Caroline Lake Quiner Ingalls was born on December 12, 1839 in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Her father, died in a shipwreck on Lake Michigan in 1845. Her mother remarried and the family moved to Concord, Wisconsin where Caroline became a teacher at 16 and met her future husband, Charles.
On February 1, 1860, Charles and Caroline (we refer to them today as Ma and Pa), were married in Concord, Wisconsin. Despite her reluctance, during the early years of Caroline’s marriage was spent moving wherever Charles wanted to move to. However, as the girls grew older, she was insistent that they couldn’t keep moving farther into the wilderness, away from a community, schools, and doctors. It was at her insistence, the family remained in De Smet, South Dakota.
When Charles Ingalls passed away on June 8, 1902, Caroline and Mary rented out part of the house for income. Ma passed away on April 20, 1924 and is buried in De Smet, South Dakota.