Biography extracted from History of Sauk County, Wisconsin Chicago: Western Historical Company, published 1880.

Greenfield:

Ralph G. Cowles, son or Lorrin and Betsey Cowles; when a boy, lost his mother at Kalamazoo, Mich., a windstorm blowing a tree across the wagon in which she was riding; in July, 1843, in company of his father, he crossed the Wisconsin at Sauk City, swimming their cattle, and on the 7th, they came over the well-nigh impassable bluffs to Baraboo; the Winnebago’s were assembled upon their council grounds, on the spur of high land south of Mrs. C.C. Remington’s, and their corn-fields were green up and down the Baraboo; they settled on Sec. 33, now in Greenfield, the second settlers in the town; here Mr. Cowles’ sister, Mrs. Peter Shaffer, gave birth to a daughter in October, 1843, the first white child born in the town, and Mrs. Shaffer’s death, in the following March, was the first instance of mortality; the father also having died, the land was entered by Ralph and his brother in 1847. In 1851, he was married to Lucretia A., daughter of James and Lucy Crawford, born in April, 1832, by whom he has had five children – Lorrin H., born Sept. 3, 1852, married Sept., 16, 1874; Orpha, born, Jan. 22, 1857, died Oct. 19, 1864; Elmer E., born May 26, 1852, died Oct. 4, 1864; Fred M., born July 20, 1866, and Lulie E., born Oct. 29, 1872. Orpha and Elmer were taken away by dysentery, which was so widely prevalent and fatal in 1864. Mr. and Mrs. Cowles were excellent neighbors, having a wide moral influence, and living intensely religious lives. Formerly, he was a member of the Methodist Church, of which his father was the first Class-leader, but now he is Elder in the Seventh Day Advent Church. He was an ardent Abolitionist of the olden time; has been and is a radical temperance man, and a Republican from before the organization of the party.

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