw and realistic version of her family’s story. He also appeared in the Little House on the Prairie TV series, although his portrayal was not historically accurate and deviated from the known facts of his short life.
