An Intense Romance
Although Laura had her hands full with her teaching career, she made time for relationships. She had a suitor by the name of Almanzo Wilder. A homesteader, Laura lovingly called the older man by the moniker “Manly”. He had 10 years on her but it did not stop the pair from falling in love with one another. Almanzo had a big crush on her that he did not mind bringing her to and from De Smet to where she worked, despite the distance of 12 miles. The two decided to make it official and got married in 1885. They decided to settle on his land and became farmers together.
An Intense Romance
Almanzo Suffered From Diphtheria
Life did not prove to be easy for the young homesteaders and newlyweds. The pair had difficulties making a good life for the first few years of their marriage. They had their first child Rose in 1886. Despite this, the young family suffered from drought, illnesses, terrible weather, and eventual poverty. Almanzo was the one who endured the most. Although he was a young and active man in the beginning, he caught a bacterial infection called diphtheria that eventually rendered him partially paralyzed. Of course, he could no longer perform certain duties that wheat farming required. These days, babies are given vaccinations against the rare disease.
Almanzo Suffered From Diphtheria