When Little House on the Prairie was picked up as a weekly television series, Victor French was returned to the role. In the time between the pilot movie and his first episode, "Mr. Edwards ' Homecoming, '' Mr. Edwards had become a drunken drifter, and eventually arrives in Mankato, Minnesota; there, he gets into a barroom brawl when by chance Charles Ingalls -- who was making a delivery run from Walnut Grove, where the Ingalls family had settled -- arrives and (upon hearing the commotion and recognizing Mr. Edwards) comes to his defense. Mr. Edwards is brought to the Ingalls ' new home near Walnut Grove, and eventually gets a place of his own. It is about this time he reveals his past: He became an alcoholic after his first wife and young daughter died of smallpox, and renounced his Christian faith as a result. For the most part, Mr. Edwards is able to keep his drinking under control in episodes that aired during the first three seasons. Mr. Edwards frequently sang the song, "Old Dan Tucker, '' and a musical cue sometimes introduced his character.
what happened to mr. edwards wife on little house on the prairie
his first wife and young daughter died of smallpox