Ralph Plaisted, Adventurer - 1927 - 2008.

 

Ralph Plaisted showing you where he would be travelling within the month.

Another claim to fame for the Plaisted family is Ralph Summers Plaisted who was born 30th September 1927 in Bruno, Minn., south west of Duluth.  He was the son of Orey Plaisted and Phyllis Summers

Though he dropped out of High School in tenth grade, I doubt anyone could imagine that he would end up holding the title with three friends of the first person to be verified at the North Pole.  This is his story.

He made his mother very proud by joining the Navy, where he became a Baker in the Aleutians towards the end of World War II.  After leaving the Navy he finally settled in St Pauls where he opened his own Insurance Agency.

Information read from another blog by Michael Plaisted who is a relative of Ralph's through his father says that Ralph was out drinking with three of his mates when the idea of making a trip to the North Pole on Snowmobiles a recent invention would be a great idea.  This was in 1967.  Snowmobiles had only been around a few years, the first time Ralph sat on one he loved it.  He proved that they were capable of extended journeys in 1965 when he did a 14 hour journey of 250 miles from Ely to St Paul's.

The title of the first proven team to cross the ice to the top of the world goes to Ralph Plaisted and his friends.  Gerald Pitzl, Jean-Luc Bombardier & Walter Pederson.  On their first attempt in 1967 failed, however all their trails and tribulations were documented by TV Journalist Charles Kuralt.

On 7th March 1968 they set out for another shot at reaching the North Pole.  They left Ward Hunt Island in Canada which was 474 miles from the North Pole.  They had many challenges along the way.  It took them 44 days to reach the North Pole, travelling through ice ridges and fissures and of course all the weather changes that occurred.  Once on the pole they hoisted flags for America & Canada then put up tents and rested.  The following morning they had to move their tents 2 miles back to the North Pole, this certainly shows how much movement there is in the ice.  A 10am that morning a US Forces aircraft confirmed their position as on top of the world, right at the North Pole.

There are various books written about this mans story, it would certainly make an interesting read.

My information came from one of Ralph Plaisted's obituaries which states that he died of a heart attack 8th September 2008.  Here is the link to that obituary.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/us/13plaisted.html?_r=0

DNA Plaisted via photos

Two lines that are not yet connected, though have strong DNA similarities

First I will put in a photo of my husbands 4th great grand uncle that was taken in about 1885 in London a few years before he died.  A rather handsome man to say the least.

 

Thomas Wilkes Plaisted   1811 - 1886

Next are two photos.  One of my husband and another of a gentleman from the American line.  Note these two lines do not yet connect at this stage.  Though looking at the photos I am sure they do somewhere.

            
                         My husband - photo taken May 2012                   Bob from the USA

So looking at these three photos tell me  what you think.  Most definitely  strong Plaisted
DNA       

Time for an Update

Hi folks

Not been doing much research for the Plaisted family recently.  Last lady I helped was Amy.  I charming young lady in the USA.  I hope that I managed to connect her with another researcher of her direct line. 

I would dearly like to  connect all the dots for the Plaisted line in Australia and bring it all up to date, there are so many different surnames and in so many different places too.  Those that are in Australia please give me a yell, it would be lovely to find some more details and cousins.

Now I would love to show you some photos of various Plaisteds from completely different lines that have no connect (YET) however the DNA is amazing - and shows to be very strong.

Just got to ask permission to use photos so keep an eye open for them soon.  I hope.

Let us get this American lines up and running too.  I have updated some family trees.  If you see anything that matches your line please let me know.  I will be putting them up soon too.  The trees I have updated are from the Book by Arthur H Plaisted.


Before I go to links from Anne  (Big Thanks)  about The Australian Plaisted line and also the Green line that married into it. 

 http://ayfamilyhistory.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/tabitha-plaisted-1806-1891.html   Tabitha Plaisted sister of John

http://ayfamilyhistory.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/green-family-in-australia.html    Anne Green wife of John

Take care be back soon.  xx

Those American Plaisted's of mine

George has a fastening amount of information that I have never seen before including many photos that I had not know existed. It is wonderful that he is sharing and helping me to connect to others from this American line.

Here are a few of the photos.

 

Thomas Wilkes Plaisted photo taken around 1882

 

This is either Louisa Baxter or Lettice Baxter, wives of the above Thomas Wilkes Plaisted. Lousia died whilst some of the children were quite young, Thomas married their Aunt Lettice.

 

Harry Plaisted.  He is one of the children of Thomas and Louisa Plaisted.  He went to America and naturalised in 1891 or there about with his wife Lucy Jeans and their children

 

Matilda Ball nee Plaisted is a sister of Harry.  She married Henry Ball who is said to have not been good enough for her. 

 

This is Maude Ball, daughter of the above Matilda, she married a very successful Swedish man where the line continues today.  I am not sure if she is the lady or the young girl.

 

 

These are a few of the photographs that George sent me, I also have stories that I will add later.  I am hoping that Christer Claus who is a descendant of Maude will tell be able to find out a bit more about the above photograph.  The other family bits and pieces will be added later.

 

On a final note.  Harry and Lucy had a son named Arthur K Plaisted the story from George is that he was in the American Mexican war (I think it was) and fell in love with a young lady and disappeared.  Well it seems that someone in the Philippines applied for this gentleman's war pension, so it looks like he has descendants somewhere out there of which I am still trying to establish.  I found a son who married.  Will let you all know how things go and if I find anything.

My American Plaisted Line

Finally I have got a contact for my Plaisted line in America, this one is seperate from those that arrived in the 1700s.

Thanks to leaving a message with a lady called Diane, who had contact with a cousin of hers from the Plaisted line.  This morning I got an email from George and WOW talk about blown away.  His has so much information, I am really looking forward to sharing research with him. Here is hoping that I can get scanned copies of info, documents and photos. I can then return the favour.  He sounds a lovely man who also has contact with another cousin from this Plaisted line.

Christer is another family researcher from another sibling who ended up in Sweden, so I am hoping to also connect these two gentleman as well.

Claire

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General Harris Plaisted - The Civil War 1862

Hi

Thanks to Gladys Shink nee Plaisted for this article on General Harris Plaisted and the document or one of them about what he did during the Civil War.  I have only being able to post the link, so please have a look and a good look.

http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=arcsesq&id=283887&v=article