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Ralph Almon Piper

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Ralph Almon Piper

Birth	:	6 Jul 1894 Cherry County, Nebraska, USA
Death	:	13 Sep 1918 Cherry County, Nebraska, USA
Burial	:	Mount Hope Cemetery, Wood Lake, Cherry County, USA
Coordinate	:	42.6372920, -100.2330200
Description	:	Ralph Almon Piper was born July 9, 1894. He was the second child of Lucien Edelbert and Mary Etta (Ganow) Piper. His older brother, Hershel died at the age of three from whooping cough in 1895, so Ralph became the oldest surviving child. Eventually he would have four younger brothers: Herbert (b. 1895), Arthur Leland (b. 1898), Glen (b. 1899) and Melvin (b. 1906). Ralph was born on his father's 160-acre homestead near Gay Lake in Nebraska (about 15 miles ENE of present day Gordon). In 1901 the family sold the homestead and moved to... Read More	Ralph Almon Piper was born July 9, 1894. He was the second child of Lucien Edelbert and Mary Etta (Ganow) Piper. His older brother, Hershel died at the age of three from whooping cough in 1895, so Ralph became the oldest surviving child. Eventually he would have four younger brothers: Herbert (b. 1895), Arthur Leland (b. 1898), Glen (b. 1899) and Melvin (b. 1906). Ralph was born on his father's 160-acre homestead near Gay Lake in Nebraska (about 15 miles ENE of present day Gordon). In 1901 the family sold the homestead and moved to 320-acres in Cherry County south of Valentine, Nebraska. The family lived in a sod home and raised cattle. Lucien also worked a neighboring ranch in his spare time. They worked hard and were able to expand to many more acres. In 1914 they bought another ranch and moved into the house. They had a large spread by that time. Congress declared war on April 6, 1917 and America entered WWI. Ralph received his draft notice and registered on June 5, 1917. Ralph wasn't drafted initially but he was drafted in a second wave of troops and left for the army on May 5, 1918. He didn't receive much basic training as he departed for Europe on May 21st. He was assigned to Company B, 355th Infantry, 89th Division. The unit arrived in France in early June and began training in their area by June 24th. On August 5th Ralph's unit entered the trenches. Ralph had only been in the army for 2 months. Ralph's initiation to the trenches was a gas attack on August 8th that caused about 700 casualties. Ralph was unharmed. His unit spent about a month in the line before being pulled out to ready for an assault. The assault was called the Saint-Mihiel offensive. Ralph's unit was positioned directly across no-man's land from the German defended Mort Mare Woods. Ralph's division would perform a frontal assault on the woods while the divisions to the left and right would advance and pinch the woods off and neutralize the enemy. In the event, the 89th Division advanced into the woods and cleared them without help. Ralph's Division continued to push north as planned with Ralph's unit at the center and "point of the spear". They crossed the Rupt de Mad (a small river and valley at Bouillonville) and continued up the heights to the plateau at Beney. They arrived at this point about 6PM having been attacking for about 20 hours. They began to dig in to avoid the shelling of the big German guns many miles away. It is believed that Ralph died at this point during the shelling. He and four others were killed by shrapnel from an exploding artillery shell. His death was given as September 13, 1918. Ralph had been in the army for a little over four months. Ralph was initially buried at the German Cemetery in Bouillonville, France. A grief stricken family requested that his remains be disinterred and returned to the United States for burial. Ralph was buried in Wood Lake on July 3, 1920.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Ralph Almon Piper's memorial?
Ralph Almon Piper's memorial is located at: Mount Hope Cemetery, Wood Lake, Cherry County, USA.
When did Ralph Almon Piper death?
Ralph Almon Piper death on 13 Sep 1918 in Cherry County, Nebraska, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Ralph Almon Piper's memorial?
Latitude: 42.6372920
Longitude: -100.2330200

Family Members:

Parent

Lucien Edelbert “Pat” Piper

(1858 - 1931)

Mary Etta “Ett” Ganow Piper

(1874 - 1919)

Siblings

Glen Raymond “Sam” Piper

(1899 - 1991)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Mount Hope Cemetery
Wood Lake, Cherry County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6372920, -100.2330200

2. Woodlawn Cemetery
Johnstown, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5828018, -100.0736008

3. East Woodlawn Cemetery
Johnstown, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5718994, -100.0382996

4. Grand Prairie Cemetery
Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5886002, -99.9894028

5. German Cemetery
Ainsworth, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5922012, -99.9103012

6. Pleasant Dale Cemetery
Keya Paha County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8494000, -100.0608000

7. Norden Cemetery
Norden, Keya Paha County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8685837, -100.0950851

8. Norden West Cemetery
Keya Paha County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8685989, -100.0947037

9. Taylor Cemetery
Thatcher, Cherry County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8131000, -100.4832500

10. Highland Grove Cemetery
Ainsworth, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6954000, -99.8530000

11. Union Cemetery
Keya Paha County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8091780, -99.9043730

12. Ainsworth Cemetery
Ainsworth, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5341988, -99.8503036

13. Sparks Cemetery
Sparks, Cherry County, USA
Coordinate: 42.9399986, -100.2463989

14. Kewanee Cemetery
Cherry County, USA
Coordinate: 42.9332020, -100.3366500

15. Fort Niobrara Post Cemetery
Valentine, Cherry County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8885630, -100.4779260

16. East Park Cemetery
Ainsworth, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5511017, -99.8244019

17. Hartgrave Cemetery
Cherry County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3244500, -100.2680800

18. Simeon Cemetery
Cherry County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6704000, -100.6629000

19. Mount Hope Cemetery
Valentine, Cherry County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8669014, -100.5350037

20. Minnechaduza Cemetery
Valentine, Cherry County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8731003, -100.5674973

21. Saint Joseph Cemetery
Kewanee, Cherry County, USA
Coordinate: 42.9700000, -100.3373500

22. Lost Creek Cemetery
Keya Paha County, USA
Coordinate: 42.9486008, -99.9646988

23. Buffalo Flats Cemetery
Ainsworth, Brown County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5786700, -99.7357700

24. Shady Rest Cemetery
Valentine, Cherry County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4598160, -100.6837050