About the Book

Book: Tennessee Wildcat: On the Trail of Laura Ingalls Wilders’ Mr. Edwards

Authors: Robynne Elizabeth Miller and J.D. Rushmore

Genre: Nonfiction/Historical Biography/Literary History

Release date: August 24, 2023

Mr. Edwards … that colorful Tennessee Wildcat Laura Ingalls Wilder so deeply loved. He helped Pa build the family’s cabin, saved Christmas by carrying presents across a raging creek, and spit further than Laura thought possible. Though he was a little rough around the edges, Laura simply adored Mr. Edwards. Through her vivid, heartwarming stories, we came to love him, too.

But who was he? Virtually all Laura’s Little House characters were real people … even those whose names were changed to protect their reputations.

Mr. Edwards, however, wasn’t so easy to track down. In fact, he’s the sole Little House enigma … the only mentioned character that hasn’t clearly surfaced via historical records.

Was he fiction, for the sake of illustrating pioneer stereotypes? Was he a composite character, built from several men Laura knew during their time in Kansas? Was he a loose collection of memories and family lore, cobbled together for the sake of the narrative? Or was he a real man, whose full identity had previously evaded discovery?

We wanted to know the answer …

So, we dusted off our boots and headed out … hot on the trail of the wildcat from Tennessee!

Click here to get your copy!

Tennessee Wildcat: On the Trail of Laura Ingalls Wilders’ Mr. Edwards by Robynne Elizabeth Miller and J.D. Rushmore is Nonfiction, a Historical Biography, and Literary History. Growing up, I loved reading the Little House series of books. I also enjoyed watching the television show Little House on the Prairie. So, when I had the opportunity to read this book trying to discover the actual identity of Mr. Edwards, I eagerly signed up for this tour.

As I began reading this book, I initially found it somewhat dry and almost “textbook-ish.” The authors put a lot of time and research into writing this book. I definitely can appreciate that. The in-depth examination of the Land Survey system and how the Bureau of Land Management worked.

The number of individuals and details about men who could have been Mr. Edwards drew me into the historical information. I also recommend reading the appendix at the end, and paying attention to the photographs, figures, and diagrams in this book. They provide a visual way of what the authors discuss.

So, if you enjoy research, history, and Little House on the Prairie, check out Tennessee Wildcat: On the Trail of Laura Ingalls Wilders’ Mr. Edwards by Robynne Elizabeth Miller and J.D. Rushmore.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.

About the Authors

Robynne Elizabeth Miller holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction and Fiction and a B.A. in English Literature. She’s the author of ten books and countless articles, including Tennessee Wildcat, From the Mouth of Ma, and The Three Faces of Nellie.

Along with speaking nationally, Robynne is a writing and publishing coach and mentor, a writing teacher at writers conferences, workshops, and retreats, the Writing Track developer and director for Unbound, and the director of the Vision Christian Writers Conference at Mount Hermon.

She’s passionate about helping writers bring their stories and messages into the world and delving into the real people and places which populated the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

J.D. Rushmore is a history and genealogy buff, with a particular interest in American history before 1900. He’s enamored with the opening of the west, pioneers, the gold rush, the Oregon trail, etc. He’s particularly passionate about researching historical mysteries, especially when they relate to the Little House series of books.

He is a musician in his spare time, as well as an “at everything” father, husband, and friend. He prefers the smell of historic archives to fresh air (unless it involves poking around a remote historic cemetery!) and has a knack for reading handwriting on historical documents that is illegible to others. Nothing thrills him more than finding the one tiny detail that, after being overlooked for decades, or even centuries, changes EVERYTHING.

More from Robynne

If you’re a Little House fan like us, you know how risky it was to delve into Mr. Edwards. Rumors have flown for decades as to his real identity, and some folks have double-downed on who they believe he was … declaring a particular name with certainty.

But it just didn’t add up. Through all our team’s collective Little House research and general love of 1800’s history, the name that had been put forward just didn’t make sense.

So, we had a choice.

We could avert our eyes, go about our other writing projects, and leave this mystery untouched. Or, we could, with as much neutrality and meticulous research as possible, see if Mr. Edwards’ true identity could be established.

We risked two things: upsetting some people if our findings didn’t support their theories, and crushing our own hearts if Mr. Edwards turned out to be the one character who Laura Ingalls Wilder constructed purely from her imagination.

We hope our respect for previous researchers, and the strength of our newly discovered information, helped avoid the first worry. And, the second? We were thrilled to discover Mr. Edwards almost certainly wasn’t a work of fiction!

Blog Stops

Alena Mentink, May 10

Lots of Helpers, May 10

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 11

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 12

Holly’s Book Corner, May 12

Lighthouse Academy Blog, May 13 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 14

Texas Book-aholic, May 15

Mary Hake, May 15

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 16

Blogging With Carol, May 17

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 18

For Him and My Family, May 19

The Lofty Pages, May 20

Life on Chickadee Lane, May 21

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 21

Connie’s History Classroom , May 22

Cover Lover Book Review, May 23

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, May 23

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Robynne is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon Card, copy of Tennessee Wildcat and The Three Faces of Nellie, and a goodie bag of Laura Ingalls Wilder related gifts, including a piece of the actual Loftus Store, mentioned prominently in The Long Winter!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2b591/tennessee-wildcat-celebration-tour-giveaway