List of Little House on the Prairie characters


There are many Little House on the Prairie characters, appearing in various forms of media in the Little House on the Prairie media franchise.

Television series characters

The Ingalls family

NameSeasonsNo. of
episodes		PortrayerCharacter summary
Charles Ingalls1–9161Michael LandonFarmer; husband and father and grandfather
Caroline Ingalls1–8172Karen GrassleWife, mother and grandmother
Laura Ingalls Wilder1–9190Melissa GilbertDaughter; later Almanzo's wife and Rose's mother; nicknamed "Half-Pint" by Charles and "Beth" by Almanzo
Mary Ingalls1–8133Melissa Sue AndersonMary is the eldest daughter of Charles and Caroline, and the older biological sister of Laura, Carrie, and Grace. As a young child, she was extremely studious and consistently performed well academically. She was less tomboyish than Laura and an obedient rule-follower, but as the eldest, was also independent and stood up for herself and her family. Despite her dreams of being a teacher, she falls into depression and becomes increasingly agitated after falling blind at 15. Although she is initially hostile to anyone who comes near to her, she begins to come to terms with her blindness when her parents send her to a blind school in Iowa, where she falls in love with Adam Kendall. The couple get married and Mary stays in Winoka with Adam to teach at the blind school. A few months later, the entire school moves to Walnut Grove, where Mary will be closer to her family. In Season 6, Mary gives birth to a baby boy, Adam Charles Holbrook Kendall Jr. Mary and Adam are a happy family, but when Adam Jr. dies in a fire at the blind school, Mary enters a state of shock and is unable to come to terms with the reality of her son's death. With the help of Adam and the rest of her family, she eventually finds closure. She and Adam continue work at the blind school until he regains his sight following an explosion, and they move to New York so Adam can work as a lawyer. They return to Walnut Grove one last time for Christmas in Season 8, where they make their final appearance.
Carrie Ingalls1–8164Lindsay and Sidney GreenbushDaughter, youngest child at the beginning of the series
Charles Ingalls Jr.12UnknownSon, died as an infant
Grace Ingalls5–860Wendi and Brenda TurnbaughYoungest child
Albert Ingalls5–989Matthew LabyorteauxSon, adopted after spending many years in orphanages and on the streets
James Ingalls7–821Jason BatemanSon, adopted after first parents were killed in a wagon accident
Cassandra Ingalls7–821Missy FrancisDaughter, adopted after first parents were killed in a wagon accident
Rose Wilder8–917Jennifer and Michele SteffinGranddaughter, daughter of Laura and Almanzo

The in-laws

NameSeasonsNo. of
episodes		PortrayerCharacter summary
Almanzo Wilder6–965Dean ButlerFarmer; Laura's husband ; Rose's father; nicknamed "Manly" by Laura
Jenny Wilder918Shannen DohertyAlmanzo's niece, whom he gets custody of after his brother/her father Royal dies
Eliza Jane Wilder6–814Lucy Lee FlippinTeacher; Almanzo's older sister
Perley Day Wilder61Charles BloomAlmanzo and Eliza Jane’s youngest brother; gambler

