In The First Four Years, Laura and Almanzo had a baby son. In the book, they did not name the child before he died, even though he was nearly a month old when he passed away.
The newspapers in De Smet, South Dakota had notices for both the birth and death, but neither notice included a name. The grave marker for their son was simply noted as “Baby Son of A. J. Wilder” in the De Smet Cemetery.
Laura and Almanzo seldom talked about the baby son they lost, as it was a particularly difficult time in their young married lives, and their daughter Rose did not know she had a sibling who died until she was an adult.
Laura Ingalls Wilder and her husband, Almanzo Wilder, had a son in 1889, but heartbreakingly, his name was never recorded or publicly shared. The baby boy was born on July 11, 1889, in De Smet, South Dakota, and lived for only 27 days, passing away on August 7, 1889.
Though Laura wrote about the experience in her posthumously published book, The First Four Years, she never gave the child a name in the narrative. Similarly, local newspaper announcements from the time—including both his birth and death notices—did not include a name. On his grave marker in the De Smet Cemetery, he is simply remembered as:
“Baby Son of A. J. Wilder.”
Why Didn’t Laura and Almanzo Name Their Son?
It’s not uncommon for families during the 19th century to leave infants unnamed, especially if the child died shortly after birth. However, Laura and Almanzo’s son lived for nearly a month, which makes the absence of a name more unusual. Some historians believe the Wilders may have given him a name privately, but no written record has ever been found in family letters, journals, or public records.
It’s widely believed that the emotional toll of that period—marked by the loss of their home, Almanzo’s diphtheria and resulting partial paralysis, financial hardship, and the loss of their son—led the couple to grieve quietly and privately. In fact, they rarely spoke of their baby boy again.
Even their daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, did not know she had a brother until she was an adult. The silence surrounding the child reflects the profound pain Laura and Almanzo endured during one of the darkest chapters of their lives.
Visiting the Grave of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Son
The baby’s grave can be found in the De Smet Cemetery in De Smet, South Dakota, where several members of the Ingalls and Wilder families are buried. Fans of the Little House series who visit the town often include a stop at the cemetery to pay respects.
The headstone is modest and simply reads:
“Baby Son of A. J. Wilder”
Despite having no name, he remains a significant part of the Wilder family story and is remembered by readers and historians as part of Laura’s legacy.
