The Minor Family of Somerset

When Rose was not yet two years old, Lauran and Almanzo became v
ery ill withdiptheria. To protect Rose from contracting this d
raded disease, she was sent to live with Laura's Pa and Ma for s
everal months.
Rose became a big sister in August 1889, but sadly, her baby bro
ther died before he could even be given a name. Just Days after
ward, little Rose was "hellping" Laura in the Kitchen, when a fi
re started, destroying the Wilders' home. These disasters alon
g with crop failures drove the Wilders from the Dakotas.
In 1903 Laura andAlmanzo allowed rose to go to Crowley, Louisia
na, to live with her aunt, Eliza Jane to complet high school. t
he Mansfield shcool only went through tenthgrade.
Rose was very independent, and after her graduation in 1904, sh
e learned telegraphy and got a job with Western Union in Kansa
s City, and three years later in Mount Vernon Indiana.
In 1908, Rose moved to San Francisco, and lived with a reporte
r for the San Francisco Bulletin, Bessie Beatty. Living inth
e smae apartment buiolding was Claire Gillette Lane, who becam
e Rose's husband on 24 mar 1909. Rose and Gillette moved to Kan
sas City, and Rose worked for theKansas City Post. In the summe
r of 1910 Rose gave birth a baby boywho died shortly afterward
. After moving sever times, Rose and gillette returned to San F
rancisco, where they became involed in selling real estate. Roe
s's career flourished, and slowly, she and Gillette found less a
nd less incommon with each other. When World War I decreased l
and sales, Rose returned to writing.
In 1915 Rose began writing serioal stories and columns for the S
an Francisco Bulletin. during the next three decades, she woul
d write numerous short stories and articles for major magazines
, including Sunset, The Ladies Home Journal, Harper's Montly, As
ia, Country Gentleman, and The SaturDayEvening Post. In 1917
, Rose published her first booik, Henry Ford's Own Story. ros
e was gaining more and more independence, and in 1918, she and G
illette Lane were divorced. She wrote Diverging roads, a fictio
nal novel basedon her separation and eventual divorce with Gill
ette.
Rose them mved to Greenwich Village, New York, and became a ghos
t wirter for Frederick O'Brien's White Shadows on the South Seas
. She also wrote The Making of Herbert Hoover under her own nam
e.
After World War I, Rose became a reporter for the American Red C
ross, and was assigned to write about the conditions in war-tor
n countries. During this time, Rose met two women who would bec
ome her closest friends, Dorothy Thompson and Helen "Troub" Boyl
ston, who wrote the "Sue Barton" burse series for girls.
Rose's job took her throughout Europe, but of all the countrie
s she visited, Albania quickly became her favorite. She wrote T
he Peaks of Shala about Albanian life, and informally adopted Al
banian boy Rexh Meta after he saved her life. Many years later
, she provided money for Rexh to come to America and get a colle
ge education.
Rose returned at last to rocky Ridge Farm in 1924. Her writin
g turned back to the Ozarks at this time,as well, and she wrot
e two of her most enjoyable novels, Cindy, and Hill Billy. Howe
ver, Rose was not content to stay in Missouri. She and Helen Bo
ylston returned to Albania; their journal of the trip was publis
hed as TravelsWith Zenobia. The unstable situation in Albani
a forced Rose back to Missouriin 1928. She and Helen moved t
o Rocky Ridge Farmhouse, and Rose had a modern rock house buil
t for her parents on another part of the farm. Rose felt financ
ially stable at last, and she freely spent money on the new hom
e for her parents, as well as making major updates on the farmho
use. she lost most of her money int he stock market crash of 19
29 however, and returned to her pen to earn a living once again.
While living at Rocky Ridge, Rose encouraged her mother to try t
o earn a bit of extra money wr