Dr. Tann

Dr. George Tann

George A. Tann is mentioned in Little House on the Prairie as a black doctor on the Osage Diminished Reserve who saved the lives of the Ingalls family when they all came down with fever 'n' ague (malaria) on the prairie.

George Tann was born on November 27, 1835 to Bennet and Mary Tann. George married Catherine Thompson, and had a son, William, in 1859. After deserting them in Pennsylvania, George came to Kansas and claimed to be single.

George married Eliza Harris in Kansas just after the time period of Little House on the Prairie. They had two children, Naomi in 1882 and Stella in 1886. He and Eliza later separated, but he kept his responsibilities to her and their daughters.

Bennet and Mary Tann were neighbors of the Ingalls family in Kansas, and George lived with them during the fever 'n' ague epidemic. When the Ingalls family came down with the fever, their bulldog Jack went to fetch him. After caring for their immediate needs, he got another neighbor, Mrs. Scott, to nurse the family back to health.

Dr. Tann died on March 30, 1909, and is buried in Independence, Kansas. His gravestone is marked with flags so visitors can easily find it.