I know there was 1 episode where they showed his first wife and the other day I saw an episode on ME TV where they showed his 2nd one and when Hoss was born. But did they ever show his 3rd wife?

Yes. There were 3 flashback episodes, each one featuring one of Ben's wives. Some of my favorite eps, for sure.

First we had Ben out east, as a seaman, which includes the birth of Adam in "Elizabeth, My Love" (1961).

Second,young Adam and Ben head to Illinois, where they meet Inger -- who delivers Hoss before her death. "Inger, My Love" (1962).

Finally we meet Little Joe's mom in "Marie, My Love" (1963, Season 4) -- happens in New Orleans. Ben has a gun duel IIRC. Here's the ep on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eKCV_WAvWs

I haven't seen "Marie, My Love" quite as often as the other two, but it should pop up on MeTV, as none of these are Lost episodes.

ok, thanx. Like I said, I remember seeing the first one years ago on a local station, and the second one was just on ME TV. But thanx for posting the link to the 3rd one; I'll watch it one of these nights.

I loved Bonanza, but the idea of Ben having three wives, all of whom die after giving him a son, is absolutely ridiculous.

I loved Bonanza, but the idea of Ben having three wives, all of whom die after giving him a son, is absolutely ridiculous.
what's so ridiculous about it? It could happen.

Ben did have a lot of bad luck with his wives, to have them all die and each leave him with a baby to raise and his sons had a lot of bad luck with women.

I loved Bonanza, but the idea of Ben having three wives, all of whom die after giving him a son, is absolutely ridiculous.

Back in 1880's all sorts of illness, gunshots, buggy rides, horses roaring up, and just being near the saloons one could get killed and die. Today if Bens wives suddenly died he be accused of bumping them off.

Back in 1880's all sorts of illness, gunshots, buggy rides, horses roaring up, and just being near the saloons one could get killed and die. Today if Bens wives suddenly died he be accused of bumping them off.

There is an episode where Ben is accused of killing his wives. The Frenchman, season 3 episode 12, and of course Ben is furious.

All of those flashback episodes were pretty compelling. I liked the guy who played Ben's seafaring father-in-law in the first one (Adam's grandpa). He had done a B & W episode of My Three Sons.

These were not the greatest TV western episodes by a longshot, but they were entertaining -- and it's refreshing to see Cartwright in environments outside the Ponderosa area, with Lorne Greene playing a somewhat younger version of the character.

I saw an episode where Ben and second wife Inger travel in wagon train with others and sadly she died by Indian arrow. Many years later I first saw Inger Swenson in the tv show Benson. It is fun to go back and see actors in earlier roles. Oh was Felicia Farr who was wife number 3 related to Jack Lemmon. Thought she was his first wife.

In the film, “Tin Men,” we see a group of aluminum siding salesmen having Monday morning breakfast at a Baltimore diner during the early 1960s. One of the salesman (portrayed by comedian Jackie Gayle) is a big “Bonanza” fan, who always comments on Sunday night’s broadcast of the popular western series.

The “Bonanza” fan says to his fellow salesmen that “Ben Cartwright lost three wives in childbirth. Yeah, that Ben Cartwright must be one hell of a man,” he observes. Of course, we know that Ben lost one of his wives after she was killed by an Indian arrow attack.

The guy goes on to comment on the Cartwright sons’ luck with women or lack of it, commenting on Little Joe and Hoss’s so-called amorous adventures. For someone who watched “Bonanza” every Sunday night with his family as a young kid, I found Jackie Gayle’s ribald observations about the venerable tv western to be absolutely hilarious. They bring a whole new appreciation of “Bonanza.”

The film also stars Richard Dreyfuss, Danny DeVito, Barbara Hershey and John Mahoney. If you’re old enough to have seen “Bonanza” during its original run, I think you’ll get a big kick watching this very funny film.