<P> 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 . </P>
what happened to mr. edwards wife on little house on the prairie
his first wife and young daughter died of smallpox