Townsfolk

NameSeasonsNo. of
episodes		PortrayerCharacter summary
Nels Oleson1–9147Richard BullMercantile proprietor; husband and father
Harriet Oleson1–9153Katherine MacGregorMercantile proprietor; wife and mother
Nellie Oleson1–7, 9104Alison ArngrimOldest child of Nels and Harriet
Willie Oleson1–9140Jonathan GilbertSon of Nels and Harriet
Nancy Oleson8–933Allison BalsonDaughter of Nels and Harriet, adopted from orphanage
Percival Dalton/Isaac Cohen6–711Steve TracyNellie’s husband
Rachel Brown Oleson92Sherri StonerWillie’s wife
Dr. Hiram Baker1–9113Kevin HagenTown physician
Reverend Robert Alden1–976Dabbs GreerChurch minister
Melinda Foster1–961Ruth FosterPost office manager
Isaiah Edwards1–3, 6, 8–952Victor FrenchCharles’s best friend
Grace Snider Edwards1–623Bonnie Bartlett / Corinne CamachoWife of Isaiah Edwards
John Sanderson Edwards2–48Radames PeraOldest child of Isaiah & Grace Edwards, adopted after first mother died
Alicia Sanderson Edwards2–3, 5, 819Kyle RichardsYoungest child of Isaiah & Grace Edwards, adopted after first mother died
Carl Sanderson Edwards2–419Brian PartMiddle child of Isaiah & Grace Edwards, adopted after first mother died
Matthew Rogers95Jonathan Hall KovacsYoung boy that is taken care of by Isaiah Edwards
Jonathan Garvey4–751Merlin OlsenFarmer; husband and father
Alice Garvey4–633Hersha ParadyWife and mother; teacher; dies in fire with Adam Kendall Jr.
Andy Garvey4–743Patrick LabyorteauxSon of Jonathan and Alice
Eva Beadle Simms1–445Charlotte StewartSchool teacher
Adam Simms42Joshua BryantMiss Beadle's husband
Lars Hanson1–541Karl SwensonLumber mill owner; a founder of Walnut Grove
Hester-Sue Terhune4–940Ketty LesterHead of the school for the blind
John Carter919Stan IvarBlacksmith; husband and father
Sarah Carter915Pamela RoylanceStarts a newspaper; wife and mother
Jeb Carter918Lindsay KennedyOlder son of John and Sarah
Jason Carter918David FriedmanYounger son of John and Sarah
Susan Goodspeed4–716Michelle DowneyStudent at the school for the blind
Etta Plum915Leslie LandonSchool teacher
Christy Kennedy1–210Tracie SavageSchoolgirl
Sandy Kennedy14Robert HoffmanSchoolboy; Christy's brother
Hans Dorfler1–4, 69Jim JeterResident of Walnut Grove; a stable-owner
Bill Anderson6–96Sam EdwardsBanker of Walnut Grove
Joe Kagan4–5, 75Moses GunnAging boxer who retires to farm life in Walnut Grove
Judd Larrabee4–55Don "Red" BarryResident of Walnut Grove
Mrs. Amanda "May" Whipple1–45Queenie SmithResident of Walnut Grove; local seamstress
Mr. Kennedy14Wayne HeffleyResident of Walnut Grove; father of Christy and Sandy
Mrs. Kennedy1–23Eileen Ryan,
Janice Carroll 		Resident of Walnut Grove; mother of Christy and Sandy
Ebenezer Sprague2–34Ted GehringBanker of Walnut Grove
Houston Lamb6–74Dub TaylorWorks and lives at the school for the blind in Sleepy Eye
Henry Riley4–915Dan McBriderecurring role - customer in Nellie's Restaurant arguing
Kezia Horn4–53Hermione BaddeleyResident of Walnut Grove and friend of Laura and Albert

One-shot characters

Season one

The Ingalls family

Based on the data from :
NOTE: A second daughter of Ruby Ingalls Card, Lettie Letishia Card Anderson, is listed as being born in 1888, seven years after Ruby's death. How this is possible is unknown.

The Quiner family

Allan Alexander Morse and Margaret Drummond *These are fictional names. Real names unknown.
Lewis Tucker ' and Martha Gráinne Morse '
William Quiner ' and Margaret Doer '
Charlotte Tucker and Henry Quiner
Henry Quiner died in October 1844 in the sinking of a trading ship on the Great Lakes. Charlotte Tucker Quiner remarried, to Frederic Holbrook, and they had one child
Charlotte Wallis Tucker was born on May 25, 1809 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. She died September 20, 1884 in Rome, Wisconsin. Her mostly fictionalised story was described in the four-book series The Charlotte Years by Melissa Wiley. Charlotte was maternal grandmother to Laura Ingalls Wilder.
As a young woman, Charlotte married Henry Newton Quiner from Connecticut. She was the first woman in her family to travel west, living in Ohio and Indiana before settling in the frontier town of Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Martha Morse

Martha Morse was born on January 2, 1782 in Scotland, where her father was a wealthy landowners in the Scottish Highlands. Her mostly fictionalised story was told in the four-book series The Martha Years, by Melissa Wiley. Martha was Charlotte Tucker's mother and great-grandmother to Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Martha married Lewis Tucker, a blacksmith's son. Lewis and Martha travelled to the United States and began their new life near Boston, Massachusetts, becoming the first of Laura's ancestors to immigrate to America.

The Wilder family

Real people