Adam was the oldest. Here's what I found:
Ben Cartwright first met and married Adam's mother, Elizabeth Stoddard. She died right after Adam was born (during childbirth) and Ben went westward with Adam.
Then he met and married Inger Stevenson, a Swedish lady, when Adam was 6. Inger did not die while giving birth to her son, Eric, she died in an Indian attack a little while later. Eric Haus Cartwright was called Hoss because it meant 'big friendly man' (which he did grow up to be) and because when Ben took Inger west, away from her brother, it was his one wish that they would call their first (and only!) son 'Hoss.'
Ben then took his two sons and went on where he met Marie DeMarigny, whom he fell in love with and married. I don't know how old Adam and Hoss were, but I think they were about 12 and 6. She had Joseph Francis Cartwright, whom they called Little Joe, or Joe later on in the series, but she did not die until he was 6 years old. She died from an accident when she fell off a horse.
Response last updated by Terry on Oct 12 2016.
Full Name: | Inger Borgstrom Cartwright |
Occupation: | former store keeper |
Gender: | female |
Race/Ethnicity: | Swedish |
Hair color: | Blond |
Eye color: | Blue |
Born: | |
Died: | from an Indian arrow |
Family/Relatives: | Gunnar Borgstrom |
Spouse | Ben Cartwright |
Romances/Domestic Partners: | Ben Cartwright |
Children: | Hoss Cartwright Adam Cartwright (step-son) |
Appeared on: | |
First Episode: | A Rose for Lotta (mentioned) |
Last Episode: | Journey Remembered |
Portrayed by: | Inga Swenson |
Inger Cartwright was the second wife of Ben Cartwright, mother to Hoss Cartwright and step-mother to Adam Cartwright. Her sweet, motherly nature and genuine attraction to children had drawn young Adam to her when he first saw her. She fell in love with Ben first, but there were strong objections from her brother and the man who supposedly courted her. Inger left her life as a shopkeeper to go west with her new husband, and died in an Indian attack just weeks after Hoss was born.
Appearances
- A Rose for Lotta - mentioned by Little Joe
- Inger, My Love
- Journey Remembered
Gallery
Gallery of Inger CartwrightBonanza
- Episode aired May 27, 1961
- TV-GTV-G
- 1h
At the bedside of a seriously ill Adam, Ben thinks back to his days as a first mate on a sailing ship and his marriage to Adam's mother, Elizabeth Stoddard.At the bedside of a seriously ill Adam, Ben thinks back to his days as a first mate on a sailing ship and his marriage to Adam's mother, Elizabeth Stoddard.At the bedside of a seriously ill Adam, Ben thinks back to his days as a first mate on a sailing ship and his marriage to Adam's mother, Elizabeth Stoddard.
See production, box office & company info
See more at IMDbPro
Review First Love They say first love is always the sweetest, and in my opinion I think maybe it's the same in Ben's case. This is the first of three episodes that tells the story of Ben's wife. In this episode, we learn how Ben married Adam's mother, how she died, and how he ended up coming out West. I think
it's the sweetest of the three.Photos8
It's interesting seeing what Ben could have been like as a young man, though I figure he was a lot better looking and skinnier...
Ben, a seaman - turn merchant owner - turn...well, you'll just have to watch the next installment to see what he became next.
Dead: 1
- mitchrmp
- Sep 26, 2014
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