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On 'Bonanza' Ben Cartwright had three marriages. What were the first names of his wives and to which sons did they each give birth?

Question #922. Asked by Cat.
Last updated Dec 06 2016.

essaychess
Answer has 54 votes
Currently Best Answer
essaychess
24 year member
365 replies

Answer has 54 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
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.
Apr 08 2000, 7:46 PM
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zbeckabee star
Answer has 27 votes
zbeckabee star
Moderator
18 year member
11752 replies avatar

Answer has 27 votes.
Elizabeth Stoddard (Adam’s mother – from New England -- died during childbirth);

Inger Borgstrom (Hoss’ mother – Scandanavian – died during an Indian attack); and

Marie DeMarigny (Little Joe’s mother – from New Orleans – died from accident when she fell off a horse.) DeMarigny must have been her maiden name, because, according to the lyrics of the Saga of the Ponderosa, her married name would have been Collins.

link http://www.vaiden.net/bonanza_songs.html

Jan 17 2008, 10:24 PM
mballard
Answer has 23 votes
mballard

Answer has 23 votes.
There is a 4th brother only seen in one episode named Clay. Little Joe wanted to go travel with him. Clay said he felt trapped on the Bonanza which is why he wandered. Who was his mother?

Dec 05 2016, 12:16 PM
BamaFan16
Answer has 18 votes
BamaFan16

Answer has 18 votes.
Mballard wrote:
There is a 4th brother only seen in one episode named Clay. Little Joe wanted to go travel with him. Clay said he felt trapped on the Bonanza which is why he wandered. Who was his mother?

Clay was Little Joes half brother and no relation to Ben Cartwright. Clays father was named Jean and his mothers name was Marie. Clay was raised by his grandmother in New Orleans and was told that both of his parents had died. As he got older he asked people that knew his parents what had happened to them and how they had died. That's when he discovered that his mother Marie was still alive and that his father was dead, but that marie had married a man by the name of Ben Cartwright that owned a huge ranch in the Nevada Territory called the Ponderosa. Clay then departed anew Orleans and worked as a ranch hand at different ranches on his journey west. It was this frequent moving that caused him not to be tied to the Ponderosa and his wanting to leave. I hope this helps.

Dec 06 2016, 2:10 AM
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