Frederick George Ralph was born July 27, 1845 at Banwell, Sommerset, England. He was
baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1853 when eight years of age
by Jacob West.
In the year 1863 he came to Utah with his father and only brother, Robert. The crossed the
Atlantic Ocean in a sailing vessel and came across the plains by ox team, first settling in West Weber
but later moved to Plain City where he worked for Brother Jeppe Folkman.
In 1865 he and his brother
Robert received a call to go to the Engowment House in Salt Lake City to receive their endowments. It
was the month of March with snow on the ground but they walked most of the way. When they
reached Kaysville they were almost blinded by the sun on the snow, but some kind people took them in
and put raw meat on their blood shot eyes.
Frederick acquired a couple of city lots on which he planted fruit trees, strawberries, and other
small fruit and garden stuff. He learned enough of the Scandinavian language so that when Betty
Christina Soderstrom arrived in Plain City he was able to make her understand that he desired her for
his wife. They were married in the Endowment House the 25th of October 1869.
In August 1870 she
gave birth to a stillborn baby boy. In 1872 on May 11 George Ralph, his father, died true to the faith he had
espoused, he was buried at Almy, Weber County, Utah. The same year Frederick George and his wife
Betty became the parents of a boy whom they named Frederick Charles. He was born
November 29, 1872. Betty had three other children; Sarah Ann who was born May 24, 1874; Mary
Ann Ruth who was born March 26, 1876; and Christina Luisa born October 23, 1878. The last named
died August 13, 1879. In the fall of that year the family moved to Hyrum, Cache County, Utah. Here
Betty became a teacher in Relief Society and also a member of the Choir. She died here on March 5,
1881.
On September 29, 1873 Frederick George Ralph married D. Georgene C. May who had arrived
in Plain City from Denmark July 24, 1873. She came with her mother who had a sister who had been
living in Plain City for some time and whose husband came with the same company.
In the fall of 1874 the United Order was operating in Brigham City and Frederick George Ralph
with his family moved there where he first worked as a shoemaker and later in the cabinet shop. On
December 30, Georgene's first child, a little girl, Ann Elizabeth was born. In February, 1875 they
moved back to Plain City where Georgene and her baby lived in a small adobe house; a one room
house with a dirt roof. When it snowed or rained the roof would leak so badly that she had to put pans
and other utensils around on the bed and floor. There was an open fireplace and a few sage brush to
burn, but they had to be broken up in the house as there was no ax and it was snowy and wet outside.
In the fall Frederick George Ralph made some adobe bricks and put up a one room adobe house.
Georgene made and carried the mortar but was thankful when she could move into it, for it had a
shingle roof. On January 22, 1877 her second child, Almeda Louisa was born in Brigham City where
Georgene's mother and sister resided. Almeda Louisa died and was buried in Plain City August 27,
1877. A year later, August 2, 1878 a third daughter Lilly May was born. There was no doctor or
midwife and things went wrong, but through good nursing by Georgene's mother she pulled through.
Frederick George Ralph was assistant Sunday School Superintendent in Plain City. He was
secretary of the water company and was ordained a Seventy. He was a farmer like most of the men in
Plain City. He raised small truck garden produce which they took to Ogden to sell, but it was not a
very rewarding business. Although the worked hard they barely made a living.
If the fall of 1879,
Frederick George Ralph and his wife Betty made a trip to Cache County. They found a place for sale in
the town of Hyrum. It was a rock house unfinished, but large enough and finished enough so that it
could hold the two families. A bargain was made and they came back to Plain City and disposed of the
property there, and the family all moved to Hyrum, Cache County, Utah late that fall. The place had
not been rented for sometime and the fences and buildings were rather run down. The cattle would break through and trample the garden, but he had a good neighbor, David Osborne, who would come
and try to fix the fence when he saw the cattle break through and he proved to be a friend indeed. It
was only a willow fence. A lumber finishing mill had been started in Hyrum and by working there
Frederick George Ralph obtained pickets to fence the lots. There were a few apple trees and by
planting more, he had a good orchard and there was plenty of room for a good garden. At that time
Cache Valley was considered only for stock raising, but it needed only good care to produce all kinds
of vegetables, even tomatoes, beans, and other tender plants.
On 5 March 1881Betty died in Hyrum, Cache County, Utah . After her death, Betty's children
were cared for by Georgene.
The Logan Temple was being erected and when carpenters were needed he started to work there
and continued until the Temple was completed in 1884. The Temple was being built mostly by
donations so the wages were paid in such things as the people had, but he seemed in quite an honor and
privilege to labor there. After the Temple was dedicated he performed work for his kindred dead.
Having obtained two city lots on the east bench he built a two room house on part of the one lot for his
wife's mother and father who had come to live with them. They later moved into the house built for
them.
On August 13, 1884 he married his wife's sister, Anna May, who was teaching school in Hyrum
and was staying at his home. Meanwhile two more children had been born. Clara Georgene was born
June 5, 1881, and Ethel Camilla born February 17, 1883. In May, 1884 the Temple in Logan was
dedicated and the family commenced doing work in the Temple for their dead relatives and friends.
On October 29, 1885 Anna May Ralph gave birth to a baby boy, George Robert, who died
September 23, 1886. On March 26, 1886 Georgene gave birth to a baby boy, Edwin Theodore. This
was a trying time for the Church. The leaders were in exile or on the underground and many of the
brethren were even in prison for the practice of polygamy.
Frederick George Ralph and his wife, Anna went from one place to another, and finally settled
in Coalville where he worked on the new stake house there. Myrtle Exile was born November 20,
1888. In Februrary, 1889 Frederick George was tired of roaming around and always in danger of arrest
by the deputies. He gave himself up to the authorities and was sent to prison for five months for his
belief in the principle of polygamy. When he came out he had a very severe sickness caused by the
food and confinement. In 1898 he went on a mission to Great Britain for the church. He was released
in May, 1900 on account of sickness (Pnemonia), and arrived home June 3 1900. He was never strong
again, but worked in the sugar factory in the fall of each year to obtain money for taxes and for fuel for
the winter.
He was tithing clerk for the three Hyrum wards. The children had all left Hyrum (all but
two who were married) for he felt he could do better in Salt Lake City as he was anxious to get some
genealogy. He and his family moved in May, 1909 to Salt Lake City where he planned to do
genealogical research work. But in November he became ill with pneumonia and died November 27,
1909 and was buried at Hyrum, Utah.
When Cache Stake was divided into three wards and he belonged to the third ward, Frederick
George Ralph was appointed ward clerk and was ordained to the office of High Priest.
