William Ralph was an only child born to William and Catherine Ralph. William Snr was born in the Brecon area in 1840 and came to the Nelson area for work. He was employed as a plate layer. Catherine was born in Aberaman, near Aberdare in about 1841. When William married Catherine it appear that he inherited two children from her previous marriage. David and Anne Williams were 12 and 9 years old.

At this time, William lived in a grocer’s shop in Nelson, somewhere near the Royal Oak Inn and the Nelson Inn.

William Jnr was born in 1878.

By 1891 the family owned a larger property at 23 Thomas Street, Merthyr Tydfil. They had four lodgers staying with them.

By 1901 there is no trace of either William or Catherine Ralph on census records despite the fact that they would only have been near 60 years old. Could they have emigrated?
William Jnr at this time was shown as lodging with a family at 71 Herbert Street, Abercynon. He was working as a coal hewer, an underground job in the mines.