Notable people · Music · Religion · Hymnwriter · Soldier
Ralph E. Hudson
Born in Napoleon, Hudson grew up in Philadelphia, served as a Union Army nurse, and later ran a gospel music publishing business in Alliance, Ohio. His hymn 'My Life, My Love, I Give to Thee' is still in hymnals.
At a glance
- Born
- 1843-07-09
- Died
- 1901-06-14
- Known as
- Music, Religion, Hymnwriter, Soldier
- Organizations
- Methodist Episcopal Church
Life story
Ralph Erskine Hudson was born in Napoleon, Ohio, on July 9, 1843, and moved to Philadelphia as a child. In June 1861 he joined a Pennsylvania Reserve regiment and later served as a nurse in an Annapolis, Maryland, hospital.
There he met Mary Smith, and they married in March 1863. He was discharged in June 1864.
After the war he taught music in Alliance, Ohio, for five years and set up a music publishing business there. He was a Methodist lay preacher with a strong interest in temperance and gospel music, and put out five songbooks between 1882 and 1887.
His best-known piece is 'My Life, My Love, I Give to Thee' (1882), still found in modern hymnals. He also added refrains to older hymns, including some by Isaac Watts. He died in Cleveland on June 14, 1901, and is buried with his wife in Alliance City Cemetery.
Timeline
- 1843-07-09: Born (Napoleon, OH) source
- 1861-06-20: Enlists in the Union Army, 10th Pennsylvania Reserves source
- 1862-06: Begins service as a hospital nurse (Annapolis, MD) source
- 1863-03-04: Marries Mary Smith source
- 1864-06-11: Honorably discharged source
- 1882: Publishes 'My Life, My Love, I Give to Thee'; first of five songbooks (to 1887) (Alliance, OH) source
- 1901-06-14: Dies (Cleveland, OH) source
What Ralph is known for
- Wrote and published gospel songbooks (five, 1882-1887)
- Wrote 'My Life, My Love, I Give to Thee' (1882)
- 'My Life, My Love, I Give to Thee' (1882)
- Five gospel songbooks, 1882-1887
- Refrains added to Isaac Watts hymns
Honors and things named for them
- Hymn still printed in modern hymnals
Family
- wife: Mary Smith Hudson (d. 1925)
Places in Ohio to see
- Alliance City Cemetery (his grave) (grave)
Alliance, Stark County ZIP 44601 (approximate) · Alliance · Stark County · official page
Ohio places
Where Ralph E. Hudson was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Napoleon, Henry County ZIP 43545 · Napoleon · Henry County
- Worked: Alliance, Stark County ZIP 44601 · Alliance · Stark County
- Buried: Alliance, Stark County ZIP 44601 · Alliance · Stark County
- Died: Cleveland, Cuyahoga County ZIP 44114 · Cleveland · Cuyahoga County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Ralph E. Hudson birth in Napoleon, Civil War service, Alliance publishing business, hymn, burial