History WMG / LittleHouseOnThePrairie

Historians have theorized that as a "wildcat from Tennessee," Mr. Edwards would have been in the right location and of the right age to have been conscripted for the Confederate Army (Laura even vividly recalls his "rebel yell," which was a trademark of the Confederates). Many soldiers who saw the horrors of the war chose to defect, and fear of repercussion or social shame meant that a number of these men sought to build a new life rather than return home. This might also explain why Edwards never seemed to settle down and was constantly moving westward. As Mr. Edwards' true identity has never been confirmed (and since he's suspected to be a composite character), there's no way to confirm his backstory. Another fan theory is that the adult Laura, wishing not to tarnish Mr. Edwards' kindness by mentioning his ignoble past, was deliberately vague about his identity.[[note]]Related but equally unfounded is that perhaps Mr. Edwards might have fled westward after committing murder in his native Tennessee and that Laura concealed his identity for the same reason.[[/note]]

Historians have theorized that as a "wildcat from Tennessee," Mr. Edwards would have been in the right location and of the right age to have been conscripted for the Confederate Army (Laura even vividly recalls his "rebel yell," which was a trademark of the Confederates). Many soldiers who saw the horrors of the war chose to defect, and fear of repercussion or social shame meant that a number of these men sought to build a new life rather than return home. This might also explain why Edwards never seemed to settle down and was constantly moving westward. As Mr. Edwards' true identity has never been confirmed (and since he's suspected to be a composite character), there's no way to confirm his backstory. Another fan theory is that the adult Laura, wishing not to tarnish Mr. Edwards' kindness by mentioning his ignoble past, was deliberately vague about his identity.[[note]]Related but equally unfounded is that perhaps Mr. Edwards might have fled westward after committing a crime in his native Tennessee and that Laura concealed his identity for the same reason.[[/note]]

"The Nephews" introduces us to Royal, his wife Millie who's revealed to be pregnant and his two mischievous sons, but in "Times Are Changing Part 2", Royal is a widower, older and has a daughter instead. That's because "Times" is set over a decade after the events of "Nephews", when his sons are already grown up and living far away, his wife has passed away between these twelve years or so and Royal grew older and sick.

This is not explored in the actual episode, but is a major reason why Nellie made her final break from her mother and her penchant for gossip. When Nellie warns Laura that vicious gossip is being spread through the town about Sylvia, she then suspects that Nellie may have been attacked. Laura won't believe it at first but then as Nellie presses on, she reveals her own DarkSecret: She, too, was attacked (a few years earlier) by a man wearing a clown mask and a dark body suit. Laura, realizing Nellie may be on to something, goes with Nellie to talk to Sylvia and convince her to tell what happened and that she must ... and right in front of Mrs. Olesen, too. Mrs. Olesen tries to poo-poo the notion but Nels finally gets her to understand that this is no way to disparage Albert (and that she had better stop right now) ... that the rapist was quite a bit bigger than the teenaged Albert. In the end, Charles helps set a trap and the rapist – indeed, revealed as Irv Hartwig, the blacksmith – is taken alive and forced to stand trial. Nellie and Sylvia, meanwhile, begin to support one another through their ordeal and learn the attack was not their faults.

This is also why he goes out of his way for the Ingalls: Mr. Edwards isn't a true loner, but feels compelled to isolate himself to preserve his secret, which precludes his marrying or otherwise having a family of his own. He's likely cut off from any relatives as well, voluntarily or otherwise, so the Ingalls welcoming him into their home is enough for Mr. Edwards to go to great lengths for them, from nearly drowning or freezing to bring the children Christmas presents to giving them a large sum of money without even waiting to be thanked.

* This is not explored in the actual episode, but is a major reason why Nellie made her final break from her mother and her penchant for gossip. When Nellie warns Laura that vicious gossip is being spread through the town about Sylvia, she then suspects that Nellie may have been attacked. Laura won't believe it at first but then as Nellie presses on, she reveals her own DarkSecret: She, too, was attacked (a few years earlier) by a man wearing a clown mask and a dark body suit. Laura, realizing Nellie may be on to something, goes with Nellie to talk to Sylvia and convince her to tell what happened and that she must ... and right in front of Mrs. Olesen, too. Mrs. Olesen tries to poo-poo the notion but Nels finally gets her to understand that this is no way to disparage Albert (and that she had better stop right now) ... that the rapist was quite a bit bigger than the teenaged Albert. In the end, Charles helps set a trap and the rapist – indeed, revealed as Irv Hartwig, the blacksmith – is taken alive and forced to stand trial. Nellie and Sylvia, meanwhile, begin to support one another through their ordeal and learn the attack was not their faults.

* A dark reality of the era Nancy would have grown up in ... the 1880s, when orphans were moved from one place to another, often without reason but sometimes because of behavior issues (such as hers). May have been part of her personality.

* This is not explored in the actual episode, but is a major reason why Nellie made her final break from her mother and her penchant for gossip. When Nellie warns Laura that vicious gossip is being spread through the town about Sylvia, she then suspects that Nellie may have been attacked. Laura won't believe it at first but then as Nellie presses on, she reveals her own DarkSecret: She, too, was attacked (a few years earlier) by a man wearing a clown mask and a dark body suit. Laura and Nellie then talk to Sylvia and convince her to tell what happened ... and right in front of Mrs. Olesen, too. Mrs. Olesen tries to poo-poo the notion but Nels finally gets her to understand that this is no way to disparage Albert (and that she had better stop right now) ... that the rapist was quite a bit bigger than the teenaged Albert. In the end, Charles helps set a trap and the rapist – indeed, revealed as Irv Hartwig, the blacksmith – is taken alive and forced to stand trial. Nellie and Sylvia, meanwhile, begin to support one another through their ordeal and learn the attack was not their faults.

* This is not explored in the actual episode, but is a major reason why Nellie made her final break from her mother and her penchant for gossip. When Nellie warns Laura that vicious gossip is being spread through the town about Sylvia, she then suspects that Nellie may have been attacked. Laura won't believe it at first but then as Nellie presses on, she reveals her own DarkSecret: She, too, was attacked (a few years earlier) by a man wearing a clown mask and a dark body suit. Laura and Nellie then talk to Sylvia and convince her to tell what happened ... and right in front of Mrs. Olesen, too. Mrs. Olesen tries to poo-poo the notion but Nels finally gets her to understand that this is no way to get disparage Albert ... that the rapist was quite a bit bigger than the teenaged Albert. In the end, Charles helps set a trap and the rapist – indeed, revealed as Irv Hartwig, the blacksmith – is taken alive and forced to stand trial. Nellie and Sylvia, meanwhile, begin to support one another through their ordeal and learn the attack was not their faults.