Ralph Henry Adamson

Ralph Henry Adamson and Nina Mae Coen are Laura and mine connecting ancestors. Let's start with Ralph because for me he started it all. I just needed to know more about him and it spiraled from there. I think if it wasn't for Ralph's story, Laura and I probably wouldn't have met.

Ralph Henry was born in Rathbone, Steuben County, New York in abt 1873. He was born to John Adamson and Kate. In Steuben County, Ralph was surrounded by family. I am sure that he had cousins galore there. John Adamson owned and operated a lumber mill and a farm in Steuben County. Ralph worked there with his brother Arthur, whom we will learn more about later. He had two other siblings a sister named Ida M. and a brother named Walter G. I believe sometime in his late teens, early twenties he migrated with his brother Arthur out of New York. They went west. I am not sure where exactly he met Nina Mae (I am still working on the specifics). But by 1905 he had made it to Hagali, Minnesota. Since Nina was from Wisconsin and had been living in Minnesota with her first husband, John Hower. I have strong feelings this is where they met. I am pretty sure that they married sometime between 1900 and 1903.

Nina Mae had a daughter from her previous marriage, Florence. As far as I can tell Ralph raised Florence as his own. I am unsure the extent of involvment from her biological father. In 1903, Ralph and Nina had a son Elmer. Elmer died at the young age of 9, unknown causes. He was born in Minnesota and died in North Dakota. Before getting to North Dakota though they lived in South Dakota. Where they had two more children: Douglas Henry b. abt 1903-1905 and Goldie (May?) b. abt 1906. They then moved to Keffler, McKenzie, North Dakota around 1910. Somewhere on a little homestead near there Nina gave birth to Walter John "Buster" Adamson. Buster as he was known to everyone was born 5 Jun 1910. Then on 21 May 1912 they had their youngest son Kenneth Vern "Bill". Bill was born in Beach, Golden Valley, North Dakota.

The reason I find Ralph so intriguing is because in 1916 he disappeared. There are numerous family stories as to what happened to him. One thing I am almost positive about is that he didn't "walk out" on his family. In those days, that sort of stuff happened but I don't believe that that is what happened with Ralph. Many have different versions of the same story though, that he went to work and just didn't come home. I am currently in the process of trying to find newspaper articles or anything that might aid me in my search for the truth of what happened to Ralph. I will keep you undated as I find information. One such rumor was that he was living in Sun Valley, NV in the 1960's. While there was a Ralph Adamson living there at that time, I have proved that it was not our Ralph Adamson. I know that not knowing haunted my grandfather, Kenneth or Bill as he was known to family. He thought about going to Sun Valley to see but decided that if it was his father he had made the choice to leave them. I wish I could have reassured him and his siblings that that was not the case. But what did happen?????

I will be posting pictures of Nina and the kids soon. I don't have any pictures of Ralph though. What a find that would be! As far as I can tell any pictures there might have been of Ralph was stolen from Nina shortly before or immediately after she died. Watch for Nina's story soon also. Then I think I will touch on the kids before going back farther.

Just for general information: Douglas Henry is Laura's Grandfather, and Bill is mine.