Ralph
Biography
One of Olive's five children born before she met Dan Guild. Died of pneumonia. His birth date was unknown to the narrator. Accompanied Olive in the 1898 snowstorm. Described as ten years older than Floyd, who admired him and remembered him fondly. Floyd used Ralph’s pen to practice his signature on Olive’s 1918 calendar. Included in the collective claim that every Vosburg child died a pauper. Death date also recorded as “1916” (History of the Guild Family). Developed double pneumonia at age two. Taken to a distant hospital by horse-drawn sleigh through a snowstorm and given a blood transfusion, but died. Developed double pneumonia at age two. Taken through a snowstorm to a distant hospital by horse-drawn sleigh on a featherbed covered with straw. Received a blood transfusion but died.
Timeline
An 1898 snowstorm and shortly afterward
Olive seeks shelter for her children
Olive first arrived with three younger children; Florence and Edith appeared when she moved in. Dan offered shelter in exchange for cooking and keeping house.
History of the Guild Family1914
Ralph’s birth
History of the Guild Family1914
Birth of Ralph
History of the Guild Family1916
Little Ralph dies of double pneumonia
At two, transported by horse-drawn sleigh through a snowstorm to a distant hospital; a blood transfusion did not save him.
History of the Guild Family1916
Ralph dies at age two
Double pneumonia; taken to a distant hospital on a horse-drawn sleigh through a snowstorm, lying on a featherbed beneath straw. A blood transfusion did not save him.
History of the Guild FamilyOn a 1918 calendar
Floyd practices his signature on Olive’s calendar
Floyd wrote 'Mr. Floyd Guild' three times and 'Wrote this with Ralph’s pen.' Arnie Guild possesses the calendar.
History of the Guild Familyat the age of two
Death of Ralph
Died of pneumonia.
Carol's Chapter
Stories mentioning Ralph
- Merlin Remembers the Older GenerationMerlin recalled disliking his grandmother Olive, who stuck her tongue out at him and prompted his mother to switch him. He related that Olive had five children before meeting Dan Guild and moved in with him after Clarence Vosberg died. Olive and Dan married quickly because Bessie was expected, a revelation that still disturbed Merlin. Dan was remembered as quiet, mechanical, and a poor dirt farmer. The account says Olive had eight children by three husbands and Daddy had five half and three full siblings; it separately calls Gertie Dad's stepsister.
- Gramps’s Helping Hands and Generous HeartCarol recounts Edward Williams’s birth, marriage to Agnes Tomitum, and family losses. After Agnes died of tuberculosis, he raised Mom and Lloyd alone and moved with them to Moline in 1925. Despite arguments with Daddy over drinking, Gramps was a valued family helper. He contributed two thousand dollars for a house addition, worked in the garden, helped with canning and childcare, and paid for Mom’s false teeth and occasional dresses. Mom’s “good” dresses for 500 Club meetings were cotton housedresses costing two dollars and seventy-nine cents in J. C. Penney’s basement.
- Red Hair, Handmade Knickers and North Dakota SnowEthel's early life in Newburg included a comfortable home, her Norwegian immigrant mother's skilled sewing, and harsh winters. Agnes made her knickers from a catalog picture, making her the first girl in school to wear them. Ethel remembered tunneling through snow to the barn, skiing over fences to school and learning to walk on tiny snowshoes.
- Loss and Growing Up Too SoonRalph died of double pneumonia despite a snowstorm sleigh journey to hospital and a blood transfusion. Agnes died in 1922 after tuberculosis and complications from swine flu. Ed moved Ethel and Lloyd to a boarding house run by Mrs. Howe. As he began drinking heavily, eleven-year-old Ethel took on care for herself, Lloyd and her father. Ed continued managing a diner and dance hall; Ethel recalled being caught by him kissing a dance partner in a car.
- A Snowstorm, an Open Door, and a Growing FamilyDrawing partly on Floyd’s accounts, the family recounts Dan and Bernal’s rented farm and Olive’s desperate appeal after Clarence Vosburg’s accidental death. Dan offered shelter in exchange for cooking and housekeeping, initially unaware of her two oldest daughters. Olive and Dan married in 1899 and had five children, two of whom died young. The account also recalls Carrie’s devout household and Bernal’s departure after Newton’s death to sell sewing machines, including his meeting with Belle Woodley.
- Hard Work, Strong Tempers, and Lasting Family TiesThe family describes poverty, shared winter coats, uncertain meals, Dan’s mechanical ingenuity and repair shop, and the heavy household work borne by Olive and her daughters. Severe arthritis and unproved suspicions of infidelity colored Olive’s marriage and behavior. Recollections differ sharply: some emphasize harsh discipline and complaints, while grandchildren recall kindness and others see a devoted couple with stubborn tempers. Dan’s brief 1925 departure ended in his return, and they never divorced. The narrative also remembers affectionate sibling bonds, Floyd’s signature practice, and Olive’s willingness to shelter daughters between marriages. Sweeping judgments about the Vosburg and Guild children are presented as family opinions rather than independently established facts.
- Red Hair, Snowshoes, and a Mother’s Handmade KnickersEthel’s early life in Newburg combined material comfort and her Norwegian mother’s skilled sewing with severe winters. Ralph’s death and Agnes’ tuberculosis disrupted the family, sending Ethel and Lloyd on a frightening train journey to their grandparents in Astoria. After Agnes died, Ed’s grief and drinking left young Ethel caring for her family. Friends and dancing brought happiness, but her father refused her wish to attend college and sent her to work.
Referenced in
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