About the Book Tennessee Wildcat

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 of 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? Or 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!

My Thoughts on Tennessee Wildcat

What can I say?  I’m still a fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House on the Prairie.  And I’m an adult!  So of course when this came across for review I had to snatch it up.  It’s a nonfiction historical sleuthing-type account of who Mr Edwards could possibly have been in real life.  

I never really thought much of it.  He was Mr Edwards.  But then if you do do a deep dive into Laura’s life you’ll find out that a person or man by the name of Mr Edwards never existed.  So who was he?  Was he real?  Or did Laura compile lots of memories and make one man act them out?  I refuse to believe that she made up the character entirely.  I just can’t get behind that. 

What I can get behind is this book. 

It’s wonderfully written.  It did not read as a textbook would.  Which is always something that makes me leary of nonfiction.  When they read all the facts and nothing to involve or draw you in.  

I loved seeing the research the authors did.  They have great research behind their final conclusion.  I can’t tell you their conclusion.  Then you wouldn’t read the book!  But you should if you have any interest in the Little House on the Prairie or Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Just last summer I took my second oldest to visit all of the Laura Ingalls Wilder homes and museums.  It was great fun!  Now we have another book to add to our collection.  I would recommend getting the physical copy so you can easily flip to the maps etc that they reference. 

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

About the Authors of Tennessee Wildcat

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 enamoured 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 the 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 1800s 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 whom 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 for Tennessee Wildcat

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 for Tennessee Wildcat

To celebrate her tour, Robynne is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon Card, a 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