Carol:
Ok you gave me something to sink my teeth into.
William Lewis Ralph of Polk Co. MO as noted above, Born Aug -23-1829 Sumner Co. TN to Lewis and Polly (Smith) Ralph. Died 6-13-1896 Humansville, Polk Co., MO.
Moved to Missouri 1851 via Osceola Arkansas.
Served in 1st/4th Consolidated Infantry went absent sick from Nashville 2-16-1862. Turns up he also served late in the war with Co E of the 26th EMM with his brother. They both enlisted at Boliver Sept 25 1864, relieved of duty Nov 19, 1864. They had a sister Manerva which is actually easier to track through the census records as it is an unusual name.
More about Lewis:
Lewis Ralph and his wife are buried at the Beech Cumberland Prebyterian Church in Sumner Co, Tenn, Seven miles east of Goodlettsville. There is no marker at their grave.
The following information was sent to Joan Sharp from the Genealogical Society in Salt Lake City,. Nov 28, 1961.
Lewis Ralph was residing in Sumner County in 1850, a widower, at the age of 50 years and he was born in Tennesse and must have been the son of John Ralph, who owned property in the county in 1801 and earlier.
Census of Sumner Co., Tenn. Aug 1850
Lewis Ralph 50, male farmar, $1,000. born Tenn. ( Widower)
Minerva Ann Ralph 27, female, born Tenn.
William Ralph 21, male, born Tenn.
Tyree Ralph 19, male, born Tenn.
Mary Ralph 17, female, born Tenn.
John Ralph 15, male, born Tenn.
James Ralph 13, male, born Tenn.
Manerva Ann RALPH B: 20 JAN 1821 in Sumner County, Tennesse D: 4 OCT 1884
Manerva Ralph never married but came to Missouri and lived with her two brothers, Alex and William Ralph. She is buried at Shady Grove Cemetery, Humansville, Missouri.
ALEXANDER RALPH
History Of Hickory, Polk, Cedar, Dade And Barton Counties, Missouri; 1889, published by Goodspeed, Pgs. 690, 691--Polk County Biographies Section
Alexander Ralph, a well-known and highly esteemed resident of Polk County,, Mo., was born near Gallatin, Sumner County, Tenn., on the 18th of February, 1825, and is a son of Lewis and Mary (Smith) Ralph, who were born, reared, and spent their lives in Sumner County, Tenn., the mother dying when our subject was quite young, and the father in 1877, at the age of seventy- seven years. Both were members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and, in early life, he was a Whig in politics, and afterward became a Republican. Alexander Ralph is one of three surviving members of their family of nine children, eight of whom lived to be grown. He received his education in the common schools of Sumner County, and there made his home until 1848, when he came to Missouri, and located in Polk County, and rented land west of Bolivar for about one year. He then spent two years on Twenty-five Mile Prairie, after which he came to his present farm, which consists of 320 acres of as good land as there is in the county. October 15, 1848, he was married to Sarah Ann Kizor, a daughter of John and Fanny Kizor, who spent their lives in Sumner County, Tenn. Mrs. Ralph was born there on the 8th of March, 1827, and she and Mr. Ralph are the parents of eight children: William B., at home; James A., a ranchman of Nevada; Marcus B., at home; Frances C., wife of John Wilson, a farmer of Polk County, Mo., are living: and John L., Robert P., Mary T., who died in 1886, at the age of twenty-seven years, the wife of David Rogers, of Greene County; and Finis Lee, are deceased. Mr. Ralph has been an elder in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church for over thirty years, and in his political views is a stanch Republican. During the late war he served as second lieutenant of Company E of the Enrolled Militia, in Col. Johnson's regiment.
Back to William Lewis:
Married Mary Elizabeth YOAST (b: 5 MAR 1842) in 1860
(The Yoast family was one of the original pioneer families of Polk Co.)
Children of William L. and Mary E Ralph
John L. RALPH b: 14 JUN 1861 in Polk county, Missouri
James F. RALPH b: 18 MAY 1863 in Polk county, Missouri William Alexander RALPH b: 23 OCT 1864 in Bolivar, Mo.Polk county, Missouri
Mary Jane RALPH b: 18 FEB 1867 in Polk county, Missouri
Thomas H. RALPH b: 8 JAN 1869 in Polk county, Missouri
Florence Clementine RALPH b: 7 OCT 1871 in Polk county, Missouri
Charles S. RALPH b: 1 OCT 1873 in Polk county, Missouri
Matilda A. RALPH b: 30 OCT 1875 in Polk county, Missouri
Phineas P. RALPH b: 18 NOV 1883 in Polk county, Missouri
William L. Ralph family is found in the 1880 Census of Jefferson Twship Polk Co MO Dwelling 124 Family 151.
A turn of the century picture of Humansville is at http://www.rootsweb.com/~mopolk/humansvl1.jpg
From the Shady Grove Cemetery Index, Humansville MO:
Ralph, James F (May 18 1863-Oct 20 1882)
Ralph, Manerva (Jan 20 1821-Oct 4 1894)
Ralph, Mary E (Mar 5 1842-May15 1908)
Ralph, Thomas H (Jan 8 1869-Sep 23 1873).
Ralph, William (Aug 23 1829-Jun 13 1896
Hope this fills in enough of the gaps to tie your family together.
John Russell MD